How to Sew a Jacket
the Easy Way
There are five main stages to sewing a simple jacket. The obtaining
fabric & supplies stage, the cleaning
stage, the laying fabric and cutting stage, the sewing and ironing stage and the tying up loose ends stage.
You need to find out the the body measurements of the
party you intend to sew the jacket for.
This will give you an idea of what size jacket pattern and how much
fabric you will need. If you are
sewing for a female, it is recommended to take their measurement over
undergarments. If you are sewing for a male, it is
recommended to take their measurement over their T-shirts and shorts. You want to measure their waist, shoulder
point, bust, height and back waist length and hip. There should be a measurement chart right on
the pattern that is usually very helpful.
During stage one when you are deciding on what fabric is
best, you probably want to consider the quality, occasions it will be worn for
and whether you need to obtain 45 or 60 width fabric.
In addition to your fabric, you should make sure your sewing tools are
handy. The tools are scissors, straight
pins, needles, bobby pins, thread and buttons that matching the fabric, interfacing,
measuring tape, marking pencil, yardstick, seam ripper, basket for tools, decent
sewing machine, pin holder, iron and iron board. Secondly, you need to choose a storage area,
clear workspace, an adjustable lamp with good lighting and full length mirror.
You want the jacket pattern and style you chose to be one
you feel comfortable about using considering your sewing skills. When you first start sewing, it’s best to
begin with an easy pattern with a small amount of seams. If the fabric you chose is washable. Then the next best step is to throw it in the washing
machine for its first wash before you begin sewing. If the fabric can only be dry cleaned, then
take it to the dry cleaner. This will avoid shrinkage of your jacket when you wash it after
it is made and get rid of the unneeded finishes. Also
in order to make it easier on yourself during the pattern lying stage, you
probably should press off the fabric at the appropriate iron temperature to try
to eliminate the wrinkles. Some people even press off their pattern
pieces with a warm dry iron however; because of the nature of its material you may
risk destroying it.
Before you begin to lay your pattern pieces on your fabric,
it is very important to read your
jacket’s pattern instructions carefully and more than once if needed. The
laying and cutting stage is most important stage of this project. The
pattern instruction reveals how to understand the symbols on the pieces and how
to lay the fabric and pieces. When you open the envelope you will usually find a few
different cutting layouts depending on the width of the fabric you chose and
what size jacket you are making. You need to sort out the one that has the
jacket you want to make for your width and size. Once
you have confirmed and identified that you have all the pattern pieces needed
and found the cutting lines for your size, you may realize that you need to
make a few adjustments. You
want to adjust the pattern pieces for the best fit. If you need to adjust the length, there are
lines printed on the pattern piece indicating where you may need to shorten or
lengthen it. The length can also be
changed at the lower edge too. If you
need to adjust the width, pin extra paper underneath the pieces. The pattern reveals how to fold your fabric
and the cutting layout that you need follow.
The selvage is one of the finished lengthwise edges on a piece of
fabric. The usual way of folding
fabric for cutting is in half length-wise with the selvage edges matching. It is generally firmer than the crosswise,
cut edges. In this stage you cut out
and separate the pattern pieces you will need to make the jacket from the rest
of the pieces. You can ask some one
else who sews regularly where to obtain the fabric and supplies in your area and
can you call them if you have further questions. If you check with your local evening schools
and fabric stores you probably can find a beginners sewing class you can attend
in your area. There is usually a glossary on the pattern also to help you
with the words you may not understand.
During stage three you
should lay the fabric on your work surface as shown in the layout. Most
simple jackets have a minimum of five pattern pieces. They are the front, back, collar, sleeve and
the guide for the button holes if the jacket you chose has buttons. Then
you cut out the fabric with the correct pattern pieces pinned on it exactly as
indicated. If you want to assure you have a good end
product, make sure you make the markings for your darts, button holes, etc. on
your fabric as shown and where indicated by the pattern. Once
you have carefully read, positioned and pinned it in place so it won’t move
while you are cutting, now cut it out with your scissor as indicated. Once you finish the cutting phase, these
markings are going to help guide you once you start the sewing stage. You
will soon have to sew near the markings.
Before you begin the next stage, it is just as important to
carefully read and follow the instructions for your sewing machine. It
does not have to be new however; your machine should be in good working condition. If you
obtain one of the more newer and modern ones, it will usually provide different
choices of stitches that make your seams look more professional done. However,
it’s best to sew the fabric with the basic stitch first and have the intended party
try it on in before using one of these other stitches. A
few of these stitches cut the fabric as you go and you want to avoid cutting too
much fabric too soon and making the jacket too small for the intended party. The pattern pieces reveal where to sew so you can receive
your desired size. It is not wise to try to make the jacket all
in one day unless there is a reason. You can aim to perform two stages every other
day and still have yourself a nice jacket in a week. Though this article
focuses on how a jacket can be sewn.
There are nice online jacket stores like our below that are easy to find
also.
by Joanne El-Amin
Occupation: She is an
alumni of Rutgers
University and is a
Retailer who specializes in Men’s and Women’s Durable and Innovative Jackets
She can be reached at ChoiceofJackets@gmail.com.net or www.YourChoiceofJackets.com
