It is done! The Jalie 2680 is completed… it’s been waiting since about May 20 for the zipper to arrive from Wawak. I ordered a YKK nylon waterproof zipper, just because the plastic “Costumakers” zipper I got from Fabricland seemed SO cheap-ass. I’m glad that I waited because the waterproof zipper looks so much nicer. UPS can kiss my ass though – the package has been sitting in Victoria since May 15 and they kept delaying the delivery. I called three times and expressed my dissatisfaction. I had finished the coat up to the zipper by about May 20 and I was READY FOR IT. But now the package has arrived, and the coat is DONE.
I made a bunch of modifications to this pattern to get what I wanted, and what would fit:
- Widened the back yoke and added to the width of the side back to compensate for the fabric not being stretchy.
- Widened the side back at the hip (using a slash and spread method – I split the piece horizontally at the waist then modified the lower half, then put the pieces back together.
- Shortened the sleeve 1″ by taking it out above the seam, because I have short T-rex arms.
- Did a princess-seam full bust adjustment on the front to ensure it would fit without being too snug… I wanted at least 5″ wearing ease so I can put this jacket on over other clothes.
And then there were the tweaks to the construction:
- Added grommets and a drawstring (paracord) to the front of the hood so I could draw the hood in when it’s windy.
- Changed the buttons to a zipper, by taking 2cm off the centre front pieces EXCEPT the right front facing. That extra facing was folded over to create a windguard behind the zipper. The zipper was inserted between the facing and front pieces first, using a piece of painter’s tape to mark where I wanted the zipper to line up with the front yoke seam. Then I folded the extra facing fabric out to make the facing, and then stitched the neckline (the hood sandwiched between the garment and the facing).
I ended up using a brushed-back double knit for the pocket bags. The smooth side is in to the hands, and the fuzzy side is on the outside so it sort of sticks in place against the brushed back of the garment fabric.
I am also planning to add some grommets under the arms for ventilation. This jacket is WARM because it is nylon with a fleece backing!! It doesn’t need any lining for warmth in this city, where it is above 5 degrees Celsius for about 80% of the year.
