I wanted to try my hand at making an infant jacket along with the dresses I have been sewing. I had B3782 and B5860 which are pretty much the same pattern. My very first attempt at making this jacket was using an interlock knit. The interlock knit that I selected was too light weight. If I was going to continue to use this "Beginners" knit, I would need to reinforce the seems at the lower edge of the jacket, and, besides, this fabric would probably look awful after the first wash. The second knit I selected was a rib knit I purchased from Joann Fabrics. I forgot my reason for not wanting to use this fabric, perhaps it was the way it draped. Anyway, I made two jackets using this knit, and I ended up throwing them both out.
The suggested type of fabric to use for the jacket is a moderate stretch knit such interlock. After several failed attempts at using the knits suggested that I did not care for, I decided to use fleece. I had about a yard of the gray blizzard fleece in my stash. I had already made a few alterations to this pattern before using the fleece. The one alteration I made before sewing with fleece was increasing the arm at the bicep. I thought that the increase would be needed because the fleece did not have as much stretch as the interlock, but it was not necessary. And the second alteration was increasing the neckline. I don't know why the neckline is so small. I had to add about 1/2 inch to both sides of the back in order for this jacket to fit properly around the neck.
For the gray^ jacket, I made facings. The pattern instructs you to sew a 5/8 seam allowance around the neck, but that is too small for me to
work with if I wanted the seam to look nice. Both jackets have facings. I forgot to mention the other alterations that I made to this jacket and that being the pleat in the back and dividing the back pattern piece. What I like about this pattern is the versatility. It's a basic looking pattern, but you can give it many looks.
After making and using facings, I thought I would give lining the jacket a try. This is not a lined-jacket pattern, so I had to find online instruction on how to line a jacket. It took me several searches before I found a tutorial that I could actually understand. The first jacket that I lined was my toile or muslin. The instructions are pretty easy to follow.
The most confusing part was connecting lining to lining and fashion fabric to fashion fabric to form a continuous circle.
The very first jacket that I lined using this method is the red jacket you see below. I did not decorate it with much because my focus was on learning to line. This method closes up the lining through one of the sleeves, I prefer this to closing at the bottom and then top stitching or slip stitching it closed.
The second jacket that I sewed was using the same pattern with a few changes. I wanted a "pea coat" look for an infant girl. I had some gray fleece in my stash and used it. I know, I know it is mono chromatic , so I added some bows in the front to give it a "girly' look. This time around I did not have to look at the instruction for lining...that's how easy it is. The picture on the right shows the how the inside of the jacket is lined.
The suggested type of fabric to use for the jacket is a moderate stretch knit such interlock. After several failed attempts at using the knits suggested that I did not care for, I decided to use fleece. I had about a yard of the gray blizzard fleece in my stash. I had already made a few alterations to this pattern before using the fleece. The one alteration I made before sewing with fleece was increasing the arm at the bicep. I thought that the increase would be needed because the fleece did not have as much stretch as the interlock, but it was not necessary. And the second alteration was increasing the neckline. I don't know why the neckline is so small. I had to add about 1/2 inch to both sides of the back in order for this jacket to fit properly around the neck.
After making and using facings, I thought I would give lining the jacket a try. This is not a lined-jacket pattern, so I had to find online instruction on how to line a jacket. It took me several searches before I found a tutorial that I could actually understand. The first jacket that I lined was my toile or muslin. The instructions are pretty easy to follow.
The second jacket that I sewed was using the same pattern with a few changes. I wanted a "pea coat" look for an infant girl. I had some gray fleece in my stash and used it. I know, I know it is mono chromatic , so I added some bows in the front to give it a "girly' look. This time around I did not have to look at the instruction for lining...that's how easy it is. The picture on the right shows the how the inside of the jacket is lined.
I was asked to make an outfit for an infant boy, somewhere around 8 months old. I paid a visit to Joann's Fabric. I paid and walked out with McCalls 6873. There were not a whole lot of choices amongst the big 3 when it came to infant boy patterns. You can find a greater selection of doll and dog patterns than you can for an infant boy. So I settled for what I thought might look nice if I tried my best.
After hours of searching for a better method to attach the lining, I found a website called Bloom's Endless Summer. Her website does give credit to Mary Ruth Shields, author of "Industry Clothing Construction Methods", but I thank her for posting the instructions online. The method is sooo much easier. It demonstrates how to close the vest at the bottom. The photo shows the part of the garment that you would leave open to turn the garment.
The second change would be the top pocket. There isn't a whole lot of room on such a small garment. The pocket was just too close to the buttonhole, so I eliminated the pocket and replaced it with an embroidered Pooh.
