Designer Inspired Safari Jacket
A women's straight safari jacket of upper-thigh length, with four box-pleated patch pockets under pointed buttoned flaps, shoulder straps set into the armhole seams, cuffed sleeves and a tie belt carried through loops at the back and sides.
When To Wear
- In spring and summer as a light jacket or overshirt, made up in silk or viscose.
- Over a T-shirt or camisole with trousers or shorts, belted at the back.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Straight and loose, drawn in at the back waist by the belt.
Length: Upper thigh, straight hem overlocked, turned and topstitched.
Collar: Shirt collar with pointed ends, cut as upper and under collar; the upper collar is interfaced and stitched down over the neckline seam.
Closure: Centre front buttons with buttonholes on the right front and separate interfaced facings tacked to the shoulder seams.
Sleeves: Long one-piece set-in sleeves with eased caps, finished with straight two-layer interfaced cuffs.
Pockets: Four patch pockets with a box pleat and cut-on top facings: two on the chest, two larger ones at hip level. Each has a pointed, interfaced flap topstitched 0.3 cm from the edge and fastened with a button.
Shoulders: Buttoned shoulder straps, topstitched 0.3 cm from the edge, caught into the armhole seams.
Back: One piece, plain.
Waist: A two-piece self-fabric belt threaded through three loops, at the side seams and centre back; the ends hang loose at the front sides.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Box-pleated patch pockets with flaps, shoulder straps set into the armholes, a shirt collar, cuffs and many buttonholes.
Fabric Recommendations
Silk and viscose fabrics.
Additional Supplies
- Fusible interfacing (front facings, upper collar, cuffs, flaps)
- 9 buttons
Cutter's Must
- From main fabric:
- Front – 2 pieces
- Back – 1 piece
- Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Cuff – 4 pieces
- Collar – 2 pieces
- Upper Patch Pocket – 2 pieces
- Lower Patch Pocket – 2 pieces
- Upper Flap – 4 pieces
- Lower Flap – 4 pieces
- Shoulder Strap – 4 pieces
- Waistband – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing: front facings, upper collar, cuffs and flaps.
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the front facings, the upper collar, the cuffs and the flaps.
- Press the box pleats on the patch pockets. The box pleats are the wrong side of an inverted pleat.
- Turn under and topstitch the cut-on facings at the top of the pockets; press the side and bottom seam allowances of the pockets under along the pattern lines.
- Place the Upper Patch Pockets and Lower Patch Pockets on the fronts according to the markings and topstitch them in place.
- Stitch the Upper Flaps and Lower Flaps in pairs, turn right side out and topstitch 0.3 cm from the edge. Overlock the upper raw edge of the flaps and stitch them to the fronts according to the markings. Turn the flaps down and topstitch them to the fronts.
- Overlock the inner edge of each front facing. Stitch the facings to the front edges.
- Stitch the shoulder seams.
- Stitch the side seams.
- Stitch the under collar to the upper collar, turn right side out and press.
- Turn the facings to the wrong side, baste the edges and press. Stitch the under collar to the neckline, turn under the raw edge of the upper collar and topstitch it over the under collar seam. Tack the facings to the shoulder seams with a 1 cm bar tack.
- Stitch the sleeve seams.
- Press under 1 cm along the upper edge of the inner cuff. Stitch the inner cuff to the outer cuff and turn right side out.
- Stitch the outer cuff to the lower edge of the sleeve, then topstitch the inner cuff over the seam.
- Stitch the Shoulder Straps in pairs, turn right side out, press and topstitch 0.3 cm from the edge.
- Set in the sleeves, inserting the Shoulder Straps into the armhole seams and easing the sleeve cap.
- Fold the Waistband (belt) in half lengthwise, right sides together, and stitch along three sides, leaving an opening in the middle. Turn the belt right side out, press and slipstitch the opening closed.
- For each belt loop, fold the strip lengthwise in half with right sides together, aligning the raw edges, and stitch 0.5–0.7 cm from the edges. Turn right side out and press, either centering the seam on the fold or rolling it 0.1–0.2 cm to the inside.
- Topstitch the belt loops according to the markings at the side seams and at center back. Thread the belt through the belt loops.
- Overlock the hem allowance, turn it to the wrong side and topstitch along the edge.
- Make buttonholes on the Shoulder Straps and on the flaps.
- Make buttonholes on the right front and sew the buttons on the left front.
