The Josie Jacket

 

The Josie Jacket is a pretty little vintage-inspired jacket for a toddler.  I designed the jacket for my turning-one niece, and it’s named after her.

I used a light-weight, thin wale corduroy from Free Spirit: Nest Corduroy by Valori Wells,  for the smaller jacket.  The larger jacket is also a light-weight, thin wale corduroy, but it was from my stash and I think I got it at Hancock’s on clearance a while ago.

 
I’m linking to some of these parties.

FULL INSTRUCTIONS AND LINK TO PDF PATTERNS AFTER THE JUMP
(click "read more”:)

The jacket can be made either with facings, which I have no tutorial/pictures to guide you through, but I did include in the pattern pieces; or with a lining, that I’ll go over in this tutorial.  The matching beret tutorial found HERE

I have two sizes of patterns, a size 1T and a 2T.  These measurements are based both on clothing from my children that matched those sizes, and the children that I made these for that currently wear those sizes in most of their store bought clothing.  The pattern and construction are basic.  There are a lot of steps, but nothing fancy or difficult, so don’t be thrown off by the pictures.  I just wanted to make things as clear visually as I could, to make up for my primitive pattern-making. 

Which brings us to the patterns.  They do not have tailor markings and the like.  I was afraid of adding them to my homemade patterns and throwing off construction with a mismarked arrow or something.  So they are just really basic pattern pieces.  But they’re free, so hey! 

For the 1T size you’ll need: 1 yard of main fabric (1.24 if using facings).  I recommend a heavier weight, such as corduroy, twill or denim. 1/2 yard lining fabric (if using).  I used a taffeta. Small amount of medium-weight interfacing (it’s just for the collar, so really not much at all-1/4 yard at most) 3 yards ric-rac 3 buttons Size 1T Jacket Pattern

For the 2T size you’ll need: 1.25 yard of main fabric (1.5 if using facings).  I recommend a heavier weight, such as corduroy, twill or denim. 1/2 yard lining fabric (if using).  I used a taffeta. Small amount of medium-weight interfacing (it’s just for the collar, so really not much at all-1/4 yard at most) 3.25 yards ric-rac 3 buttons Size 2T Jacket Pattern

Print, cut out, and put together (some have to be taped together) the pattern pieces.
Pin them to fabric and cut out your pieces 

We’ll start with the main body of the jacket, with the front and back uppers

At the shoulders of the back upper, sew a basting stitch across each and pull lower thread to gather slightly

Match the gathered shoulders of the back with the un-gathered shoulders of both front upper pieces, right sides together.  Sew in place.
Sew side seams

Take the ric-rac and lay it across the raw edge of the upper sections.  Match the lower edge of the ric-rac with the raw edge of the upper sections all the way across on the right side of the fabric

Stitch in place

Take the waistband and lay it, right sides facing, across the upper sections, matching raw/ric-rac edge to raw edge of waistband

Sew in place

Press seam allowance away from waistband, forcing the ric-rac to point down on the right side of the garment.
Now for the lower section

Right sides together, sew along the side seams attaching the front sections to the back section
 
Basting stitch along the upper edge and pull lower thread to gather
   
Using the upper section as a guide, gather and adjust the lower section to make the seams and raw edges match
Once you have it gathered to the right size, stitch the ric-rac in place, securing the gathers, as you did with the ric-rac on the upper section
Right sides together, lay the ric-rac’d lower section on the waistband and sew in place, again making sure that all side seams line up

Remove basting stitches
Press seam allowance away from waistband

Now you should have something like this:
 

Sleeves.  Fold each sleeve, right sides together and sew along the raw side edge

Basting stitch around the entire upper sleeve opening and pull lower thread to gather

Adjust the gathers so that the sleeve matches the side seams of the main body of the garment as you, right sides together, pin the sleeve in place inside the garment’s arm hole

Sew the sleeve in place
      
Remove basting stitches

Repeat for second sleeve
   

Onto the lining

Right sides together, match the front pieces to the back at the shoulders and the sides seams

Sew in place at shoulders and side seams

Fold each sleeve, right sides together and sew along the raw side edge

Basting stitch around the entire upper sleeve opening and pull lower thread to gather

Adjust the gathers so that the sleeve matches the side seams of the main body of the garment as you, right sides together, pin the sleeve in place inside the garment’s arm hole

Sew the sleeve in place
 

Remove basting stitches. 
Repeat for second sleeve.  
    

Right sides together, place the jacket into the lining. 

And pin in place

Sew along the front opening and around the collar area

Now you’re to this point

Before you press, pin all around the newly sewn area.  If needed, pull the main fabric over inside the jacket, so that none of the lining peaks through onto the actual outside of the jacket

Press right over the top of the pins

Top stitch the whole newly sewn area

Collar.

Pin the ric-rac around the outside of one of the collar pieces, on the right side of the fabric.  You want the edge of the ric-rac to butt up against the raw edge of the collar.
Sew in place

Make the collar as described in this lesson (sorry I didn’t take pictures of this process on the jacket for some reason)
But basically, attach interfacing to one collar piece, on the wrong side of the fabric.  Rights sides together sew around the collar, all but the neck area itself.  Turn, press, top stitch.
So now you have a finished, but not attached collar
 
Let’s attach it. 

We’re going to use the method that doesn’t use any facings, as described here.

So pin the collar to the garment’s neckline.  The raw edge of the collar needs to match with the edge of the neck opening, right side of collar to right side of garment.  Pin ONLY the lower layer of the collar to the garment

Sew along where the pins were, ONLY on the lower layer of the collar

Press the seam allowance up into the collar
      

Fold under and press the upper layer’s edge into the collar

And sew the entire collar, upper layer included this time, to the garment’s neckline
Press
              
Things should look like this now

So let’s hem the jacket. 
   

I had planned on hand stitching the lining to the main fabric along the hem, to enhance the gathered/bubblyness of the lower jacket.  But I ran out of time.   I still think that would look best.  But since I didn’t do that, I’ll show you what I did.

Basting stitch the lower raw edge of the main jacket, NOT the lining.  Pull the lower thread and gather to match the size of the lining inside, matching the side seams of the outer to the side seams of the lining.


Now stay stitch through both the gathered main and the lining, securing the gathers of the main fabric as you go

Take the lower edge of the garment and fold under once, then twice, about 1/4 inch each time 
Press

Top stitch along the entire bottom edge


Same thing on the sleeves. 
Fold one 1/4 in, and then another

Press

Top stitch

Almost done.  Let’s do the buttons
Figure out your desired placement of the buttons and mark with a tailor’s pen or chalk

Make the button holes on one placket

Attach the buttons to the other placket

And you did it!