Jacket With a Nod to the 50’s

Quite some time ago, in a thrift shop, I found a woollen one person blanket, beautiful sky blue in colour but slightly felted. Because you can't easily sell a woollen blanket in the tropics, I was allowed to take it for a dollar.

At the time I had no idea what I would do with it. Until I found out that, if we went to Europe again, I didn't have a winter coat, but I did have a nice woollen blanket. The problem was that this blanket only had a size of 137 x 190 cm. So I had to look for a pattern suitable for that size. Finally I found a nice pattern in the pattern magazine Burda of December 2007. For the required fabric was needed 140 x 155 cm. Because I didn't have to worry about nap, pattern or thread direction and because I also slightly adjusted the pattern, I had more than enough fabric.

I decided to wash the blanket again at 40 degrees with regular soap (instead of special soap for wool) to make it a little more felted. In the end I was left with a blanket of about 120x180 cm, enough to get started.

For the lining I used ramie fabric, this is a supple thin and durable natural fabric. I had this piece of fabric of 120 x 200 cm lying around and once first dyed it with chamomile and then provided it with an eco print. How to do this can be found in the Instructable: https://www.instructables.com/Make-an-Eco-Printed-Clutch/

Supplies

Jacket:

For my pattern I needed the following:

A pure wool blanket measuring 120 x 180 cm

Lining fabric 140 x 155 cm

Canvas scraps

Pattern paper

Measuring tape

Pencil

Scissors

Basting thread

Needles

Pins

Sewing machine (needle universal 130/705 H 80/12) stitch width 3.0

Sewing machine thread

Felting needle

4 Large hooks and eyes for closure

Option extra crochet closure:

1 ball of cotton in the colour of the fabric used for the facing

Crochet hook (thickness depends on cotton thickness, I used thin cotton and crochet hook no. 2)

Pillbox hat:

Fusible cotton interlining

Leftover woolen blanket

Remnants of ramie fabric

Sewing machine (needle universal 130/705 H 80/12) stitch width 3.0

Sewing machine thread

Needles

Pins

Felt needle and piece of foam plastic (+/- 10x10x6 cm)

Hat elastic, wedge clips or little combs (I used all three, the wedge clips and combs are the best, the elastic less so)

Piping option:

Cord, length circumference pillbox

Canvas

Clutch:

A piece of Kraft Tex of 48 x 50 cm (in the color of the canvas)

A piece of ramie of 48 x 50 cm.

A piece of 48 x 50 cm double-sided adhesive fleece

Scissors

Sewing machine (needle universal 130/705 H 80 /12) stitch width 2.5

Needle

Binder clips

Closure (magnetic)

Leukosilk (option)

Measuring tape

Ruler

Paper

Bias tape in the color of the canvas

Cardboard

Glue stick

Cutting mat

Felted edge

Felting needle

Gauze bandage

Plucked wool

Option cotton in the color of canvas

Crochet hook

The Jacket:

Because the blanket is slightly distorted due to the felting, and because I would like to cut from double fabric, I first baste the folded blanket on top of each other in a grid pattern. This keeps the blanket smooth and prevents it from sliding.

I make a small adjustment in the pattern. Instead of sewn-on pockets, I make side pockets that I hide in a seam of the front piece. Furthermore, the front has a trimmed facing, which makes the pattern too big for the blanket, so I cut the facing part from the pattern. I will cut the facing from another fabric.

Then the pattern pieces that have to be cut from the blanket are placed on the blanket, with fitting and measuring it just fits. I'm left with some narrow pieces and a slightly larger piece. When all pattern pieces are aligned, I pin them to the blanket. Because I basted the blanket first, the pins only need to be attached superficially.

After pinning, all parts are cut. Please note that ,when you choose a pattern, whether this pattern is in or excluding seam. This pattern is without a seam, so I cut a 1.6 cm seam.

It is hard to see in the photos, but the blanket is heavenly blue. I decide, because of the contrast, to cut the facing from the darkest blue. I use strips of canvas, left overs from slipcovers. I cut the facings slightly larger than the pattern because I also want to make a blue trim with them, I cut two strips to provide the sleeves with a trim, a facing for the collar and two inner pockets.

First I sew the facing strips of the pattern to the front pieces. I sew this at 1.6 cm from the side of the front piece, fold over and topstitch along the seam where so a nice trim is created.
The wool pattern pieces are sewn together as described. This is where the first problem arises, the blanket is very thick and some seams are too thick for a domestic sewing machine. There is no other option than to sew these pieces by hand, luckily they are not large pieces. After sewing the pockets in, the jacket is to my liking.

The bottom of the jacket should be hemmed. With the machine is not an option because then you will see the hem which I do not like. By hand is also not an option, it is not sturdy enough because it is difficult to stab deeply and on the surface you have too little grip in the wool. I decide to felt the hem in it, see step 3, with tufts of wool pulled from the small remnants of the blanket and a felting needle. After pressing this hem for a while with a wet pressing cloth and a hot iron, there is a nice, almost invisible hem. Time for the liner.

The lining is made in the same way as the jacket, except that the opening of the pockets is omitted. No facing is cut on the lining either. After the lining has been put together, problem two arises: the whole jacket is now too thick for the sewing machine. There is no other option than to put the liner in by hand. This method necessarily deviates from the normal way of inserting a liner.

First I fit the lining into the jacket and determine where the hem should be in the lining, I can at least do that on the machine. I also finish all seams with a zigzag stitch. Then I put the lining back in the jacket. First I sew the sleeves, I do this by sewing a canvas facing to the woollen sleeve and turning it inwards and then attach the lining to the canvas. I do the same with the other sleeve.

The sleeves are now in place but the liner itself does not stay in place yet. So I fasten the lining seam to seam on several places at the sleeve inset and under the collar facing. After that I fasten the facing of the collar to the lining by means of blind seams.

Now the lining only needs to be attached to the facing of the front panels. But before I do that, I have to put the closure on first. Otherwise you will see the stitches on the inside. I start by measuring where the closures should be, after which I first sew on all monkey’s fist, see step 2, and then the eyes. Because the closure is crocheted there is always some stretch. To keep the closure beautiful, I sew a hook and eye closure under the crochet closure.

The jacket now has a double closure and the lining can be further secured. This is attached to the facing by means of blind seams. As extra I secured the liner at the bottom with a few stitches at the seams.

It was a bit of puzzling but now I have a super 50's looking jacket!

As with the blanket, fabric remains from the canvas. I decide to make a pillbox hat from this, which will fits well with this jacket.

The Crochet Closure:

The crochet closure was made in Instructable: https://www.instructables.com/Make-a-Closure-From-Yarn/

You can see there how to make a monkey’s fist.

For the jacket I used thinner cotton to crochet so the number of stitches changed.

For the monkey’s fist I crocheted a string of 400 chain stitches (111.5 cm) followed by a round of single crochet and a round of slip stitches. Then knotted a monkey’s fist as can be seen in the said Instructable.

Make sure that an equal amount of cord remains on both sides after knotting the monkey’s fist. Sew these two ends together and make an 8 knot as shown in the drawing. Make sure the 8 knot connects to the monkey’s fist. Fold the remaining cord to the back and sew the 8 knot and remaining cord together to form a nice whole.

For the eye of the closure, crochet a 195 chain (60 cm) cord followed by a single crochet and a slip stitch row. Now find the middle of the cord and make a loop the size of the monkey’s’ fist. Sew the rest of the double folded cord together and make an 8-knot. Make sure the 8-knot connects the eye. Fold the remaining cord to the back and sew the 8 knot and remaining cord together to form a nice whole.

Making a Hem/seam by Felting:

Some of the original photos have unfortunately been lost. That's why I made a stingray with some leftovers to show the effect of hemming through felting.
When felting you use a felting needle, this is a needle with barbs and razor sharp. You place the work itself on foam rubber so that you can put the needle through the fabric without hitting a hard surface. Always keep the needle straight to avoid breaking.
I make tufts of wool by plucking leftover blankets. I use these tufts again to attach the parts together. Use the tufts of wool and go up and down with the needle until you have a solid hem. Then press with a hot iron and wet press cloth and you have a nice finish.

The Pill Box:

The pillbox is an easy hat to make. For the right fit, it's best to make it out of cardboard first and try on until you have the right size. You can use the pattern in the photo as a starting point.

Sew a piping from the cord and canvas. You can skip this step but I wanted the dark blue to come back in the pillbox.

Place the pattern for the edge against the fold of the fabric. Cut one time from wool and one time from ramie. Then cut the top one time from wool and one time from ramie. The pattern includes a 1.6 cm hem. Cut 1x the Fusible cotton interlining but cut it without seam. I chose fusible cotton interlining instead of cardboard or buckram because the wool is already quite stiff and thick.

Iron the Fusible cotton interlining on the ramie. Keep 1.6 cm free all around.

Sew the wool top and edge together with the piping in between. The back of the rim is still open. I didn't want a visible seam so I felted the edge together with a felting needle and some wool (see step 3).
Now press the seam with a wet cloth and hot iron and the seam will barely be visible.

Sew the lining together. First close the band and then sew half of the top on, the other half remains open to be able to turn the pillbox later.

Place the right side of the wool pillbox on the right side of the ramie pillbox (lining) and sew around the bottom. Turn the pillbox through the opening in the top of the liner. Sew the opening in the top of the lining by hand. Topstitch the bottom of the pillbox if necessary.

If the hat turns out to be a bit too big, you can sew an extra strap by hand inside the pillbox.

To finish, sew the comb, wedge clips and/or hat elastic on the inside. Now I have a jacket and a hat.
What is still missing: a bag! So I also make a clutch, imitated after a 1950’s clutch from my mother.

The Clutch:

The description how to make the clutch can be found in Instructable: https://www.instructables.com/Make-an-Eco-Printed-Clutch/.

There are a few minor adjustments:

Where it says ‘felt’, use the ramie.

You can use the 'eco printing' step to print the ramie (or other natural fabric).

For the 8-knot: crochet a string of 50 cm chain stitch followed by a single crochet tour and a slip stitch tour. In the drawing (see step 2) you can see how to make an 8-knot. Fold the ends back and sew the 8-button and remaining cord together to form a nice whole.

The felted edge:

Place the gauze bandage on the foam rubber. Pick wool from the leftover wool blanket. Make a felt edge on the gauze bandage with the tufts of wool and a felting needle. Once the felt edge is firm enough, carefully remove the bandage, thread by thread if necessary. The edge can now be sewn on the Kraft Tex with the sewing machine.

Before sewing the lining to the flap and back, sew the felt edge onto the Kraft Tex and (optionally) the crochet 8-button. Also don't forget the closures.

Once the cutch is done, there is an extra step: hem the edges of the clutch with bias tape for a nicer finish. Because unlike felt as a lining, ramie frays and gives a messy edge without bias tape.