Made By A Fabricista: A Seasonal Shacket

Hello everyone! I love to end the year with some new outerwear, and so here I am with a new garment to keep me warm for the next few months. This is the type of garment that sort of evades a concrete name… Chore Coat? Utility Jacket… Shacket? Anyway, regardless of what we’re calling it, this is such a great and easy, warm style to throw on and run.

As a treat and to make this project fairly effortless to begin, I gathered just about all of the necessary supplies into one order: fabric, needles, interfacing, matching thread and adorable statement clothing tags.

The fabric is a gorgeous and soft Dark Cornflower Blue Wool/Poly Flannel, and it’s not too thick or heavy, but features a nice loftiness and none of the scratchiness that sometimes occurs with wool in the mix. I broke all rules and tossed this fabric into the washing machine and dryer. The hand lost some crispness, but to me, that just makes wearing this all the cozier.

I chose some Black Cotton Shape-Flex Fusible Woven Interfacing for use on the collars, facings, and cuffs. Fusible interfacing is a must for me, and to keep the wool safe, I used a press cloth when I ironed it on.

Schmetz Universal 90/14 needles were perfect for the job. There are some rather thick seams here, especially when hemming the flat-felled seams, and this size and type worked well. I would liken the density of this suiting to melton, so it sews up absolutely beautifully and the thread kind of sinks into the seam, but topstitching still looks stunning.

I’m already a massive fan of Kylie and the Machine’s labels, so I finally narrowed down my choice to the It Has Pockets set. Possibly the most difficult decision I had to make was choosing which color to add. I finally settled on the tan/orange tag since I thought that hue highlights the pine buttons so pleasingly.

Matching Gutermann thread is always a no-brainer for me. If you opt to make a similar coat, get yourself an extra spool! I ran out right when I got to the buttonholes and ended up using serger thread and crossing my fingers no one notices the slight shade change. All those flat-felled seams really eat up the length!

The pattern I chose is the West End Jacket from Peppermint Magazine and Cami Made Patterns. This is a unisex style with very beautiful finishing techniques and a slimmer fit than any other shirt jacket pattern I’ve sewn, and that’s a nice change, really.

I also admire the round collar, and though I originally thought that would be the pattern piece I’d alter, I just let it ride when I was cutting my pieces. No regrets! I love how this looks as is.

For kicks, and to keep on theme with the woven tag’s line, I added one smaller accent pocket keeping the same ratio as the originals. If I’m being honest, inseam pockets would be welcome, too.

I was so set on these big buttons (also from Fabric Mart, circa 2020) that when I realized that the matching buttonholes wouldn’t fit well horizontally across the placket, I just broke the official coat rules and sewed them vertically instead. This piece has enough positive ease that I’m not concerned about straining them when buttoned up, so I guess this now leans slightly more toward a shirt than a jacket.

This is such a marvelous and useful jacket! I’m imagining post-holiday dinner walks and having places to put a phone, keys, mittens, bonus snacks, whatever! in those pockets and be comfortably hands-free.

Cheers to everyone sewing this season! I hope you find the time to treat yourself to a special little project, too.

KATIE | @kak513

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories WOOL & FLANNEL.

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