Empire-Seam Double-Breasted Spring Jacket
A hip-length women's double-breasted jacket in raincoat fabric with a notched collar, a horizontal yoke seam across the front above the waist, princess seams below it, and two-piece sleeves with an insert and a cuff band. Fully lined.
When To Wear
- As a light outer layer in spring and early autumn.
- Over blouses and fine knits with trousers or skirts, for work and town wear.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted through princess seams on the front and back, hip length.
Collar: Notched collar with lapels; the lower collar is interfaced and set into the jacket neckline, the upper collar into the facings and back neck facing.
Front: Front yoke with darts, joined to the body by a horizontal seam above the waist; princess seams run from this seam to the hem. Front edges understitched 0.2 cm from the seam.
Closure: Double-breasted with buttonholes and 6 visible buttons in three pairs, plus a hidden inside button.
Back: Back yoke, centre back seam and princess seams.
Sleeves: Two-piece set-in sleeves; above the hem an insert and a cuff are joined across the sleeve as horizontal bands.
Lining: Full lining including the sleeves and back yoke, bagged and turned through an opening in the right lining sleeve, and tacked to the body along the seams at the waist.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. A notched collar set between the jacket and the facings, a double-breasted closure with buttonholes, princess seams and a bagged full lining.
Fabric Recommendations
Raincoat fabric.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric
- Fusible interfacing (front facings, centre front panels, lower collar, front yokes, back neck facing)
- 7 buttons
Cutter's Must
From main fabric:
- Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- Back Yoke – 1 piece
- Center Back – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Lower Collar – 1 piece
- Upper Collar – 1 piece
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Front Yoke – 2 pieces
- Center Front – 2 pieces
- Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- Sleeve Inset – 2 pieces
- Cuff – 2 pieces
From lining fabric:
- Back Yoke – 1 piece
- Center Back – 2 pieces
- Side Back – 2 pieces
- Side Front – 2 pieces
- Center Front – 2 pieces
- Upper Sleeve (lining pattern) – 2 pieces
- Lower Sleeve (lining pattern) – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing: Center Front Facing, Center Front, Lower Collar, Front Yoke, Back Neckline Facing.
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the Center Front Facing, Center Front, Lower Collar, Front Yoke and Back Neckline Facing.
- Place the Upper Collar and Lower Collar right sides together and stitch around the outer edges. Trim the corners, turn the collar right side out and press.
- Stitch the princess seams on the front (Side Front to Center Front) and on the back (Side Back to Center Back) and press them open. Stitch the center back seam and press it open. Mark and stitch the darts on the Front Yoke. Press the darts towards the center of the yoke. Stitch the Front Yoke to the front and press the seam open. Stitch the Back Yoke to the back and press the seam open.
- Place the Center Front Facing on the front, right sides together, pin and stitch along the marked line. Stitch with the front uppermost, from the hem 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 allowance 0.2 cm from the seam: along the closure to the facing, along the lapels to the front. Remove the pins. Turn the front edges right side out, ease out the seams and press.
- Stitch the shoulder and side seams of the jacket. Press the shoulder and side seams open.
- Stitch the Lower Collar into the jacket neckline and the Upper Collar into the neckline formed by the Center Front Facings and the Back Neckline Facing. Press the collar seam allowances open and tack them together close to the seams.
- Stitch the Upper Sleeve to the Lower Sleeve along the elbow seam and press it open. Stitch the Sleeve Inset to the lower edge of the sleeve and press the seam open. Stitch the Cuff to the lower edge of the sleeve and press the seam open. Stitch the front sleeve seam and press it open. Press up the sleeve hem. Set the sleeves into the armholes, matching the notches.
- Stitch the seams of the lining pieces and set in the lining sleeves, leaving an opening in the front seam of the right sleeve. Press the lining seam allowances. Stitch the lining to the inner edges of the Center Front Facings and the Back Neckline Facing.
- Mark and press the jacket hem. Stitch the lining to the sleeve hems and the jacket hem. Tack the lining to the jacket along the seams at the waist. Turn the jacket right side out through the opening in the sleeve lining. Stitch the opening closed.
- Mark and work the buttonholes on the fronts. Sew on the buttons. Mark and sew on the hidden button.
