Maybe I’m jumping the gun a bit in calling this my Spring motojacket but it’s already breaking into 65 degrees here in South Carolina. This is typical for us during this time of year. And in knowing that, I started working on my jacket over the Christmas break.
I had every intention of being finished with this shortly after I got home from break. But, we all know what happens to best laid plans….
I used Mimi G’s Simplicity pattern 8174. The fabric options for this pattern includes twill, suede and other utility fabrics. It’s also a lined jacket with lots of zippers and buttons. It’s not for the weak hearted sewer…that’s for sure!
I made a few modifications due to accessibility. I sincerely wanted to keep with my “khaki” theme and no matter where I turned, I could not find a short zipper that matched my color scheme. So I got rid of the zipper pockets and I actually had to use an 18 inch zipper versus the recommended size on the back of the envelope. I also have striped lining fabric so I had to get 2 yards to make sure that my stripes matched. I know that sounds crazy, but I knew it would drive me nuts if I didn’t match those stripes.
I also skipped around in the instruction booklet…even though I followed along with the tutorial video. I have a habit of making my lining before I work on my outer jacket pieces. It may sound weird, but I always find that it comes together much faster and is more satisfying when I complete the lining first.
Even though the motojacket seems intimidating, it really is not that hard. The key to success is remembering that you have every tool that you need to make a project like this come together. Can you sew? Yes. Can you top stitch? Yes. Can you sew on a zipper and buttons? Yes and yes. Well then you can do this project!
Don’t forget to press those seams! 😉
Xo.
RAVEN MAUREEN 