Jacket with a Decorative Closure
A hip-length, fitted women's jacket with a notched collar, a curved front yoke and a separate topstitched placket carrying 14 buttons in two rows of seven, buttoned through buttonholes in both fronts. Flap welt pockets; fully lined.
When To Wear
- For the office or daytime events, with a straight skirt or slim trousers.
- In spring and autumn over a blouse or a fine knit.
Key Design Features
Silhouette: Fitted, shaped by front panel seams, back princess seams and back darts.
Length: Hip length.
Collar: Notched collar with lapels; under collar set into the jacket neckline, upper collar into the back neck facing.
Front: Each front has a yoke above a curved seam at bust level and centre and side panels below it, all interfaced.
Closure: The fronts meet at the centre. Buttonholes are worked on both fronts; a placket made of two pieces, topstitched 0.5 cm from the edge all round, holds two rows of seven buttons.
Pockets: Welt pockets with flaps, the pocket opening reinforced with stay tape and the flap set into the upper welt.
Sleeves: Two-piece set-in sleeves, full length.
Back: Centre back seam, princess seams and darts pressed towards the centre.
Lining: Full lining cut in the same panels as the jacket, bagged out through an opening in the right sleeve lining.
Level Of Difficulty
Advanced. Double-welt pockets with flaps, a yoked and paneled front, a buttoned placket over buttonholes in both fronts, a notched collar and a bagged lining.
Fabric Recommendations
Fabrics of natural or blended fibres.
Additional Supplies
- Lining fabric
- Fusible interfacing (front facings, back neck facing, all front panels and yokes, upper collar, flaps)
- Stay tape for the pocket openings
- 14 buttons
- Shoulder pads
- Sleeve heads
Cutter's Must
From main fabric:
- 1. Side Front – 2 pieces
- 2. Side Back – 2 pieces
- 3. Center Back – 2 pieces
- 4. Front Yoke – 2 pieces
- 5. Center Front – 2 pieces
- 6. Center Front Facing – 2 pieces
- 7. Lower Collar – 1 piece
- 8. Upper Collar – 1 piece
- 9. Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- 10. Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- 11. Back Neckline Facing – 1 piece
- 12. Flap – 4 pieces
- 13. Placket – 2 pieces
- 14. Pocket Welt – 4 pieces
From lining fabric:
- 1. Side Front – 2 pieces
- 2. Side Back – 2 pieces
- 3. Center Back – 2 pieces
- 4. Front Yoke – 2 pieces
- 5. Center Front – 2 pieces
- 6. Upper Sleeve – 2 pieces
- 7. Lower Sleeve – 2 pieces
- 8. Pocket Lining – 4 pieces
- From fusible interfacing: Center Front Facing, Back Neckline Facing, Center Front, Side Front, Front Yoke, Upper Collar, Flap.
Sewing Instructions
- Fuse interfacing to the Center Front Facings, Back Neckline Facing, Center Fronts, Side Fronts, Front Yokes, Upper Collar and Flaps.
- Mark the darts on the back. Stitch the back darts and press them towards the centre.
- Stitch the Side Front to the Center Front. Press the seam open. Stitch the Front Yoke to the front. Press the seam open.
- Place two Flap pieces right sides together and stitch around. Trim the seam allowances at the corners and turn right side out. Place the Upper Collar and Lower Collar right sides together and stitch around the outer edges. Trim the seam allowances at the corners, turn right side out, ease out the seams and press the collar.
- Mark the placement of the side welt pockets. Reinforce the pocket opening with stay tape. Fold the Pocket Welts in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press. Mark a guide line on each welt parallel to the fold for stitching it on. Mark a guide line on the Flap parallel to its upper edge, keeping the flap width even along its whole length. Mark guide lines parallel to the pocket opening for attaching the flap and the welts. Stitch a Pocket Lining to the flap. Stitch the welts to the front; the stitching must end exactly at the end lines of the pocket marking. Check from the wrong side that the stitching lines are parallel. Cut the pocket opening, ending with diagonal cuts into the corners 1–1.5 cm from each end. Turn the welts through the opening to the wrong side, ease out the edges and adjust the welts so that their pressed folds meet edge to edge. Secure the pocket ends on the wrong side with a double backstitch across the base of the triangles. Insert the flap into the pocket and stitch it to the upper welt. Stitch the second Pocket Lining into the seam of the lower welt, then trim and stitch the pocket lining pieces together.
- Place the Center Front Facing on the front, right sides together, pin and stitch along the front edge. Stitch with the front on top, from the bottom up to the notch that marks the end of the collar seam. Stitch the lower ends of the facings to the front exactly along the marked hemline. Trim the seam allowances at the upper and lower corners. Understitch the front edge seam allowances 0.2 cm from the seam: below the lapels, to the facing; along the lapels, to the front. Turn the front edges right side out and ease out the seams.
- Stitch the princess seams on the back (Center Back to Side Back) and press them open. Stitch the centre back seam and press it 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) and press it open. 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 both fronts.
- Place the two Placket pieces right sides together and stitch around, leaving a 7 cm opening in the short lower edge. Trim the seam allowances at the corners and turn right side out. Press the placket and topstitch all around 0.5 cm from the edge. Mark and sew the buttons on the placket.
