Style Arc Stacie Jean Jacket

 For the last couple of summers, I have really wanted a denim jacket.  I knew one would make a great addition to both my summer and spring/autumn wardrobes.  I never really found the right one.  I began trying on rtw versions, while I was away in the States in August but despite searching both on my holiday and then at home, I didn't find one I liked.  They were either in a denim I didn't like, were a length I didn't like or the sleeves were too long.

The Stacie Jean Jacket from Style Arc began appearing on my new feed and was the catalyst to actually make my own.  I actually liked every version I saw.  I still wasn't entirely convinced though because denim selection is kind of critical for both the right look and comfort of a denim jacket.  I had the perfect piece of denim in my collection that I had procured at the op shop.  It was a stretch denim which concerned me but after much deliberation I decided that it would probably make a better jacket than jeans because of concerns over stretch recovery.  As luck would have it, I had the perfect amount of denim for the jacket with next to nothing left over.

I had previously also written about my frustrations with jean buttons and their tendency to fall off.  I wasn't about to have this sort of disaster with my denim jacket.  Thankfully my lovely readers came to the rescue and pointed my towards M.Recht in Australia.  I ordered some nickel coloured buttons with ribbed buttons which proved to be an expensive exercise when postage was factored in but it still worked out about the same piece wise as buying packs of 5-6 at my fabric shop.  The remaining buttons will get used eventually for jean making.

This jacket proved to be a time consuming exercise largely due to the amount of top stitching involved.  I thought I was being very resourceful in using the leftover top stitching thread from my Ginger Jeans but frustratingly ran out just as I began making buttonholes.

I cut the jacket to size 8 but felt the length of the jacket was a little long so I removed 3cm before attaching the hip band.  I also wanted cuffs on the sleeves so altered the turn back cuffs in the pattern for a placket and sleeve band.  I didn't opt for the traditional shirt placket fearing my fabric may be a bit thick to ensure a neat finish so I cheated and used the seam instead.

I am really happy with how this worked out.  The fit is perfect so as it turns out it was the perfect use for my denim fabric and at a fraction of the cost of rtw.