Draped Front Jacket
A fitted, collarless women's jacket with wide front plackets running from the neckline to the hem, pleated lower fronts that fall in cascades below a waist seam, and a hook-and-eye fastening at the waist. Two-piece three-quarter sleeves with cuffs; fully lined.
When To Wear
- To the office over a fitted dress or with a pencil skirt and a top.
- For dinners and daytime events in spring and autumn, worn open or hooked at the waist.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted at the waist by princess seams at front and back; the front drops below the hip in cascading points, the back is shorter with a straight hem.
Neckline: Collarless, finished with the front facing and a back neckline facing.
Front: Each front is made of a side front, a middle front and a lower front joined at a waist seam, with a wide interfaced placket along the front edge. Pleats are laid into the lower front at the waist seam to form the drape.
Closure: One hook and eye set into the front edge seam at the waist.
Sleeves: Three-quarter length, set-in, two-piece (upper and lower sleeve), sleeve cap eased at the top. Interfaced cuffs, folded in half and joined into a ring, with an open section at the seam.
Back: Centre back seam, princess seams and darts pressed towards the centre.
Finishing: Front and back hem facings, interfaced; shoulder pads and sleeve heads.
Lining: Full lining including the sleeves, sewn to the facings and to the inner edge of the cuffs; the jacket is turned through an opening in the left sleeve elbow seam.
Level Of Difficulty
Advanced. A multi-piece front with a placket, a pleated lower front and a waist seam, princess seams, two-piece set-in sleeves with cuffs, shoulder pads and sleeve heads, and a bagged full lining.
Fabric Recommendations
Silk suiting fabrics of natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric
- Fusible interfacing (lower fronts, front plackets, front facings, back neckline facing, hem facings, cuffs)
- 1 hook and eye
- Shoulder pads
- Sleeve heads
Cutter's Must
If the patterns have a double contour, they include seam allowances. If the contour is single, the patterns do not include seam allowances. Seam allowances: all seams 1 cm. Attention! First, print out the paper patterns and lay them out on the fabric width (fabric width can be from 90 cm to 150 cm) to determine how much material you will need (do not forget to account for paired and symmetrical pieces).
- From main fabric:
- Center Back – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Middle Front – 2 pieces
- Lower Front – 2 pieces
- Front Placket – 2 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing – 2 pieces
- Back Hem Facing – 1 piece
- Front Hem Facing – 2 pieces
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- From lining fabric:
- Center Back – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Middle Front Lining – 2 pieces
- Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing:
- Lower Front – 2 pieces
- Front Placket – 2 pieces
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
- Back Hem Facing – 1 piece
- Front Hem Facing – 2 pieces
Sewing Instructions
When stitching pieces, pay attention to the notches - they must match!
- Fuse interfacing to the corresponding pieces.
- Stitch the darts on the back, press the darts towards the center. Stitch the princess seams joining the Center Back and Side Back, press seam allowances open. Stitch the center back seam, press seam allowances open. Stitch the Back Neckline Facing to the back, clip seam allowances, press towards the facing.
- Place the Lower Front and the Front Placket right sides together and stitch the front edge and the lower edge between the round marks. Trim seam allowances at corners, turn the piece right side out, press.
- Place the Center Front Facing and the Front Placket right sides together and stitch the front edge, stopping 3–4 cm before the upper edge and inserting the hook and eye at the markings. Clip seam allowances at the corner.
- Stitch the Middle Front to the Front Placket along the vertical edge, press seam allowances towards the placket. Form the pleats on the Lower Front as shown in the drawing and baste them along the upper edge. Stitch the lower edge of the Middle Front to the Lower Front, and the lower edge of the Center Front Facing to the placket. Press seam allowances upwards.
- Stitch the front princess seams joining the Side Front to the front, press seam allowances towards the center.
- Stitch and press open the shoulder and side seams.
- Stitch the elbow seam joining the Upper Sleeve and Lower Sleeve. Press seam allowances towards the Lower Sleeve. Stitch and press open the front sleeve seam.
- Fold the Cuff in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch the corners from the fold to the mark. Fold the cuff into a ring and stitch the sections from the edge to the mark, press seam allowances open. Attach the outer side of the cuff to the lower edge of the sleeve, press seam allowances towards the sleeve.
- Set the sleeves into the armholes according to the notches, easing the sleeve cap at the top. Attach the shoulder pads and sleeve heads.
- Stitch and press open the shoulder seams joining the Back Neckline Facing and the Center Front Facing. Stitch and press open the side seams of the Back Hem Facing and Front Hem Facing.
- On the lining pieces, stitch the seams and set in the sleeves, leaving an opening for turning in the left elbow seam of the sleeve. Stitch the lining to the inner edges of the Center Front Facings and the other facings.
- Turn the Center Front Facing together with the facings onto the right side of the jacket and stitch the open section of the front neckline, the back neckline and the jacket hem. Stitch with the jacket front on top.
- Attach the lining to the inner edge of the cuff. Turn the jacket right side out through the opening in the sleeve. Stitch the opening in the sleeve.
