MAKING THE Alston Jacket from Sew To Grow!

By Jacqui Smith

With spring weather around the corner (we hope!), it seemed a perfect time to make a lighter but still warm jacket that is super quick to make. I made the Alston Jacket from Sew to Grow, which can be made as either a lined, reversible jacket or as I have made it, in a single layer.

My fabric choice

I have made mine with Modelo Boiled Wool in the mauve colourway, which felt like a lovely spring colour, after all the dark shades of winter. Boiled wool is a knitted, pure wool fabric which has then been effectively boiled to felt it slightly.

This makes a lovely warm, textured fabric that does not fray and can be washed.

I pre-washed my boiled wool, although you should get minimal shrinkage due to the fact that it has been boil washed prior to purchasing. It is worth taking careful note of the number of pieces you need to cut for each pattern piece if you are making the single layer jacket. Boiled wool is very similar on both sides of the fabric, however I made sure that I kept all the pieces the same way round to ensure that there were no slight differences in the finish.

The Alston pattern includes instructions for making with Boiled Wool, which shows how to do faux flat felled seams to give a neat finish on the inside too.

My pattern choice

The pattern suggests that for boiled wool, you use a rotary cutter for the best results to make sure the cut edges are smooth, which is important for doing both the faux felled seams and also the raw edges around the jacket.

I found a walking foot made the sewing much easier as the fabric is quite thick. The markings on my walking foot also made the 12mm (½in) seam allowance very accurate. Once the seams are stitched you can then trim one of the allowances to do the faux flat felled seams. This needs pressing and to get a good finish, this is best achieved with steam and a pressing cloth.

Once the jacket was pieced together, I stitched a straight line about 3mm (1/8in) from the raw edges all the way round to stabilise them. This gives a nice finish to the edge and ensures that they don’t stretch during wear.

Finally, you can make the jacket with or without a belt and pockets. I found that the pockets were a little too heavy for the boiled wool when made double and turned right side out, so I cut out the same pattern piece, but just once for each pocket. I added an extra ¼in (7mm) onto the diagonal edge and trimmed all the other edges by 10mm (3/8in). Along the diagonal edge, I turned in 15mm (5/8in) and topstitched this. The pockets were then topstitched onto the jacket in the positions indicated on the pattern piece. I did two rows of topstitching around the pockets to make sure they were firmly attached.

Summary

The end result is a very comfortable, warm, but not too heavy jacket that’s perfect for spring and autumn when you need an extra layer but don’t want to be bundled up in heavy, large coats.

Editors Notes

THE PATTERN:

The slightly oversized Alston Jacket pattern from Sew To Grow features a dramatic cascading collar that’s ideal for layering over other garments and stylish raglan sleeves. The pattern comes in sizes XS-4XL.

THE FABRIC:

For the Alston, choose broadcloth or linen to make a reversible jacket or make it like Jacqui in boiled wool for a classic single layer jacket that you will turn to time and time again! The Cairn Boiled Wool collection is made from 100% wool and comes in 19 wonderful colours including soft mauve that Jacqui chose.

Here are some of the beautiful boiled wool colours for a spring version