Simplicity 4109 Jacket in Railroad Denim

Hi, everyone.  I’m excited to share this jacket with you today now that I have pictures!

Today’s project is Simplicity 4109, an out-of-print Built by Wendy/Built by You sewing pattern from 2006.

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I found my copy on Etsy.  What drew me in were the cool front pockets on View A and the potential to create different looks based on your fabric and hardware choices.  It looked like a pattern that would make a great chore jacket or jean jacket.  Originally I had planned to make this last year, maybe in an olive green cotton twill, but that fabric became my recent pants overfitting drama.  Instead, I finally made this pattern from some railroad denim I got this past summer at Field’s Fabrics in Holland, Michigan.

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The label said it was 100% cotton as far as I can remember, but there is definitely some stretch, even if only good mechanical stretch.  I would say this is probably a midweight.  I traced View A with a 16/18 bust, 18/20 waist, and 20 hip.  I also did a major broad back adjustment.

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https://flic.kr/p/2hY9jxJ

The pattern instructions were really good, and this was an enjoyable project to make.  I didn’t have topstitching thread, so I chose to use a triple stitch with a normal weight thread.  If I had planned ahead a bit more I could have ordered topstitching thread in green from Wawak, but my local fabric stores didn’t have any (and I didn’t plan ahead), so regular weight was what it had to be!

Let’s talk pattern details.  The most intriguing part of this pattern was the front pockets.  I really like them, but I did change a few minor things.  For some reason, the top pocket wasn’t supposed to have a real buttonhole–you were just supposed to sew a button to the flap, which seems silly.  I wanted the real deal, so I made a buttonhole in the flap and installed a jeans tack instead of a button.

Because my fabric was kind of stretchy, I also sewed twill tape to the inside of the lower pocket opening, doing a decorative zigzag on the outside to hold it in place.  I was hoping this would keep the pocket openings from stretching out.

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https://flic.kr/p/2hY9chb

I also added bartacks at the corners of the pockets and the lower pocket opening because I like that look.

I did a double line of topstitching on the top of the flap, even though the directions only say to do one.  If you do a double line, you need to be very careful not to sew the top of the pocket underneath the flap shut.  I also did a little extra topstitching on the sleeve vents because I thought it would look nice.

For some secret fun, I added Rifle Paper Co. rayon scraps to the insides of the pocket flaps as well as using bias tape from the same fabric to make a hanging loop and to finish some of my inner seams.  I did an ugly but effective version of bias bound seams; however I think Hong Kong seams would have been better.

https://flic.kr/p/2hYahS3

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I had a lot of fun playing with the stripes on this jacket.  I tried to take every opportunity to flip things around, and I’m really happy with how it turned out.

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I thought I would like it, but I REALLY like it.  It’s got a good amount of ease, so you can easily wear a sweater underneath (nice since I finished this just as the weather got even colder).  I also think this pattern could be a good candidate for a lining as it would be easy to hide the edges under the facings.

https://flic.kr/p/2hY9d9B

You should know that I have very little experience with lining things, so that’s a guess based on near total inexperience.  🙂  What got me thinking about it is these very inspiring denim jackets made by Ginew that are lined with an exclusive Pendleton wool.  They’re beautiful!

I find denim very inspiring and I also really like workwear.  There are so many details that are both interesting and functional in work clothes, not to mention you can do actual work in them.  I may not be a farmer or a construction worker, but I like having clothes that I don’t have to worry about messing up and that wear beautifully as they age.

All that to say, I’m happy with this jacket.  I definitely recommend this pattern, and could see making it again if I found a fabric that was inspiring.