Structured Zip-Front Jacket
A women's fitted, hip-length jacket with a separating zipper at the front, a low stand collar, front and back yokes, and princess seams with inserted piping. Two framed zip pockets sit on the lower fronts; the yokes, front plackets, pocket frames and collar are cut from a companion fabric. Fully lined.
When To Wear
- In spring and autumn over a blouse or a fine knit, with trousers or a straight skirt.
- For the office as a collarless alternative to a buttoned jacket.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted through princess seams front and back.
Length: Hip length.
Collar: Low stand collar, outer and inner stand stitched to the neckline and the facings.
Front: Centre front, two side front panels and a front placket strip along the front edge; piping in the princess seams and the side front seam. Closes edge to edge with a separating zipper set between the front and the facing.
Pockets: Two framed pockets with small zippers, the frames folded and set 5 mm apart over the zipper teeth, with a bigger and a smaller pocket bag in lining.
Back: Centre back seam, princess seams with piping, back yokes at the shoulders.
Sleeves: Two-piece set-in sleeves with an elbow seam, eased at the cap.
Finishing: Shoulder pads and sleeve heads; jacket and sleeve hem allowances interfaced.
Lining: Full lining, with a dart or pleat in the lining back; the jacket is turned through an opening in the left lining sleeve.
Level Of Difficulty
Advanced. Piped princess seams, framed zip pockets, a separating zipper set into the front edge with a stand collar, two-piece sleeves with shoulder pads and a bagged lining.
Fabric Recommendations
Suiting fabric from natural or blended fibres, with a companion fabric for the yokes, plackets, pocket frames and collar.
Additional Supplies
- Companion fabric
- Lining fabric
- Fusible interfacing
- Separating zipper
- 2 small zippers (pockets)
- Piping (approximate length marked on the front pattern piece)
- Shoulder pads
- Sleeve heads
Cutter's Must
When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- From main fabric:
- Center Back – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Side Front 1 – 2 pieces
- Side Front 2 – 2 pieces
- Center Front – 2 pieces
- Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- From companion fabric:
- Pocket Frame – 4 pieces
- Front Placket – 2 pieces
- Back Yoke – 2 pieces
- Front Yoke – 2 pieces
- Stand Collar – 2 pieces
- From lining fabric:
- Center Back Lining – 2 pieces
- Center Front Lining – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Side Front Lining 1 – 2 pieces
- Side Front 2 – 2 pieces
- Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Smaller Pocket Bag – 2 pieces
- Bigger Pocket Bag – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing:
- Center Front – 2 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Stand Collar – 1 piece
- Front Placket – 2 pieces
- Pocket Frame – 4 pieces
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the pieces. Also fuse the hem allowance of the jacket and sleeve hems.
- Stitch the back princess seams (Center Back to Side Back), inserting piping, press seams open. Stitch the center back seam, press seams open. Attach the Back Yokes to the back. Press seams open.
- Attach Side Front 1 to Side Front 2, inserting piping. Clip and press seams open. Attach the Front Placket to the Center Front. Press seams open. Stitch the front princess seams, inserting piping, press seams open. Attach the Front Yoke to the front. Press seams open.
- Mark the pocket placement on the front. Fold the Pocket Frames in half wrong sides together and press. Mark a guide line on each Pocket Frame, parallel to the fold, for attaching it. Attach the frames to the front, starting the stitching strictly at the marked line of the front princess seam. Cut the front along the line marked on the pattern. At 1–1.5 cm from the end of the pocket, make diagonal cuts. Turn the frames through the opening to the wrong side, straighten the edges and adjust the ends of the frames so that the distance between them is 5 mm (the width of the zipper teeth). Secure the pocket corners from the wrong side with a double backstitch at the base of the corners. Place the zipper under the frames and stitch the zipper tape to the frames. Attach the Bigger Pocket Bag into the seam of the upper frame and the Smaller Pocket Bag into the seam of the lower frame. Stitch the pocket bag edges together.
- Stitch and press open the side and shoulder seams of the jacket.
- Attach the outer Stand Collar to the neckline. Clip allowances at curves, press open.
- Stitch and press open the shoulder seams of the Back Neckline Facing and Center Front Facings. Attach the inner Stand Collar to the facing neckline. Press allowances open.
- Place the facings with the inner collar and the jacket front right sides together and stitch the front edges and collar stands, inserting the separating zipper. Trim allowances at corners, clip at curves. Turn the front edges to the right side, straighten the seams, press. Secure the collar stand seam allowances to each other.
- Stitch and press open the elbow seam of the sleeve. Press up the sleeve hem. Stitch and press open the front seam of the sleeve. Set the sleeves into the armholes matching the notches, easing the sleeve cap. Insert shoulder pads, sew in sleeve heads.
- Sew the lining pieces together and set in the lining sleeves, leaving an opening in the front seam of the left lining sleeve. On the lining back, stitch the dart or form a pleat. Attach the lining to the inner edges of the Center Front Facings and the Back Neckline Facing. Press the lower edge of the jacket to the wrong side. Attach the lining to the jacket hem and the sleeve hems. Turn the jacket right side out through the opening. Sew up the opening.
