Completed: A Modern Classic Coco Jacket

Hey guys, Its been ages since my last blog post back in early November and I have made so many garments since then! I've discovered I'm really hopeless when it comes to taking photos of my new clothes and actually posting them on the blog and with such a back log of projects some of them will be over six months old before I finally get around to posting them!

Bad blogging aside, I want to share with you my newest me-made. A classic Coco Jacket by Schnittchen in a modern, fluro pink, Aztec print fabric which is anything but classic. The pattern is starting to gain popularity in the blogsphere with the likes of House of Pinheiro and Ginger Makes recently posting their versions of the jacket.

I must admit I purchased this fabric with no real plan in mind, which is unusual for me. I thought of a couple of different jacket patterns but they were all too fussy with too many details and with the fabric already so bright and patterned it needed a relatively clean silhouette to really let the fabric do the talking. I don't remember how I stumbled upon the Coco Jacket pattern but I knew immediately it was 'The One'.

I was pleasantly surprised as to how well designed the Coco Jacket was. I'd never heard of Schnittchen before let alone sewn one of their patterns so I wasn't sure of the fit or length but I chose a size 38 and followed instructions, my only adjustment was using a 0.5cm seam on the arms as they were a bit too snug. Although its a boxy jacket the subtle shaping of the side and back seams mean its actually very flattering. Oh and being a German pattern company, the instructions are in German, however there is a photo tutorial in English which I found was very handy and I've heard English instructions are available somewhere on the website too.

The fabric, on the other hand, was a total nightmare to deal with. I had to remove my rings and file my nails before even touching the fabric as it was so prone to pulls and snags. That, and being a relatively loose woven meant it also frayed at the slightest touch. Even now I'm not sure how many wears it can take before some part of it starts splitting or fraying despite over locking all the seams. The lining wasn't much better as it practically disintegrating in my hands. I'd purchased the lining to match another jacket I'm working on but decided it was better suited to this jacket. One downside to the lovely bright fluro pink colour of the fabric is its near on impossible to find a complimentary colour for the lining, I tried so many different colours but ended up settling for a light lilac grey colour.

At the end of the day, even though I love the fabric, it turns out fluro pink isn't really one of my colours. Its a bit of a disappointment to find that after all the time and love I've spent on making this jacket its not something that looks flattering on me. However, despite that fact, I'm still planning to wear it at least for a couple of months before handing it over to someone else to have some fun with. Its been good for me, though, to step outside of my fabric comfort zone and try something else. Even though I've ended up with an essentially unflattering garment, the experience I've gained from it has been more than worth it.

Pattern: Coco Jacket by Schnittchen
Size: 38
Adjustments: 0.5cm seam for the sleeve seams
Fabric: Aztec Print in fluro pink from Spotlight