Frog-Closure Jacket
A fitted, hip-length women's jacket with shoulder princess seams on the front and back, a standing collar open at the front into short revers, two-piece sleeves with cuff-like facings, and three decorative frog fasteners. Fully lined.
When To Wear
- In autumn and spring for the office, with straight trousers or a pencil skirt.
- For dinners, the theatre and family celebrations, worn fastened as a top.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted, shaped by vertical princess seams running from the shoulders to the hem on the front and back.
Length: Hip length, with a 3.5 cm hem allowance.
Collar: Standing collar with an interfaced under collar, set into the neckline and joined to the facings; the front edges turn back into short revers above the top fastener.
Sleeves: Long two-piece set-in sleeves with sleeve heads. The lower edge is finished with an interfaced shaped facing, turned out to form a cuff over a short opening at the front sleeve seam.
Front: Edge-to-edge front with interfaced facings, edges understitched 0.2 cm from the seam; three decorative frog fasteners sewn on at the markings.
Back: Centre back seam and two princess seams.
Finishing: Interfaced hem allowances; shoulder pads.
Lining: Full lining including the sleeves, attached by machine and turned through an opening in the sleeve lining.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Princess seams, two-piece sleeves with shoulder pads and sleeve heads, a collar joined between jacket and facing, faced sleeve hems and a bagged lining.
Fabric Recommendations
Wool crepe.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric
- Fusible interfacing (front facings, under collar, sleeve facings, hem allowances)
- 3 decorative frog fasteners
- Shoulder pads
- Sleeve heads
Cutter's Must
From main fabric:
- Center Back – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Center Front – 2 pieces
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Collar – 2 pieces
- Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Lower Sleeve Facing – 2 pieces
- Upper Sleeve Facing – 2 pieces
From lining fabric:
- Center Back – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Center Front – 2 pieces
- Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing: Center Front Facing, under collar, Lower Sleeve Facing, Upper Sleeve Facing.
- Hem allowances: Side Front and Side Back, Center Front and Center Back.
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the Center Front Facing, Lower Sleeve Facing and Upper Sleeve Facing, and to the hem allowances of the Center Front, Center Back, Side Front and Side Back.
- Place the upper collar and under collar right sides together and stitch around the outer edge. Clip the corners and turn the collar right side out.
- Stitch the vertical princess seams on the front (Center Front to Side Front) and back (Center Back to Side Back) and press them open.
- Place the Center Front Facing on the right side of the front, right side down, pin and stitch along the front edge, stitching from the front side up to the notch that marks the end of the collar seam. Stitch the lower edges of the facings to the front exactly along the marked hemline. Trim the seam allowances at the upper and lower corners of the front edge. Understitch the front edge seam allowances 0.2 cm from the seam: onto the facing along the fastened section, and onto the front along the revers. Turn the front edges right side out and ease the seams into place.
- Stitch the centre back seam and press it open.
- Stitch the side and shoulder seams and press them open.
- Stitch the under collar into the neckline of the jacket, and the upper collar to the Center Front Facings.
- Stitch the elbow seam of the sleeve down to the notch and press it open. Stitch the side edges of the Upper Sleeve Facing and Lower Sleeve Facing together down to the notches and press the seams open. Place the joined facings on the lower edge of the sleeve, right sides together, and stitch along the lower edge and the side edges up to the notch. Stitch the front seam of the sleeve and the side edges of the facings in one continuous seam. Press open the front seam of the sleeve and facings. Trim the facing seam allowances at the corners, turn the facings right side out and ease the seams into place. Press the facings.
- Set the sleeves into the armholes, matching the notches. Attach the shoulder pads and sleeve heads.
- Sew the lining pieces together and set in the lining sleeves, leaving an opening in the front seam of the right sleeve. Press the lining. Stitch the lining to the inner and shoulder edges of the Center Front Facings and to the upper collar. Press open the seam allowances of the collar seams and tack them together close to the seams. Stitch the sleeve linings to the lower edges of the sleeves and the lining to the jacket hem. Turn the jacket right side out through the opening in the sleeve lining. Stitch the opening closed.
- Sew the decorative frog fasteners to the fronts at the markings.
