PR&P Tutorials, Week 3 – Flying High Fleece

The flying high fleece jacket was a last minute addition to Project Run & Play’s Week 3 For the Boys Challenge. I had gone through a particularly rough week, and was going to let my shirt & pants be the only part that was submitted for the challenge. But with a little last minute gusto, managed to put together a fleece cover up which I feel completed the look.

This will be the perfect jacket for Ben this Fall, and I am so happy I made it. Easy to put together, with maximum results – my favorite kind of project :). And for a little extra *oomph*, the hand embroidery is perfect!

To make a fleece jacket for your baby, all you need is an old T Shirt for sizing and some fleece! The knit embellishment is optional, but I used knit ribbing for mine. And for the closure, I used a zipper – be sure your zipper is just under the total length you want your jacket to be. You can alter the length of zippers easily by following the instructions on the package.

Let me show you how to make this jacket…

As always with a jacket pattern, cut an additional 1″ on top of the seam allowance for extra roominess.

1. Using your shirt as a pattern, cut around the body of the on the fold shirt for the front and back jacket pattern piece.

2. Alter the front neckline for the front of the jacket piece – also imitating the T Shirt pattern. Lastly, cut the front of the jacket bodice pattern down the center – so you will have two front jacket pieces, the right and left.

3. Cut out the sleeves, on the top fold, imitating the T Shirt sleeves.

4. Pockets are optional, but simply cut out half ovals for the pockets.

5. I should have taken a better picture of this, so I apologize in advance, but I will try to explain! This long rectangle is for the collar. Measure around the neckline of the front and back bodice when placed together. Take that measurement, and that will be the length. Cut that by 3″ – 5″, depending on how tall you want the collar to be (the height will be about 1/2 of that amount, as we will be folding it over).

6. Using your knit ribbing, edge the sides of the pockets, as well as the top.

7. Place how you want it on the front of the jacket and sew around sides.

8. Place the front of the jacket pieces on the back of the jacket, right sides together, and line up the shoulder seams. Pin together shoulder seams and sew. Se aside for now.

9. Take the sleeve and edge the bottom of the sleeve with the knit ribbing.

10. Take the sleeve and pin to the jacket shoulder, right sides together. Sew and repeat for other sleeve.

11. Fold jacket right sides together, matching up the side seam and under arm seam. Pin and sew. Repeat for other side.

12. You should now have something that is starting to resemble a jacket!

13. Take your collar piece and pin right sides together to the top of the neckline. Sew.

14. Take your jacket zipper and place right sides together (zipper down) on one side of the front of the jacket. Be sure to line up the bottom of the zipper with the bottom of your jacket! Using your zipper foot, sew onto jacket.

15. Turn jacket over, and edge stitch the front of the jacket next to the zipper.

16. Pin the other side of the zipper to the other side of the jacket, right sides together. Sew and edge stitch.

17. At the top of the jacket, fold over the collar towards the wrong side of the jacket, enclosing the top of the zipper, as well as the neckline seam. Pin all around and sew.

18. You can either hem the bottom, or add knit ribbing as I did.

And you are finished!

Now let’s go apple picking…for real this time! Lol

Thanks so much for stopping by, and until next time…

Happy Sewing!