Jett: FreeSewing's Jett Jacket
Designer Notes
It’s highly recommended to take another jacket you like and compare the shoulder-to-shoulder and waist- to-armpit measurements against it before you start cutting.
This pattern is intended to fit the widest possible range of bodies, so it comes with a couple optional adjustments under the Fit options.
The bust dart/full bust adjustment is intended for people with breasts. There are two implementations available, one based on horizontal and vertical shifts, one based on rotations like a full bust adjustment for a paper pattern. The rotation-based one is better and you should probably use it.
The full belly adjustment operates under the assumption that the waist measurement is taken around the fullest part of your belly. If the fullest part of your belly is below the place you took the waist measurement, don’t worry about changing the rest of the vertical measurements to account for it - Jett makes the adjustment all the way down to the hem.
The full belly adjustment only takes effect if your waist measurement + the given waist ease is wider than the ease the pattern is already generating around your stomach. If you turn it on, but don’t see anything change, it’s because the pattern has enough ease that you don’t need the adjustment.
What You Need
To make Jett, you will need:
- About 2 meters of a suitable fabric for the outer shell (see Fabric options)
- About 2 meters of a suitable fabric for the lining (see Fabric options)
- Ribbing fabric for the hem, cuffs, and collar
- (Optional) 2 small pieces of fusible interfacing for the welt pockets
- Buttons or snaps to hold the front together
Fabric Options
For the ribbing for the cuffs, collar, and waistband, you’ll want a rib knit, probably cotton, with a good amount of widthwise stretch. The main shell fabric and the lining should be fabric with little or no stretch, but beyond that, you have a lot of options.
The original jackets Jett took inspiration from used a medium-weight cotton twill for the outer shell. Denim could work, too, though it’s not the typical construction for a jean jacket. If you want to be fancy, you could use a satin or velvet. For something really warm, you could use an upcycled quilt. Sewing through multiple layers of quilt can be hard on a sewing machine, so if you commit to that path, you might need to attach the collar and cuffs by hand.
For the lining, quilting cotton or calico works fine. For extra coziness, you could use fleece or faux fur. Woven linen works well if you want a breathable spring/summer garment. You could use plain silk habotai, or a shimmery acetate jacquard. Since the lining won’t be seen when you wear the jacket, you could also use it as an excuse to piece together and use up some of your fabric scraps.
Optional, but I highly recommend doing something to ornament the back piece of the jacket before you begin sewing it together. It can provide a large canvas for embroidery, or bleach painting, fabric painting, or iron-on patches. But it’ll be significantly harder to work with once it’s sewn into the jacket. Plan ahead!
Keep in mind that the construction of the button placket will require you to sew through 3 layers of one fabric plus 1 layer of the other, but it doesn’t actually matter whether it’s constructed from the “shell” or the “lining.” Take note of which of your fabrics is thinner, and cut the wider front pieces with the button plackets included out of that, while you trim the other front pieces to the green line.
Cutting Instructions
- Main fabric
- Cut 2 front mirrored
- Cut 1 back on the fold
- Cut 1 yoke on the fold (if using)
- Cut 2 sleeves mirrored
- Cut 2 waistband extensions
- Lining
- Cut 2 front mirrored
- Cut 1 back on the fold
- Cut 1 yoke on the fold (if using)
- Cut 2 sleeves mirrored
- Cut 4 pocket bag front
- Cut 2 pocket welts
- Ribbing
- Cut 1 waistband
- Cut 2 cuffs
- Cut 1 collar