When I was on holiday to Germany at the end of August, I could not help myself from buying a few sewing magazines, even though my German is not up to scratch. I knew that I’ll not use any instructions anyway. One of the magazines I got then is Fashion Style ( the August 18 issue) which is the German translation of Knip Mode (a Dutch magazine).

There are quite a few projects from this issue that I want to make. In keeping with the season (which rarely happens), I made a jacket. In the magazine, this is pattern 17 –  which is an oversized jacket with no closures. For this I used fabric I bought from Abakhan – Mostyn store while I was in Wales (yes, when in Wales I have to stop at the Abakhan store). Although my bust measurement sits in size 38, I decided to trace size 36 as my waist and hips measurements were in the smaller size. I had to trace the pattern from the pattern sheets, which are not as overlapped the Burda Style ones. While I was tracing the pattern I added 1 cm seam allowance and 3 cm for the hems. If I do not do this at this stage, I always forget to add it later.

Because the fabric does not press and does not stay in place long enough to stitch the layers together I had no choice but to baste the pocket seam allowances before attaching them to my jacket.

For the shoulder seams and the corners on the armscye, I decided to use some iron on bias tape to strengthen it so that in time does not stretch out of shape. As a rule, when working with knitted fabric I use the overlocker for most of the construction (seams).

For a change, I thought that it would be fun to use the zigzag stitch to finish off the hems and facing in the neckline. I used a triple zigzag stitch on my sewing machine. The fabric is quite bouncy/thick and the stitches get lost in it. You can only see them properly up close.

I did not like how the tie belt looked like when it was not topstitched, so I felt that it will look much better if it top-stitch all around the edges to make it flatter, using a very narrow zigzag stitch.

I did the same for the centre front facing and all the way around the bottom hem.

The finished jacket is perfect for an autumn day. Because of the fabric I chose, it won’t keep me warm if the wind is blowing, which was an oversight on my part. In the UK the wind is always around. But since it’s so oversized, I can layer up to keep warm.

As the neckline is quite low and it does not give much protection against the elements, it might be more appropriate for the spring or a cold summer day. Either way, I am happy with my little jacket and will try to incorporate it in my outfits during spring and autumn, when they come around again.