
Hello Readers,
Today I wanted to share with you a cropped jacket I made using Simplicity 1419, which is a Lisette pattern that includes a dress as well as the jacket. There is a Simplicity sale on in the UK at the moment and I picked this pattern up because I think the dress is cute, but this jacket is a hidden gem….this is the envelope front:

You hardly notice the jacket, right? Anyway, I specifically wanted a cropped jacket to wear over full skirts and dresses in the summer and this fit the bill perfectly. It was so simple to sew, virtually straight out of the envelope, but because I wanted to use the eyelet cotton and this jacket is unlined, I wanted to make sure it was beautifully finished on the inside.
So, I french seamed the darts. Yes, it is totally possible to french seam darts. I used this tutorial:

I french seamed the shoulder seams, the side seams, the sleeve seams and the centre back seam:

I french seamed the sleeves. Yes! Using Jenny’s tutorial on the Grainline blog:


And I used Beth’s tip on creating a nice, neat finish for the lapel facings:

Even with all these extra finishing details this jacket didn’t take that long to whiz up.


I did mine in eyelet cotton but honestly, there are so many great fabrics you could use to make this jacket work for you.
Pattern Review:
Pattern Description:
Lisette Sew Your Style Pattern. Misses’ dresses have full pleated skirt and can be made short sleeve with keyhole front or sleeveless with Peter Pan collar and keyhole front. Pattern also include gathered peplum jacket.
Pattern Sizing:
6 – 24
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes, I think so, but I omitted the peplum.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, although I chose to french seam everything so ensure a perfectly neat finish.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love the cropped shape. It will be perfect to wear over full skirts and dresses once the weather warms up. Although I wore it out for a lunch date today and it was perfect.
Fabric Used:
Eyelet cotton.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
1 inch sway back adjustment, shortened sleeves and omitted peplum.
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I might sew this again. I will definitely get round to trying the dress sometime. YES! I definitely recommend. A more sophisticated alternative to a cardigan.
Conclusion:
A hidden gem of a jacket sleeping in this pattern. Love it!

We are going to be moving towards the end of this month so I have a couple more weeks to cram in as much sewing as possible! I don’t honestly know how much sewing will be happening in these parts after we move for a little while.
Until soon….
What a beautiful, versatile jacket! Your finishing details add so much to the quality — thanks for linking to all the tutorials, too. Happy moving!
Thanks Angela.
Love it! I am a big fan of the french seam but had no idea you could use the technique on darts. Thank you for the tutorial. I’ve added this pattern to my Pinterest want to buy board. I am forever in need of a light jacket for my dresses in the summer the library is always super cold.
Thanks jane. Love my french and flat fell seams. Labour intensive but oh so worth it!
you are reading my mind, I have an eyelet jacket on my spring to-do list also! very pretty and lovely french seams.
Thanks Beth.
Great idea! What a perfect basic to have, and more interesting than cardigans.
Thanks kat.
Beautifully made, it’s absolutely lovely!
Thanks Fiona.
Great jacket – so cute in eyelet. Thanks for the link to Sherry’s french seamed dart tutorial. I will certainly make use of it!
Thanks Jen.
I’ve been following you for a while. Love this jacket with the dress. What’s the dress pattern. Thanks for sharing your blog Ilse
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Hi Ilse. Thanks for following. The dress is an old RTW one.
Beautiful! And so impressed with all those French seams, especially the shoulder ones.
Thanks Debbie.
I bought this pattern for the same reason. That jacket is perfect for a lot of occasions. Your work on it is beautiful. I don’t know when I will have a chance to sew it up as we are in the process of moving also. Good luck!
Thanks tammy and hope your move goes smoothly too.
You’re right, you’d never notice the jacket on the pattern envelope. It’s fab though, perfect for wearing over fuller skirts and dresses. I love the fabric you’ve used too, nice eyelet fabric is so hard to find I think.
Thanks Sam. This fabric was in the reduced bin in my local market!!
Beautful use of your fabric, and thank you so much for all those links. It’s so helpful to be reminded of all the great info that’s out there
Thanks msMcCall.
What a perfect jacket. Ideal for this time of year when it’s not quite warm enough for our summer dresses but we want to wear them anyway!
Thanks as always for your detailed post and wonderful ideas!
Good luck with the move!!
Shelley
Thank you Shelley!
Hi Manju 🙂
I enjoy your blog and seeing your makes so I have nominated you for a Liebster Award. Please dont feel obliged to accept it but details are here if you are interested?
http://dawn-whitham-holloway.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/the-liebster-award.html
Thank you so much dawn.