The Twenty Year Jacket

Usually when I have a sewing project it either gets made and worn in a fairly quick time frame or it is discarded half made as something that just did not work out for some reason or other. Well not this jacket.

This pattern is from 2001 and when I got it it had just come out. I remember just loving the look of the jacket. As you can see I got it on sale for $1.99 from Hancock Fabrics in Seattle when I lived there many years ago. I got all the materials to make the jacket along with the pattern. The fabric is a knit that has the look of suede and a snakeskin pattern.............this just proves that animal prints are really timeless. In any case if you look at the models on the envelope you can see that the jacket is nipped in at the waist and is nicely fitted..............well not the actual pattern. I remember the disappointment when I tried it on and the fit was loose and boxey. Not the look I was going for. Well I set it aside. Over the years I have pulled it out and looked at it (I have always loved the fabric and the idea of the jacket so I never got rid of it but cropped jackets kinda went by the wayside as well). At some time in the past I guess I must have decided to finish it because I had unpicked the lining and pinned the waist at all the seams around the jacket to nip it in more. Well this is how I found it in the past year. I decided I would take it up to the RV and finish it. When we were grabbing stuff to bring back to New Mexico for quarantine this was one of the things I tossed in with the sewing stuff. It came to the top of the pile a few weeks ago. I tried it on again and the pinned waist treatment looked good so I resewed the seams. Hemmed the lining and finished the sleeves. It took a part of an afternoon and voila......................Ta Done!!!!!! Only about 20 years in the making.

The jacket has a beautiful blue satin lining which adds just the right amount of warmth for a cool morning or evening and helps the jacket easily slide on and off. I love the blue with the rust as well.

I love the zipper closure on the jacket as you can zip up all the way, part of the way or have it open.

I think this really does not look dated and feel with jeans and a white t-shirt it looks quite trendy, almost like a faux brown leather jacket.............maybe that is why I like it so much.

After 20 years this jacket is finally out of the sewing stash and into the closet ready to pull out to ward off the chill or just to wear on a cooler day when you really only need one extra layer.