Sew An Ideal Three-Season Knit Jacket

Sew An Ideal Three-Season Knit Jacket

My newest pattern from The McCall Pattern Company, M7290, is an ideal three-season jacket to keep you cozy and warm, while being stylish. Choose a medium-weight knit to wear over straight-legged pants. For extra snuggling, select a cozy fleece knit and toss over jeans. It will be your go-to jacket from fall to spring.

Choose from Three Styles

View A showcases the cozy design as an accent vest. This view is also constructed with exposed serged seams. You may choose to add the exposed seam details to any of the styles. Easy-to-follow instructions for achieving this look are included in the pattern.

View B is made in one single fabric option. All styles include deep side pockets.

View C features a long jacket in knit fabric with a contrasting collar. The collar is easily achieved by revealing the other side of the knit fabric.

Let’s walk through the easy construction of View C with this step-by-step tutorial. In the photos, you’ll notice I’ve selected a reversible knit fabric.

Pockets

• Cut 1/2″ wide bias strips of lightweight fusible knit interfacing such as Pellon’s Easy-Knit Interfacing. Knit stay tape may also be used.

Note from Nancy: I often cut six to eight bias strips of fusible interfacing and store what I don’t use in a plastic bag. Later in this project, you’ll fuse more strips to stabilize the shoulder seams. Save the remaining strips for your next project!

•  Fuse interfacing strips or stay tape to the wrong side of each outer pocket along the top edge.

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• Pin pocket lining to outer pocket, aligning notches and right sides. Stitch seam.

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• Carefully, trim the edges of the seam allowance with a pinking shears or rotary cutter with pinking blade.

Note from Nancy: It’s often recommended to clip the seam allowances of curved seams. I prefer to notch out fabric with a pinking blade or pinking shears. The seam allowance is trimmed and notched without clipping too close to the seam.

• Turn pocket right side out; press. Topstitch.

• Align pocket lining to side front, right sides together, matching notches. Pin the pocket lining to the side front.
• Stitch the sides and lower edge of the pocket, starting and ending at the notches.

• Fold down the lower pocket. Pin and machine baste all the layers together along the side seams.

Front Seams and Center Back Seams

• Align and pin Jacket Front to Jacket Side Front and Jacket Backs, right sides together, matching notches. Stitch or serge seams.

• Press the seams flat; then open. Or if the seam is serged, press the seam allowances to one side.

Stay Stitch/Clip the Neckline

• Staystitch, stitching along seamline on both sides of the neckline corner between “dot” markings.

• Clip to but not beyond the stitching at each corner.

Shoulder and Cowl Collar Seams

To stabilize the shoulder, fuse 1/2″ wide fusible interfacing strips, or knit stay tape, to the wrong side of the jacket back shoulder, aligning cut edges.

• Pin; then stitch cowl collar center back seam, right sides together, matching notches. Stitch or serge seams.

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• Lightly trim seam edges with rotary pinking blade or pinking shears.

• Press seam flat; then open. Topstitch edges to collar.  If the seam was serged, press to one side and edgestitch to collar.
• Pin cowl collar to neckline, right sides together, matching notches. Stitch seam, carefully following along the initial staystitching line, especially at the “clipped” corners.

Set in Sleeves

• Pin sleeve to armhole, matching right sides and notches. Pin from the jacket side. Stitch or serge seam, placing sleeve next to the feed dogs of the sewing machine or serger. Repeat for second sleeve.

• Trim excess seam allowance.

Note From Nancy: The sleeve is slightly larger than the armhole of the jacket. Stitch with the longer layer of fabric next to the feed dogs, which has “teeth.” The feed dogs will gently ease the longer layer of fabric to perfectly fit the armhole

Stitch Underarm Seams

• Match garment right sides. Pin underarm, sleeve, and side seam.

• Stitch or serge seam.

Finish the Outer Edges

• Apply interfacing strips or knit stay tape to the wrong side of the garment edge.

Note from Nancy: If the knit fabric is lightweight, try this tip. Press Pellon Lite EZ-Steam II—a 1/4″ wide paper-backed fusible web—along the wrong side of the outer edges. Remove the paper backing; then press 1/4“ to the wrong side. The fusible webbing provides extra stability and shaping.

• Lightly trim seam edges with rotary cutter pinking blade or pinking shears.

• Press under 1/4″ to the wrong side along outer edges.

Finish the Sleeve Hems

• Lightly trim seam edges with rotary cutter pinking blade or pinking shears.
• Press under 1/4″ to the wrong side along outer edges.
• Topstitch.

• Optional: Handstitch the seam allowance to the jacket along the hem and the sleeve edge.

The newest addition to your wardrobe is complete!

Demystify the fear of working with knit fabrics. You can sew easily and with confidence using tips and techniques in my book: Sew Knits with Confidence. Sewing With Nancy also has a two-part series featuring knits. Watch Part One and Part Two online.

Watch Sew Knits with Confidence (Part One and Part Two)on Sewing With Nancy online.

To watch Sewing With Nancy on your iPad, iPod Touch, or iPhone, download the app.

For a chance to win a copy of my new McCalls M7290 Jacket Pattern, please leave a comment below and let us know what view you’d like to make. The McCall Pattern Company will give away one pattern to one US resident in the 48 contiguous states.

Don’t forget to submit your holiday stocking in my Stocking Challenge! The deadline to enter is MONDAY, December 7, 2015. Click here to see how to enter. Make sure you are subscribed to my enews mailing list so you won’t miss a thing. Sign up here.

Bye for now,

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