So, yeah…not quite sure what to call this thing.  I have a similar style shirt in a knit that I purchased.  It is black and  knit and is a great layering piece.  I copied the lines of that shirt, with some additions after seeing this CAbi shirt-jacket:

It really is a nice piece.  It is a heavy knit with pockets, detailed cuts and lace overlays.  It didn’t fit me exactly as I would like, and oh yeah…it was $148.  I’m not saying that it wasn’t worth around $100, but I’d rather not pay for something I can make that will actually fit my body.

I decided to do this moto-style with a heavy cream knit, cream stretch twill, and cream stretch lace.   Three different fabrics.

Body:  I started out using the pattern I drafted for this princess-seamed shirt, only with some more room as I have put on some weight this winter.  I added too much room to the back, unfortunately.  The front middle piece I drew out the moto-style overlay and cut two pieces.

Arm: I used an arm from another pattern.  The arm was knit, so it was pretty close to the fit I needed.  I did cuffs with the stretch twill and lace overlay.

Neckline: I measured out the length of the neckline and then cut the knit that length, and so it would be 8 inches wide when folded.

Back yoke: The back panel overlay I cut after I assembled the back, so it would be the right size.

Yes, another hodge-podged pattern!

I excel at throwing things together and not having any pattern pieces to show afterwards.  You know…just in case I actually want to make things again.  Good thing I write things down for this blog. 🙂

I had to figure out how I wanted to fix the back, as it was too wide.  I could have done a few different things: Do a seam down the middle of the back and take out the excess there, shirr the back with elastic thread, add a casing with thin elastic in it, add a tie, or add a piece of fabric in the side seams to bring it in.

I decided to make some twill tape into a casing with some elastic inside it.  I did this on the inside of the jacket.

On my RTW item, there was a zipper.  Unfortunately, I did not have a cream seperating zipper, and the roads were absolutely horrible so I was not going to the fabric store.  Instead, I chose to put in some big snaps.

Learn from me…interface the fabric under the snaps.  This was stretchy fabric, so the prongs pull out when they are pulled apart.  I have had to reset the snaps.

Overall, I am pretty pleased with this little jacket, and hope to make more of them!