I’ve had a hankering for a floral bomber jacket for a while and was inspired by some of the gorgeous versions of Papercut Patterns Rigel Bomber, including this very beautiful version by Sophie over at the Ada Spragg blog. I hadn’t attempted anything like this before so didn’t want to splash out on anything expensive. I ended up with a very silky, floral printed polyester fabric. It feels a lot more expensive than it is, I think all the fabric for the jacket cost less than £10.00.
The only change I made to the pattern was to add a couple of inches to the sleeves based on what I had read about others’ experiences of making the jacket. I also added a lining and a zipper welt pocket on the inside.
The jacket went together really easily. This was also my first time making welt pockets. I looked at lots of different methods on the internet and cut a bunch of templates out of calico and just tried them all out till I found a way that worked for me; the practice was also helpful. They’re not quite perfect but I’m pretty happy with them.
I added interlining made out of the cotton quilt batting I had lying around so it’s a wee bit cosier. I did this by cutting it in 1 continuous piece for the jacket body- fronts and back. Then I stitched in the ditch along the side seams to attach it. This meant no bulk at the seams and a nice smooth finish.
This was really made as a wearable toile and I have worn it loads. I had intended to make it again out of a very beautiful piece of Liberty silk I have. Haven’t quite got round to that as yet….
