Personal Challenge: Sewing Outerwear

Hello sewing friends! In my corner of the world right now it is winter and we are excitedly looking forward to spring. Jackets are a must where we live. I've avoided sewing outerwear so far but decided this year to dive in head first. That meant tackling buttons, zippers, and snaps. Oh my! We can do it, though, folks. It was so worth the effort.

First up is buttons and buttonholes. For twin #1, I made Rad Patterns's Luca Jacket. I used Hudson Scuba for the outside and an old ALD floral liverpool from my stash for the lining. The swing style gives this jacket a classy look.

Buttonholes are not too hard as long as you make sure to use interfacing and mark clearly where your buttonholes will go. Worst case scenario, you have to seam rip, but you can always start over if you're not happy with your placement.

Next is snaps! For twin #2 I made the Lumberjack Youth* pattern from Patterns for Pirates. I used Anson Scuba for the outer and Vivian Pointelle for the lining. She loves the pockets and I love how easy it was to sew.

I used heavy duty snaps, and I won't lie, they were a bit intimidating. You have to punch a hole, so once you commit, that's it. But I found a few tricks that really helped make it go smoothly. I used an expanding sewing gauge to mark the front snaps and applied them first. I then drew on the inside of the snaps with chalk, lined up the two sides of the jacket, and pressed them down. This gave me perfect marks to apply the bottom snaps.

And zippers... I don't mind sewing zippers in bags, but clothes scare me. Especially separating zippers. For my youngest I made Sew A Little Seam's Ollie Bomber Jacket. I used Cairo French Terry for the outside, red waffle for the lining, and more of that floral liverpool for the bands, hood, and drawstring.

I don't know why I was so scared. It was a slower project but the results are amazing. The instructions for this pattern are easy to follow and make it seem less intimidating.

I took on zippers again for my own outfit. I made Sonia Estep Designs's Hannah top and Amelia Lane Designs's own Cadence Tights. I used Franklin French Terry for the top and Pink Flex for the leggings and collar lining.

The Hannah top uses a placket for the zipper. It's a different process altogether than the separating zipper. Again, the pattern was clear and easy to follow and I can't wait to make another one. This was my first pair of Cadence Tights with pockets and they left me kicking myself for not making them sooner.

No outerwear collection can be complete without accessories. Two girls got Decker Beanies from Petite Stitchery Co. and we threw in a Neck Warmer from Made for Mermaids for good measure. I used Cairo French Terry, Lava Brushed Poly, and Paige Brushed Poly for the outsides of the beanies and Olive Variegated Rib for the linings. I also used the Paige Brushed Poly for the neck warmer.

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