par Max Donos A casual bomber jacket in chic lace fabric – how does it fit in a curated wardrobe? Is it a piece that you would reach for time and time again, or is it a once-in-a-while kind of garment, which is hard to pair with other clothes? Upon completion of this sewing project these were exactly the questions that me and my lovely half had to find answers to.
I could smell the spring in the air, and that meant for some meaningful wardrobe renewal. My spouse Maya was talking about this sporty / casual / easy look of the bomber jacket. We have tried countless iterations from cheap $10 garments to some in the hundreds of dollars. There was always something off: too blouse-y, too cropped, too long, too tight, wrong colour or fabric quality.
The arrival of fresh spring fabrics to Fabricville had my creative juices flowing. I saw beautiful laces, some stretch and some stable. I started imagining a bomber jacket in lace fabric, reminiscent of Elie Saab’s resort 2018 collection. The colours were fantastic, so on-trend with blushes and pastels. However, for the idea I had in mind, I could not find suitable trims, like ribbing and zippers. Therefore, I chose a beautiful black lace for the body, and blush pink jersey for the lining. This colourway allowed me to use the black ribbing I had in my stash and accessorize the jacket with a black metal zipper (of amazing quality!) from Fabricville. I chose some other fabrics as well, like a beautiful red leaf print jersey for a dress, and stretch faux leather, which I hoped to use as a trim on the jacket.
TUSCANY Knit – Blush SR408-004
I picked up Jalie 3675 Charlie bomber jacket. It was my first, and I have to confess, a very positive experience with these patterns.
The lace fabric had a beautiful selvedge, and I decided to use it in the front of the jacket. For this to work, I decided to cut the front bodice in one piece. Alas, I copied the front 2 pieces and taped them together overlapping the seam allowance. Worked like a charm… until I had to marry the lining, the body and the ribbing. I do not recommend repeating this the way I did it. I would have cut the front tab in half (to create a seam at the very bottom of the jacket). That’s how the bomber jackets with lining which I saw in stores later were constructed.
Front bodice and tab
Cutting lace fabric
Faux leather pocket welt fail
My initial intent was to use the faux leather as trim on pocket welts and along the zipper. However, when I tried stitching it to the jersey pocket, the leather warped and I realized I could not handle it to achieve acceptable results. I discarded the jersey pockets and cut them again from black mesh. With no leather to worry about, they sewed ingeniously and beautifully. Thumbs up, Jalie, for clever instructions!
Jacket outer shell
The rest of the jacket was a breeze, finishing it almost entirely on a serger. However, I could see how it can be beautifully and easily sewn with just a simple straight stitch.
Inserting ribbing into the sleeve
And then it was time for ribbing on the sleeves… I did not follow the instructions the first time, because I was excited to finish the jacket and “knew better” (or rather did not pay attention). With the ribbing on the outside of the sleeve, my serger just chewed it. After some time unpicking it, trimming 1cm off the sleeve, cutting and sewing a new ribbing cuff, and reading the simple instructions, I put the ribbing on the inside of the sleeve. It was much simpler to sew it with ribbing facing down.
The jacket delivered on the easy sporty chic vibe 100%. And then it was time to figure out how it will work with my spouse’s wardrobe. The jacket was elegant enough to pair it with a skirt and heels. It was sporty enough to match it with biker jeans and boots. I would say, a success. It found its place in Maya’s fresh spring world.
More thorough documentation of the process can be found on Budget Couture | Max Donos
