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Sunday, December 13, 2015

Butterick 5616 (Modified) - Olive Green Jacket

Inspired by military-look olive green jackets I see when the weather cools down, I decided to make one of my own.  I used Butterick 5616 as a base and made stylistic changes to make the jacket look closer to my vision of what I wanted this jacket to be.  The fabric is a tightly woven medium weight cotton twill purchased from B&J Fabrics in New York City.

The pattern provides 3/4 length 2 piece sleeves which I lengthened to full length.




The pattern has a cut on facing you fold over a couple of times to create the placket at center front where you would add buttons and buttonholes.  I instead cut off the facing and drafted a sew on facing so I could insert a separating metal zipper.


I also added an extension over the zipper, a design detail I have seen on the ready-to-wear jackets I have examined.  I then added snaps along the extension, cuffs and pockets using the snap tool described in my previous post.



The pattern is described as a very loose fitting jacket and indeed it is.  I normally would take in all of the extra ease but in this case I decided to keep it.  I gave the jacket shaping by adding a drawstring, another detail I have seen in the ready-to-wear jackets I have admired.


For the drawstring, I drafted a drawstring casing and attached it to the inside.  I used metal eyelets by Dritz for the drawstring opening and cordstops I purchased at Pacific Trim in New York City.


I topstitched 1/4 inch away from all seam lines using Mara 30 topstitching thread by Gutterman and a 100/16 size needle with a 4.0 stitch length.  To prevent the pocket edges from curling over time, I slipstitched the edges to make sure they stay flat.



The princess line design of this pattern made it easy to fit.  No dreaded fold wanting to become a dart - yay!  The jacket is loose fitting enough that I could wear layers underneath.


I've been talking to my friends for a long time about making this jacket and then when I started working on it, it took me a long time to make so it feels like this project has been around forever.  I finally finished it.

Happy sewing!

24 comments:

  1. It's loose but still nicely shaped. The changes you've made to this pattern really work well. You've invested some good planning to make this a worthwhile jacket. It's really nice.

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    1. Thank you velosewer! I think I will get a lot of wear out of it.

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  2. Details! Details! Details! What a great jacket!I love all of the extras you added. I need to take a lesson from you here about extra touches.

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    1. Thank you Bianca! Necessity is the mother of invention...I had been looking for a pattern like this but couldn't find it so I had to think of adapting one that had the base pieces.

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  3. Congratulations! I would love to see how you made that flap for the zipper because that's my plan for my next jacket. You have done an amazing job!

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    1. Thank you so much Janet! It's not hard. Decide how wide you want it then multiply by 2 and add seam allowances. Decide how long you want it plus seam allowances. Fold in half lengthwise with right sides together and sew along the short ends. Turn right side out and press. Trim the long raw edge that will be inside (facing you) to 1/4 inch. Place the strip where you want it so that the right side untrimmed raw edge is against the right side of the jacket. Sew down right next to the trimmed edge. Flip over and topstitch.

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  4. Perfection! What a wonderful jacket you now have. The addition of that zipper really notches it up. I'm going to give this pattern some serious consideration.

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    1. Thank you so much Bunny. Adding the zipper, as well as the snaps, was a lot of fun!

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  5. I have been itching to see this jacket since your previous post and it was worth the wait. What a fabulous jacket and so much attention to detail. Looks great on you and I just love the added drawstring! :) x

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    1. Thank you Dawn! Yes, that drawstring is what adds the shaping so I am pleased.

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    2. Merry Christmas Tomasa! Hope to see you in the New Year!!! :) xx

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    3. Email to you has been sent! YaaY :) x

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  6. It looks really, really good. Like velosewer said, even though it's loose, it's still nicely shaped and fitted and like you said, no wrinkles! Love the cord stops!! Pacific Trimming is the best!

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    1. Thank you Kyle! Yes, I most certainly agree - Pacific Trim is a fabulous store.

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  7. I haven't been keeping up with my blogs lately but so glad that I didn't miss this! What a great jacket. I think the loose fit is fantastic. You are so precise in your details, and it makes the jacket look very professional.

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    1. Thank you so much Anna! It's sometimes challenging to keep up with the blogosphere, especially now during the holidays.

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  8. That's a really cool jacket. The close-up details look fantastic :)

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    1. Thank you Carolyn. All of the details were time consuming to put in but worth the effort.

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  9. I used that pattern this past summer to make a white cropped jean jacket. Your jacket came out wonderful!

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  10. I love what you have done with this jacket. I made a jean jacket from another pattern but it is too shaped, this one I really like and I am more a zip person than buttons so I think I will copy you when I start.

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    1. Thank you Gernella! I am glad this blog post gave you some ideas! :)

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  11. Gorgeous Jacket.. I think it fits your frame nicely. The detailing is excellent in my opinion. I had a jacket similar to this in white that was ruined by mildew, so this would make a great replacement.

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    1. Thanks so much Andrea! Taking the time to add details always pays off!

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