Moto Jacket

[charlotte]

I've wanted to make a fitted moto jacket for ages - about two years. I bought KwikSew 3764 but then realised it lacked princess seams and was boxy, rather than fitted. Anyway fast-forward to the present day and my latest issue of Threads arrived with a 'how to draft a moto jacket from a princess seam jacket' as their new Pattern Hack collumn.

I found a random Butterick 90s princess seam jacket pattern in a drawer, so I'm using that with the sleeves from the KwikSew pattern and the Threads tutorial to adapt it for the diagonal zip.

My fabric is a liberty linen (Wild Flowers) layered over a cotton drill. I think I will leave it unlined, but underline the sleeves with something slippery.

The only issue I have so far is that my zips for the pockets and sleeve vents are too long, so I need to work out the best way to shorten them and still be able to topsitch them in place around (over?) the metal teeth.

[UttaRetch]

I went through a phase of wanting a 'moto' jacket - never happened - but for a while, I thought this




might have been a contender.  Look forward to seeing how yours turns out.

[DementedFairy]

The only issue I have so far is that my zips for the pockets and sleeve vents are too long, so I need to work out the best way to shorten them and still be able to topsitch them in place around (over?) the metal teeth.

Bravo for drafting one yourself!  I had a horrible run-in some years ago with the totally DREADFUL Hot Patterns moto jacket, and wasted some quality fabric.  I'm about to cut out the Style Arc Ziggi which has great reviews all over the web...

For shortening metal zips, you have to get cracking with some pliers, and work the teeth out below your end point.  Fiddly, but not hard.  Don't forget to make a few hand stitches at the end of the remaining teeth to stop the zip pull flying off!

[charlotte]

Ooh thanks for the zip tip! I was wondering if I could cut the teeth off somehow so that makes sense! I need to hunt down the needle-nose pliers, which I definitely own but have not seen since I moved house in September....

I think I'll be altering the sleeve zips from the bottom end but the pocket ones from the top end so I will have to make a new top stop (techincal term?) I think. Lots of learning opportunities!

UttaRetch - that Burda pattern looks good. If my Franken-pattern is a disaster I might have to get that one! I'm put off by 'young' but it looks like it is just normal sizes.

[DementedFairy]

I would only alter them from the bottom- if you make a mess of the new top stop, it'll ruin the whole thing

[sewmuchmore]

I made this
https://sewing.patternreview.com/Patterns/62111 a couple of years ago in red felted wool. I have done a quick search but it looks as if pattern is only available in America now. If you get stuck i could copy my pattern for you.

[Catllar]

Bravo for drafting one yourself!  I had a horrible run-in some years ago with the totally DREADFUL Hot Patterns moto jacket, and wasted some quality fabric.  I'm about to cut out the Style Arc Ziggi which has great reviews all over the web...

For shortening metal zips, you have to get cracking with some pliers, and work the teeth out below your end point.  Fiddly, but not hard.  Don't forget to make a few hand stitches at the end of the remaining teeth to stop the zip pull flying off!

Who could forget the saga of theHP jacket!

[UttaRetch]

Indeed not. 

[DementedFairy]

Lol it was terrible.  Really really bad...

[charlotte]

So my Muslim fit pretty well - just added a bit extra at the side seams in case I want a cardigan underneath it.

I have cut out my million and twelve pieces (slight exaggeration, but at least they are all pretty small so easy to cut). Very nearly made a terrible mistake in not realising I needed two separate facing pieces for the right and left fronts (doh!) but caught it just in time. Very lucky as there would not have been enough fabric to rectify that mistake.

I'm already slightly regretting not drafting a two piece sleeve, but there's always next time!!

[DementedFairy]

muslin

Fabric has no religion

[UttaRetch]

Toile.  You strain jam through muslin. 

[DementedFairy]

I have muslim friends who wouldn't mind having jam strained through them.  They wouldn't help with fitting issues though...

Hmmm

Thread drift!  lol

[charlotte]

Haha gotta love autocorrect! 

[charlotte]

Right. All my pieces are underlined/ interlined/interfaced as required. I glued(!!) all my layers together as per Claire Shaeffer's Sewing Shortcuts and I'm really happy with how they've come out. It still took me the best part of a day but much less time than hand-tacking would have, and I felt I had a lot more control than I would have machine-tacking.

I have made 10 metres of silk organza bias binding to bind all my seams (since it's not lined), which I have since realised is nowhere near enough so I need to make some more.

Only issue so far is that despite careful cutting (or so I thought!) I have managed to get a really obvious pattern repeat across the centre back and a slightly less obvious one at the left side front. I don't have enough fabric to re-cut anything so I will just have to live with it.