Sewing for Spring with the Greenstyle Whistler Jacket Pattern

Greenstyle has just released a new jacket sewing pattern – the Whistler Jacket, and I am excited to chat all about it with you today! I hope you and those you love are well and that you are able to enjoy a moment of sewing inspiration from this post. Also, I have a FUN sew along coming up for you to prepare for so make sure to read to the end!

The Pattern

The Whistler Jacket pattern is designed for low stretch fabrics and includes plenty of ease to wear your jacket as an outer layer. The front of the jacket has princess seams with a pocket.

The back can be solid, color blocked, or colorblocked with a roomy zippered pocket.

The inside of the jacket is unlined and has a facing so that the inside still looks nice and no zipper tape is showing.

The top of the jacket can have a lined hood with a drawstring or a collar. On my hooded version, I sewed a 1 1/8 inch square patch of Kraft Tex paper onto my hoodie and then put my grommets on. I have found after making many hoodies for kids, a patch of something sturdy (in addition to interfacing the back of the fabric) helps to make the grommets even more secure. 

The bottom of the jacket is finished with either a stretchy knit band or a drawstring band made from the jacket fabric. It is nice to have this option when you don’t have a matching stretchy rib knit. The sleeves are finished with either a knit cuff or an elastic cuff.

The Fabric 

My favorite part about this jacket is that it is designed for STRETCH WOVEN and stable knit fabrics with lower stretch. I used stretch woven from The Fabric Fairy for my hot pink and charcoal jacket. The charcoal is a heavier weight of stretch woven than the pink, which is a little more drapey and flowy. I have already cut out a Pace skirt from my hot pink scraps!

I used heavy organic bamboo cotton fleece (the cream) and organic bamboo cotton rib knit (black) from Simplifi combined with a grey quilted knit from Joann for my cozy hoodie version. The cream and grey have very little stretch (around 20%). 

Sizing and Adjustments

I made my measured size on both of my jackets (a size C). If you are using a very stretchy fabric or want a fitted jacket, you may want to size down. The cream/grey/black jacket is exactly how the pattern is drafted with a 26 inch separating zipper. On the hot pink/charcoal jacket, I took 2 inches out of the body of the jacket and used a 24 inch zipper. I like both lengths, the longer one is nice for a cozy hoodie to pull over my butt. The shorter length feels a little more sporty and hits at a nice spot on my petite frame. (I am 5’2″). I removed 2.5 inches from the sleeves!

Sewing Notes

This was not a quick pattern to sew. It took me about 2-3 days to make each jacket. Granted, I have been mentally and emotionally distracted lately with the COVID-19 pandemic, and how it is changing this season in life and affecting people that I love. 

There was not a specific step in the pattern that was hard or left me frustrated. The pattern uses stable fabric that doesn’t shift or complain.  It is basically a raglan with a zipper with a lot of professional touches and finishings thrown in. The details are not in themselves hard, and in the end, they make your jacket look like you bought it in a high end store. I did have to go a little slower on the bulkier areas on my fleece jacket due to it being a heavy fleece fabric. 

I noticed some testers sized down for a fitted jacket, but I really loved the ease in my size. I think fitted is nice for some occasions, but I love having ease in an outerwear pattern to move and wear and enjoy! I can easily wear my jacket over a non-fitted, long-sleeved top, and I still have plenty or room to feel cozy. Even with it not being fitted, I don’t feel sloppy in either jacket. 

Styling 

A big part of how this jacket is going to look and feel will be the fabric you pick. My stretch woven jacket feels sporty and will be easy to wear all day and run around or play tennis. I will probably mainly wear it with tights or joggers and tennis shoes on my more active days. 

My hoodie, on the other hand, is that cozy layer that I grab when I need comfort. I plan to wear it over anything and everything! I  have worn it with jeans and with tights as well as over my pjs while I sew. During this time of social isolation and a world that feels unreal, it is just like a big hug while I drink a cup of tea. 

I think if you want a dressier jacket, you could use a ponte or scuba fabric. Wear it with a nice pair of jeans or slacks and some big earrings and lipstick. The Whistler is one of those patterns that makes such a great base. 

Sew Along

Do you want to sew one with me? I am preparing a sew along for the pattern and would LOVE for you to join me. It will be a nice distraction and way to interact with others who share a similar hobby to me. 

The Whistler Jacket Sew Along will start on Monday, April 6th and end on Friday April 10th. This should give you plenty of time to get your pattern and gather supplies beforehand. During the sew along, I will make posts on my blog with that day’s task and support and help for each day. I also will link YouTube videos so that you can see each step in action. So, this will be perfect if any of the steps are new to you or if you need any reassurance on any of the steps!

The Fabric Fairy has so graciously offered to host our sew along in their Facebook Sewing Group and is offering 10% off all supplies you need for the sew along, just use code “greenstyleSAL” through April 12th on your orders. I think their softshell fleece and stretch woven make a great Whistler. They also sell heavy rib knit that works perfect to finish the bottom band and cuffs. You will not need ribbing for the drawstring hem or elastic cuffs. If you do the elastic cuffs, you will need 1.5 inch elastic.

Also, the Whistler Jacket pattern is on sale for half off from now through Sunday, March 22nd. 

How are you handling everything going on in our world right now? Has Corona virus affected you or someone you love? I hope you are staying encouraged, staying active (while also staying safe!) and able to make the best of it and that you can find time to sew with me in a few weeks! 

Resources

• Whistler Jacket Pattern
• hot pink stretch woven and charcoal stretch woven
• heavy organic bamboo cotton fleece, organic bamboo cotton ribbing, grey quilted knit
• 1/4 inch eyelets and eyelet pliers, Kraft Tex paper for patches
• 26 inch zipper and 24 inch zipper
• featherweight interfacing

Thanks for stopping by today!  I would love to stay connected with you. You can find me on Instagram. If you want to take a look into the things that inspire me, you can follow me on Pinterest. You may also follow my blog with Bloglovin.

*Disclosures

I received this pattern for free as part of the testing process to give the designer feedback about the instructions and fit. Also, this post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small compensation when you purchase via my link. This does not cost you anything, and I genuinely appreciate the support. Any and all opinions expressed are still my own.