I made Sadie's fall jacket right before we left for the coast because I knew it would be chilly there. It was, and she wore it the whole time. It had ice cream, sand, melted marshmallow, and chocolate on it immediately. I took this photo before that, of course, although if my battery hadn't died in the camera, I would have shown it all loved up with food and filth.
This is made with a cotton sweatshirt fleece that I found on sale at Fabric Depot here in Portland at their outdoor sale, and it was quite the score. The pattern is Butterick B4908 (out of print, lame.) I am gloating here because this jacket cost $8 to make. The fleece was $4 a yard on sale and I only needed 2 yards. Whoot. Online there are a lot of colors here at SewZanne's (I didn't see 100% cotton) and some lovely organic options with plenty of 100% cottons at NearSea Naturals. I'm sure there are ton more online sources as well.
So, this jacket has a lovely drape-y hood (think Ladyhawk) and concealed big industrial snaps to keep it closed. The wooden button is looped with a bit of blue elastic (a hair rubberband) and the front is trimmed in a Black Forest style tapestry ribbon that I have boatloads of 'cause I love it so much. I serged the whole thing. I was going to use a flatlock stitch but had a brain fade about threading the right needle with two threads and Mariko didn't set me straight until it was already made. I love the flatlock however and need to use that stitch soon. I did use my normal sewing machine's hemstitch and I forgot how useful this stitch is on jerseys and knits. Most machines have it. I might show this in a tutorial because dang, it really is a nice finish if you don't want to hem by hand, which is a good way to go, too.
I did some real soul searching before I made this jacket for her. It's her third I have sewn, one each fall for 3 years now and the first two she liked just fine, but they were a bit heavy for our climate. They got worn, but not a lot, and she dresses like me I guess (lots of layers) so a light jacket that can go over sweaters made more sense. Also, like most kids, she's rather wear a towel, or a blanket, or anything that feels like a towel or a blanket. I worked hard on her other coats and lined them and all, but she would always go for the soft cotton hoodie on the coat rack when we'd play outside, so this year I decided not to make the jacket with a lining and go all out, but make the jacket she grabs everyday -- the comfy one. The go-to jacket. Then I can see it all the time. It was a good decision because she has already worn this more than the other two jackets combined. I'm only slightly exaggerating here. And seeing it with the hood up in all its fairytale glory just kills me. I'm tempted now to make the longer version in red.
