Jacket with Curved Bust Darts
A hip-length, fitted women's jacket with a pointed shirt-style collar, a single-breasted five-button front and shaping from curved seams and darts at the front and back. Two-piece sleeves with buttoned vents; fully lined.
When To Wear
- For the office over a blouse or fine knit, with a skirt or trousers.
- In spring and autumn as a lined top layer over dresses.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted through the waist, shaped by front and back princess seams.
Length: Hip length, with rounded lower front corners.
Collar: Pointed shirt-style collar made of an upper and an under collar; the under collar is set into the jacket neckline and the upper collar into the neckline of the facings.
Front: Centre front and side front joined by a seam that curves in from the bust area and runs down to the hem, plus a front dart that is trimmed and pressed open.
Closure: Single-breasted, five buttons with buttonholes on the right front.
Sleeves: Two-piece set-in sleeves with a vent at the elbow seam, closed with three small buttons on each sleeve.
Back: Centre back seam, princess seams and back darts pressed towards the centre.
Finishing: Front edges understitched 0.2 cm from the seam; shoulder pads and sleeve heads.
Lining: Full lining including the sleeves, bagged out through an opening in the right sleeve lining.
Level Of Difficulty
Intermediate. Curved princess seams, a two-part collar set between jacket and facing, sleeve vents with stitched corners, setting in two-piece sleeves and a bagged lining.
Fabric Recommendations
Fabrics of natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric
- Fusible interfacing (front facings, back neck facing, centre fronts, upper collar)
- 5 buttons for the front
- 6 smaller buttons for the sleeve vents
- Shoulder pads
- Sleeve heads
Cutter's Must
From main fabric:
- 1. Center Back – 2 pieces
- 2. Side Back – 2 pieces
- 3. Side Front – 2 pieces
- 4. Center Front – 2 pieces
- 5. Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- 6. Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- 7. Lower Collar – 1 piece
- 8. Upper Collar – 1 piece
- 9. Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- 10. Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
From lining fabric:
- 1. Center Back – 2 pieces
- 2. Side Back – 2 pieces
- 3. Side Front – 2 pieces
- 4. Center Front – 2 pieces
- 5. Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- 6. Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- From fusible interfacing: Center Front Facing, Back Neckline Facing, Center Front, Upper Collar.
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the Center Front Facings, Back Neckline Facing, Center Fronts and Upper Collar.
- Mark the darts on the back. Stitch the back darts and press them towards the centre. Mark the dart on the front. Stitch the front dart and trim away the excess fabric inside the dart. Press the front dart open.
- Place the Upper Collar and Lower Collar right sides together and stitch around the outer edges. Turn right side out, ease out the seams and press the collar.
- Stitch the princess seam on the front (Center Front to Side Front). Press the seam open.
- Place the Center Front Facing on the front, right sides together, pin and stitch along the front edge, with the front on top. Stitch the lower ends of the facings to the front exactly along the marked hemline. Trim the seam allowances at the lower corners. Understitch the front edge seam allowances to the facing along the buttoning edge, 0.2 cm from the seam, stopping 3 cm from the neckline edge and from the lower corner. Turn the front edges right side out and ease out the seams.
- Stitch the centre back seam and press it open. Stitch the princess seams on the back (Center Back to Side Back) and press them open. Stitch the shoulder and side seams of the jacket and press them open.
- Join the Back Neckline Facing to the Center Front Facings at the shoulders and press the seams open. Stitch the Lower Collar to the jacket neckline and the Upper Collar to the neckline edge of the Back Neckline Facing and Center Front Facings.
- Stitch the elbow seam of each sleeve (Upper Sleeve to Lower Sleeve) together with the vent corners on both sleeve pieces. Press the elbow seam open, clip the seam allowance at the top of the vent and press the vent. Press up the sleeve hem. Stitch the front sleeve seam and press it open.
- Set the sleeves into the armholes, matching the notches. Sew in the shoulder pads and sleeve heads.
- Assemble the lining: stitch the seams and set in the sleeves, leaving an opening in the front seam of the right sleeve.
- Stitch the lining to the inner edges of the Center Front Facings and Back Neckline Facing. Press the collar seam allowances open and tack them together close to the seams.
- Stitch the lining to the jacket hem and sleeve hems. Turn the jacket right side out through the opening in the sleeve lining. Stitch the opening closed.
- Make buttonholes on the right front and sew the buttons on the left front. Mark and sew the small buttons on the sleeve vents, three on each sleeve.
