His and Hers: Favorite Quarantine Patterns

At this point we've been mostly sheltered in place since March 11. That's over 5 months. Over 150 days. It hasn't always been easy - I had a lot of anxiety and some depressed feelings as I adjusted to it all. And these days find myself very angry at times. But we're learning to live with it and committed to slowing the spread. Sewing definitely helps. So today I'm sharing some of my favorite summer loungewear patterns that I've made these past few months for both me and my husband. They aren't anything too groundbreaking - Hudson pants, the Axis tank, Greenstyle leggings. But they do get worn all. the. time. 

For her: Sophie Hines Axis Tank, Hudson Pants, Greenstyle Stride Tights

For him: Thread Theory Strathcona Henley

First up is the tank top pattern of these summer - the Sophie Hines Axis tank. It's a unique pattern with no side seams (just a single seam up the back) so it sews up very quickly. I love the cutout shoulders and that it comes with some color-blocking options. That said, I had to make a few adjustments to the pattern to make it work for me. First, I re-sewed the neckline three times, moving lower until it no longer felt like it was chocking me. While I like the high-neckline look in theory, I quickly discovered it was not comfortable for me. I also found I had to shorten the armhole bands to get the right tension. Turned into a bit of a longer project with all that fiddling. You'll also notice that I lengthened the top. I'm not quite sure this is advisable given the lack of side seam - I definitely had to grade out and it still rides up at my hips a bit. Overall though a very comfy top for summer and I managed to sew it before our heat wave hit.

Below you'll also see that I made a more A-line version. Again this is a bit tricky without the side seams and I'm not sure it fully worked, but I'm all about playing with patterns and having fun during quarantine. The fabric is very soft. 

I've paired each of these tops with two patterns I've sewn over and over again - the Hudson pants from True Bias and the Greenstyle Stride Tights. Each has pockets and lets me trade off between tighter and looser styles so they're pretty much all I need. The one thing I'll say about the Hudson pants is that, like most pants patterns, the fit really varies based on the fabric you're using. The two times I've made this previously they've been on the looser side, but this time they were actually so snug through the legs that I had to add a few inches of fabric to the outside leg seam to relax the fit a bit. I also subbed out the waistband for one that is the length of the elastic rather than the length of the pants to achieve a smoother, un-gathered look. I think I also adjusted the angle of the pocket opening so that my phone wouldn't fall out. 

For the Stride Tights, I used a semi-opaque mesh fabric on the side panels which makes them breezier for summer. I mostly wear this pair for running, but have another pair that I wear around the house. I just LOVE the pockets. 

Ok that's four for me what about for the Mr.? He somehow still wears non-stretch pants most days, though I've definitely seen him get more use out of the stretch jeans I've made him. This time around I made him two Strathcona Henleys. I think I meant to make these up for his last birthday (in December - whoops) but had the fabric on hand ready to go. He is partial to soft shirts and these definitely fit the bill. Plus the buttons make a t-shirt look a little dressed up for video meetings. Right?

One of the fabrics had a print on one side and was plain on the other, so I decided to have some fun with it. I like the diagonal stripe although I wish I'd centered it a bit lower. For some reason, I really struggled cutting this one out. 

I've made him one of these before that he wears often. While he is nearly 6 feet tall I did shorten the sleeves and torso as they are quite long. I also hate that placket - I find myself swearing every time I make it. On the plus side, you'll notice there was some fabric leftover for me ;) 

Any recommendations for your favorite loungewear patterns? 

Happy Halloween!

If you don't know, we are big TV nerds in this house. While Mr. Made and I spend plenty of time on creative pursuits, we also love sitting down at the end of a long day to watch some good TV. West World, Master of None, Bojack Horseman, House of Cards, Stranger Things, Fargo, we've watched it all. And, of course, we love us some Game of Thrones. So this year, after binging our way through the seventh season, I decided to sew us up some GoT costumes. Enter Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen, and her dragon. 

Admittedly, they are a bit dorky. Our wigs were pretty cheap and poofy, and Mr. Made complained his cape fur wasn't fluffy enough. But we have had a good time dressing up and going to costume parties. My costume is a combination of a corset with long tails and a t-shirt pattern. Mr. Made got a simple cape with darts and a t-shirt tunic. Both were made in stable knits from the discount section of Stone Mountain - affordable and I didn't have to finish any seams!

As usual, I put the most effort into Beatrix's costume. She just makes the cutest little dragon. She is also remarkably tolerant. As long as she isn't too hot, she'll pretty much wear anything for a few hours. I think she likes all of the attention. 

The fabric really makes the costume - it's from Cali Fabrics, which locally is the brick and mortar shop Fabric Outlet. The pattern is a dog coverall from Milla Milla combined with their hoodie sweatshirt pattern. The reason I love this company is that they have sizing for different dog breeds, so I can get one that fits my little bowling ball. Of course, I've been sewing for her for a few years now and have made some adjustments particular for her, and so now sewing things up goes rather quickly.

The real challenge with this pattern was creating the wings. I used galvanized utility wire from the hardware store and inserted it into channels in the wings. It behaved remarkably well, and I could see this being really fun for future Halloween costumes. I also inserted some into the tail to give it some shape. The wings can also be worn separately for an easier costume.

Hope you are having fun and making the most of this little holiday. Happy Halloween!

Men's Bomber Jacket

Pattern: BurdaStyle's Men's Quilted Jacket 12/2015 #125
Fabric: 2 yds 8.5 oz brushed canvas, 1/2 yd heavyweight rib knit, 2 yds kasha lining
Cost: $70

It's how it always happens. He saw a jacket online for $400. I proudly proclaim that I could make one even better for much less. I am forced to live up to that claim. I wait until his birthday, and then Christmas, and as the weather turned cold I was finally forced to live up to my claim...

In truth, I really like making stuff for the Mr. I like when he wears it out and gets to brag about who made it. But I have found it hard to make the time when there are so many fun things to sew for myself, and especially lately when I haven't even had the time for that. In January, however, I was finally forced to finish up this bomber jacket after gifting him the muslin for Christmas, and I'm so glad I did. 

In truth, I do think it is better than the original. It is cut to his size, has a flannel-backed satin kasha lining, and a zipper fly. He got to pick out the color, which is a nice greenish-gray. He's been wearing it a ton.

The pattern is BurdaStyle's Men's Quilted Jacket 12/2015 #125, which has really interesting princess-type seams in the front and back that end in a semi-raglan sleeve. I think this gives some nice visual interest to the jacket, but boy did those sleeves cause some fitting issues! For one, the pattern is drafted a bit boxy with semi-batwing sleeves (very low armhole). When I took in the jacket (he likes things more fitted), the low armholes significantly restricted movement. Luckily I had enough fabric to recut each sleeve and the front and back side panels (on the jacket and lining!) to fix this, but it was a lot of work. I had to redo every one of those corners on the jacket front and back and lining :( The result was totally worth it though. I ended up raising the armhole and sleeve edge by three inches, and probably could have done half an inch more. The jacket is now much more fitted and he is actually able to raise his arms.

Come to think of it, I've had a lot of patterns from BurdaStyle that feature this semi-batwing sleeve. I think it's a style choice, but it's not Mr. Made's style. It must be their European styling or something.

If I were to make this jacket again, the one thing I would do is a sloping shoulder adjustment. The jacket tends to wrinkle there at the shoulders, which is partly from shoulder shape and partly from the neckband gathering a bit too much. I looked at the pattern photo again and saw it had a similar, though less extreme, issue. Again, the half raglan half set-in shape of the sleeves makes it very difficult to do adjustments, but I'm sure it could be done with another muslin.

Overall though I'm happy to have this done and it has been getting a ton of wear. I think it's nice for him to have a jacket that finally fits his long arms, and for much less than $400! Now back to sewing girly things...

Blue and Gold Jeans

Pattern: Thread Theory's Jedediah Pants
Fabric: Threadbare Fabric's 12.5oz Cone Mills Denim
Cost: $30

For Christmas I bought Mr. Made some beautiful 12.5 oz Cone Mills denim from Threadbare Fabrics and made him up a muslin. Lately he has discovered the amazingness of premium jeans, but also the price tag. I was sure I could approximate some for a much better price, and after seeing Katie's husband's jeans I was inspired. Threadbare Fabrics was one of the few places online I could find Cone Mills denim by the yard (and so of course I bought myself some yardage, too).

While I have made him the Thread Theory Jedediah pants before, for this special pair I wanted to make up a muslin first to really work out some of the small fit fixes. I started from scratch and traced him a straight size 32 muslin. Technically he should be a size 34, but that size had been a bit too big on him at the waist so I sized down. I love the Jedediahs for Mr. Made because they are one of the few men's pants patterns I know of that actually go down to his size and the slim fit is just his style.

The resulting muslin fit beautifully - much better than expected - with one exception: they were too tight across the front below the waistband (and the jeans-style pockets I had drafted needed some tweaks). There weren't really any pulling lines, but there wasn't as much ease as desired. I imagine that this is an issue more or less unique to men's pants as their, uh, anatomy in this area requires different ease considerations. Sure enough, my internet research of this issue showed only tummy adjustment and butt adjustments on women's pants. Nevertheless, I figured I could borrow some basic ideas for my second muslin.

Adding more room at the side seams didn't help, so I started investigating more involved alterations. While my initial inclination was to slash a vertical line through each thigh and spread for more room, I was worried that this would create other issues and it didn't seem to be recommended in any of the articles I had read. After more research, I found that there were a few different methods for adding more room in this area. But which to choose? Luckily for me, Lisanne from Sewing Plums laid it out in a great article about Fabric wedges for body bumps below the waist (summarized below):

Technically Lisanne was referring to alterations for the back of the pants, but I believe the same applies to the front: Angela Wolf has you spread the pattern for a fuller belly, while Don McCunn recommends extending the front crotch curve for this issue. As you can see, each of these methods lengthens the front crotch, but adds the fullness at different places.

For Mr. Made, I decided to first try adding more fullness at the mid hip level by horizontally slashing and spreading as it sounded like that was the main problem area. Angela Wolf offers a great tutorial on this, as does Colette. For this version there was no need to make a full muslin - shorts length would do. He gave this new muslin the all-clear, but in the final version I think this was a mistake. He was happy the issue with the jeans-style front pockets I had drafted fit better, and I think forgot to check the other fit issue. Next time we will try the longer crotch extension, and I have saved the muslin. Fitting Mr. Made was hard, as I don't usually sew for others and it gets tricky when they don't have the right vocabulary or haven't spent months thinking about their ideal fit.

However, he was otherwise quite positive about his new pants, possibly because I warned him about being nice after I'd spent days making the pair. He has been happily wearing them and showing them off, and his co-worker, a jeans snob, was very impressed.

The hardest part of the construction for me was the topstitching. I used Gutterman jean topstitching thread in the needle only, and my machine hated it. I have also come to the conclusion that, were I planning on making men's jeans full time, I would invest in an industrial machine that could really handle all the layers, like sewing up overlapping seams or doing the hem. There's a few rough looking spots, and I have gained new respect for all those pro topstitchers out there.

I do love how these turned out, but right now I am just too tired from all the topstitching to think about making him more pants for at least another year.

As a bonus, Beatrix also got a denim jacket from some other scraps I had lying around. *heart*

Men's Hudson Pants

Pattern: True Bias's Men's Hudson Pants

Fabric: 2 yds French Terry

Cost: $15

Around the house, I wear my True Bias Hudson Pants just about every night. They are probably my most worn me-made garment ever by sheer virtue of their comfiness and ease of wear, and the fact that you can wear the same jammies over and over again, and no one will see.

I asked Mr. Made if he would like a pair. He said no. So of course I signed right up to test the Men's Hudson pants and make him a pair. I figured he doesn't know what he's missing.

Now, he doesn't read this blog, so I am going to let you in on a little secret: his loungewear is far from cute. We're talking plaid fleece with an all-over dog paw print, or grey sweatpants that hit just above the ankle as if he's outgrown them. So although no one will ever see his pajamas, I decided his were getting a makeover anyway. As a bonus, I figured he might be able to wear these to the climbing gym, another area in his wardrobe that is lacking.

Like the Women's Hudson Pants, the Men's Pants are easy to cut out and sew. The tester version of the pattern was just 25 pages to print out (compare to some Burda patterns which are 60+), and is comprised of only a few pattern pieces. I had the whole thing cut out and nearly sewn up in one short evening.

The sizing is a nice range, too, going two whole sizes below Mr. Made's size, which is impressive because many of the Big 4 patterns are all too big for him. While Kelli has released a kids' version of the Hudson pants, it seems that the men's pattern would work well for teens as well because the sizing extends all the way down to a 28" waist. It's really nice to get such a wide range in a pattern. 

Unfortunately for me, the one area I didn't plan out was the length. The pattern comes with inseam measurements, but silly me didn't stop to think that if his store-bought pants were too short, then the pattern might be as well. While I haven't had an issue with other jeans patterns, it isn't uncommon for store-bought clothes to be a bit short on him. Kelli has extended the length of the pattern by about an inch from this tester version, and for mine Mr. Made requested a good four inches (he wanted them extra long). To achieve this, I created diagonal knee patches for a sort of motorcycle look. It's subtle, and doesn't look like a total mistake, and he is now very happy with the length (although I think they're a touch too long). 

As with the women's pants, one of the fun parts of this pattern is the ability to add contrasting colors. It works nicely on a men's pattern, too, because it gives it a touch of style without getting too frilly. On these, I did the cuffs, waistband, and pocket using the wrong side of the fabric.

Shortly after finishing these, the weather turned cold and Mr. Made got sick. These were all he wore. We also received his favorite catalog in the mail that featured a similar pair of trendy sweatpants, so I think I've won him over. The best part is, made up in different fabrics few people would be able to spot that we're virtually wearing the same pants. 

With gift-giving season coming up, this would be a very easy and quick pattern for the man or teenager in your life!

P.S. Your eyes do not deceive you: This post is full of animal photo bombs. 

Spoonflower Review and Custom Shirts

Pattern: Grainline Archer (women's) and BurdaSyle's Men's Shirt 7045
Fabric: Spoonflower Kona Cotton
Cost: $43/shirt

My friend tells me Spoonflower recently landed a major investor to the tune of $25 million. Can you believe all these people are interested in working with fabric? I am always excited when our little community gets some big interest.

While I have used Spoonflower, the online fabric printing service, once before, I have never used them for apparel. The perfect opportunity came up when the two grooms from this summer's weddings asked if I'd gift them and their brides Cal-themed shirts. While they quite liked the ones that Mr. Made and I sported last football season, I thought it might be nice to get them something a little nicer for their weddings. To make my own unauthorized gear, I marched on over to Spoonflower and designed my own. I started with our mascot and played around with colors and proportions until I got everything just about right. So easy!

From the outset, however, I was very concerned about the longevity of the fabric as I had read online that it fades extensively. I tried to research the issue, but it seems that Spoonflower has updated their printing process, so I couldn't be sure how relevant reviews were from a few years ago. While I tentatively went ahead with my plan, I did try to hedge my bets by buying the more extensive Kona cotton, which I read held the dye better.

My 8-yard bundle arrived promptly a few weeks later. I was impressed with the delivery time, and although the color was a bit lighter than expected it otherwise looked good. The detail was sharp and they had followed all of my specifications. Unfortunately, after washing in cold water with vinegar to set the dye, the colors started to fade. Worse yet, the colors faded more where the fabric had twisted in the wash, making it look like an old, faded shirt. This was really disappointing, and I think for this reason alone I won't be using their fabric for more projects. I just can't trust that the fabric will hold up to multiple washings, and that really is half the point of wearing clothes, isn't it?

After investing in all the fabric, however, I forged ahead with my project, proclaiming these "Vintage-Inspired" with faded charm. I loved the print, loved the colors, and loved the idea of gifting them these goofy shirts to wear together as a big, dorky family. And despite the fading, the results were truly unique. While the two couples will be over-the-top matching, it's guaranteed that no one has ever had a shirt quite like this before.

I turned these out assembly-style, cutting all four shirts in one night (well, three and a half, and then I had to order a few more yards), and sewing them two at a time before each wedding. I'm just going to call it my shirt-making boot-camp.

The first couple, who are both Cal grads, got all bear. But for the second couple, one of whom is a Michigan Tech grad, I mixed things up a bit and added some Husky details. The inside yoke and the under collar a done in Michigan Tech fabric ordered from their website. The details are small, but when they pop the collar or hang the shirts up in the closet you can see it. I hope it makes the bride happy!

So far, we have heard back from one newly-married couple, and they look amazing! I can't wait to see these dorks at the football games this year.

Was the Spoonflower experience worth it? I'm not sure. I love the look of these shirts, and it really was the only way to get such a cool, custom fabric. But there was a moment there where I debated scrapping the idea entirely - who would spend all that time making button-up shirts on faded fabric? In the end the couples loved them, but I'm not sure I'll be entrusting my precious projects to Spoonflower in the near future. Perhaps that $25 million will sharpen them up?

Men's Pants

Pattern: Thread Theory's Jedediah Pants
Fabric: Eco Twill Denim Blue
Cost: $17

In my household we joke that, while we both wear the pants, I'm the one that makes them. And while I don't sew all of Mr. Made's clothes, I do try to sneak in a few projects for him. These were a pair I made up for his birthday in December. He had originally picked out the fabric, but I realize now that it had been bought over a year prior. Oops! Anyway, birthdays are a good excuse to do some unselfish sewing.

I have written about Thread Theory's Jedediah Pants before, so there's not much new to report there. I like them because they're one of the few pants patterns available that actually go down to his size and have a slim, modern fit. For this pair I did tweak the fit at the hips and front fly area to be a bit more roomy while leaving the waistband snug (I had previously made everything snug, and now it was a bit too snug). Now that I've gotten the chance to do some more pants fitting on myself I think it would be fun to really fit this pattern to him, but there's never enough time when we're both hanging out at home to do it. 

For this pair, I wanted to follow the welt pocket tutorial on the Thread Theory blog, but I had already cut out my pants with a yoke, and their version requires that you convert the yoke into darts. However, that seam did give me the idea to do a sort of in-seam back pocket flap, and after a little googling I confirmed that this could be done. The line drawing for Vogue 8940 shows a pair of yoked mens pants with a pocket sewn into the yoke seam and covered with a flap. Of course, they don't offer a picture of said pockets, but luckily for me someone had posted an image on Sewing Pattern Review, which allowed me to copy the design.

As you've noticed, the color on these turned out a bit bright. Looking back now at my order I see that the sample on Fabric.com did look a bit darker. He has been wearing them a great deal though, mostly because he doesn't have a ton of pants for work, and then one of his 'more fashionable' students complemented them, so I think that gave him a morale boost!

Men's Gingham Shirt

Pattern: BurdaSyle's Men's Shirt 7045

Fabric: gingham from unknown/mixed fibers

Cost: free from Bay Area Sewists fabric swap

Here is another project sewn up from fabric I got at our swap in July. While I personally wanted a button-up shirt for myself (and still may have some fabric left over) this one went to Mr. Made for his big 3-0 birthday. He was out of town for work in the week leading up to his birthday, so I sewed like a mad woman to get things ready. The bulk of my time went to making pants (pictures coming soon?), leaving me very little time for this shirt. I cut it out one night and finished it Saturday literally minutes before he walked through the door.

After the last button up I made him, Mr. Made had mentioned that he likes a yoke with a pleated back, along with a curved hem. These are fairly standard, but the Burda pattern I had used did not have those features so I modified the pattern to his specifications.

I would say I'm still developing my shirt-making skills, but now that I've made a few it was interesting to see how quickly I could sew one up, especially for something as special as a birthday. The pattern matching went well except that the front should alternate white-blue instead of white-white across the button band, and I think maybe I should have cut the back yolk on the diagonal. As for sewing, I held my breath as I sewed the collar at breakneck speed, and luckily it turned out fine. I did, however, sew the cuffs in wrong so that they overlap opposite as they should. Luckily Mr. Made didn't seem to notice, but he has requested one more button to keep the cuff closed.

I say he looks pretty sharp, and we even got a few head shots of him to use professionally. The fabric does lie a bit weird because of the synthetic fibers, but it looks great for work and not too home-made or my-gf-made-this-so-I-have-to-wear-it.

This was made back in early December, and now that I have my refined sewing plan I am happy to move away from work clothes sewing and start some more fun pieces I have planned soon!

A Shirt for My Father

Pattern: BurdaSyle's Men's Shirt 7045
Fabric: cotton
Cost: $30

I have childhood memories of my dad wearing shirts that my mother had made him. I don't think she's sewn much for him in recent years, but when they were dating she made him some wonderful shirts and pullover sweaters. Some of them he still wears to this day, nearly thirty years later.

For his birthday, I was inspired by the longevity of my mom's creations to make my dad something, too. He often has trouble finding shirts with the right fit through his shoulders, so I stole one of his garments that fit him well and used BurdaSyle 7045 to make one of my own.

The print was one I had long admired in the fabric store, and reminded me of the kind of things my mom made. It's beautifully thick yet soft, with a few natural imperfections in the cotton. At first Mr. Made wondered if the print was too crazy, but once the shirt came together it all seemed to work. I think the one change I would make would be to add more buttons down the front, and possibly make it a bit bigger at the side seams.

My dad has been wonderfully gracious, and wore it when he came up to visit the other day (I stole a pic of him as he met our newest family member.) He says the fit is great, and that my mom definitely noticed the pattern matching ;) I took my time with this project, but it all came together rather quickly, and I would certainly consider making him one again!

Blue and Gold

His pattern: BurdaSyle's Men's Shirt 7045
Her pattern: Grainline's Archer
Fabric: 4 yds collegiate cotton broadcloth
Cost: $36 for two shirts

Sometimes you get an idea in your head that is a bit too wacky to be real. The danger when you sew, however, is that you have the ability to make those wacky ideas a reality. Such was the case when I decided that Mr. Made and I needed some new collegiate gear from our alma mater. And that the gear in question should be matching Hawaiian-style shirts plastered in our school's logo.

You can actually buy this fabric for a lot of schools online, and when I saw our logo I knew there was nothing stopping me. Well, except that it sold out and I had to wait a few more months for it to be back in stock. Apparently I am not the only one with this wacky idea?!

The shirts themselves sewed up rather quickly, and were excellent practice for doing a collar stand and button band. The two patterns are ones I actually plan to use a lot: Grainline Archer and BurdaSyle Men's 7045 (printed pattern sold through Simplicity). I'd made each up once before, and it was nice to have the chance to fine-tune some of the construction.

I actually really like the BurdaStyle pattern: the fit is good, the directions are clear (unlike their online patterns), and the construction is simple and straightforward. The only thing I had issues with was that the back of the shirt doesn't match up very well with the yoke: both times I have made it the back piece has been a bit too wide, yet the pattern does not instruct you to ease it in. On the whole though, it's a great classic pattern to have.

I hardly need to tell you about Grainline's Archer as it seems just about everyone has sewn it up. One change I did make, however, was to extend the center front on both sides to create a fold-over placket. Sewing on a separate placket seemed like unnecessary extra work to me, and since the men's pattern did it this way I figured I wouldn't be breaking too many rules.

Print matching with this one was a bit ridiculous. I made sure that the print was lined up vertically and pretty much left it at that. I wish I had made the fronts match a bit better, but it was difficult to work out after they had been folded under twice. That, and I didn't have too much extra fabric. On the whole though, not bad for a novelty item!

Once made, I have to say that they look ridiculously bright in my living room. All that blue and gold together combined with the squares and logos had even me questioning this wacky idea. Once in the stadium, however, they hardly stick out, providing just enough uniqueness to be noteworthy.

I wish I could say our shirts served as a good luck charm, but the Bears did not do too well. I'm not sure even the wackiest outfit could save them at this point... At least the shirts were a crowd-pleaser! 

Men's Casual Blazer

Project: BurdayStyle's Suit B7046

Materials: Medium-weight canvas and bias binding

Cost: $40

In the festive spirit of these recent holidays, today I'm posting the last of K's birthday presents, an unlined men's blazer. (Sneak peak back here.) 

I have said this before, but dressing 'up' in the San Francisco Bay Area always seems to me to be a bit tricky. In a world where CEOs are known to wear flip flops and shorts to work and where a bicycle is the primary means of transportation, it can be difficult to look nice without overdoing it. 

Enter this blazer. It's a classic tailored design made up in a more casual medium-weight navy canvas. I used BurdayStyle's Suit B7046, relaxing the fit a tad by removing some of the extra shaping seams. Outer patch pockets and the unlined style make the whole thing totally wearable for everything from a nice dinner out to his professor gig in the city. 

The inspiration for the blazer comes from Taylor Stitch's Sea Washed Navy Cotton and Linen Telegraph Blazer (link may expire). The original is a beautiful, made-in-America garment that K tried on in their SF store, but with a $200 price tag it was definitely a splurge. So, I did the classic "I could make that!" and spent $40 and 10 hours in my sewing corner making him one for his birthday. I would say that my version might even fit him a little bit better!

I am most proud of the inside, which is finished almost entirely in contrast binding (tutorial here). Having made this right after rushing my way through the Fabric Mart Fashion Challenges, I really enjoyed taking my time and making a durable, handsome product. The canvas was super easy to sew with, and I was very excited with the results!

I was a bit nervous when giving him his gift because I was worried it wouldn't fit! But it slipped on fine, and overall it has been quite a hit! He has worn it out several times in the past few weeks alone. The one adjustment I had to make - and that you should keep in mind for this pattern - is that the jacket length and sleeves came out quite short! This was a surprise considering it looks quite oversized on the envelope, but luckily it was remedied by taking the sleeves out a full 2 inches. Lucky save!

Finally, I leave you with some detailed shots. I may have reminded him repeatedly that I spent a lot of time on his jacket and that, in my humble opinion, it was exceptionally well made...