This Pona Jacket came out great! For Shannon’s birthday I gave her a coupon with a few options for sewn gifts: cardigan, bag, shirt, or skirt. I had some patterns in mind that don’t require too much fitting, since that’s the tricky part of sewing for others. We set up a date to pick out a pattern, go to the fabric store, and then get dinner.
We decided on the Pona, which is a straightforward sew with its drop shoulders and loose fit. As drafted, it’s also unlined. We headed to Fabric Place Basement to start shopping, and found a bright pink wool blend, but weren’t completely sold on it. Next stop: Stitch Sew Shop where we found this stunning French jacquard suiting in a stormy animal print. The fabric is so gorgeous, and it almost feels quilted. It also has metallic threads running through it.
Because of the texture and weight of the fabric, I decided it had to be lined and we bought black cotton lawn. I followed Helen’s instructions for adding a lining, and honestly it might have be easier to line it than do bias bound seams throughout like I was originally planning.
I used the pattern pieces from my Pona jacket since it fit Shannon well when she tried it on, aside from the arm length (she’s much taller than I am). We did one fitting session once I sewed the outer jacket together, where we determined it had to be taken in about 3″ on each side seam.
I also modified the pockets to be slanted, using the same design as my jacket. The slant makes it much easier to slip your hands in, especially with this cropped version.
