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I made a DIY denim jacket with stretch cotton sateen fabric. This garment is so soft, and it happens to be one of my favorite creations.
Well, I can never go wrong with adding a piece like this to my wardrobe. Being a neutral color, it goes with practically everything!
Simplicity S8845 Jacket Pattern
I couldn’t wait to make Simplicity S8845 sewing pattern when it first came out. This is a well-structured jean jacket by Mimi G Style.
It has flat-fell seams, welt pockets, cuffs, a collar, and a bottom band. You’ll have to make buttonholes and topstitch.
There are 20 pattern pieces to sew in total. Plus, a very helpful sew-along video is on YouTube.Â
Materials
Here are the fabric and notions I used to make my jacket. Most of these, I already had in my stash.
Fabric: A beautiful gray sateen denim sat at the top of my closet forever. I bought it while browsing Mood fabric, and I wish they had other colors.
This stretch cotton material feels so buttery soft. It’s a medium-weight with a smooth finish.
I bought a generous 3 yards, but only needed 2-1/2 yards (2.5 yards). The extra fabric came in handy—trust me.
For the mockup, I used a cheap stretch woven fabric from the fashion district near me.
The suggested fabrics to make this jacket are denim, chino, corduroy, sateen, and twill.
Notions: I used 5/8-inch (0.625-inch) shank buttons, but you can use dungaree or flat ones too. Lightweight fusible interfacing went on the collar, cuffs, and front facing.Â
Sewing My Denim Jacket
This pattern has many pieces and details, so it took time. I found it easier to sew along with the video.
First, I created a mockup with the cheap fabric. I did this to check the sizing, as I didn’t know if I should go with the small or medium size.
Well, the size small was a little tight, plus the arms were a bit short. I could have lengthened the arms, but sizing up was better.
My weight fluctuates sometimes! To be or not to be, that is the problem.
There are many pieces to this pattern, and I couldn’t find one. I was searching around, looking for it.
Turns out, I never cut it! Luckily, I had so much fabric left over that it wasn’t a problem.
The sew-along helped with making the welt pockets. They’re sleek but a bit tricky for me.
Nevertheless, they turned out just fine, with some finagling. Some of my markings were off, so I had to remark them.
About the flat-fell seams, I make regular seams and finish them with the serger. Then I do a double topstitch.
The only change I made to the sewing pattern was to crop it by an inch, and it made a difference.
I hand-sewed the shank buttons in place. From a distance, they might look like shiny dungaree buttons.
I wish I had more of these buttons—so much easier to put on. And pretty too!
Notes
I used a disappearing ink fabric marker that didn’t wash out thoroughly! I had to soak it and work with it.
It took quite a few weeks before all the markings disappeared, and I was scared they wouldn’t come out. Ugh! All that hard work…
That’s a reminder to test your markingson scrap fabric because sometimes they don’t totally wash off.
Other than that, I like how my jacket looks and feels. I even got to wear it while exploring a volcano in Maui, as it got chilly up there!
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