Slider

SEWN: THE HOMETOWN JACKET

Thursday 11 June 2015

I love my hometown, I really do.


I've travelled near and far and there are many beautiful places in this world. But Sydney, oh Sydney, you give them a run for their money.

When Tessuti Fabrics released their Sydney Jacket pattern a few weeks back, I unexpectedly fell in love with it. I had downloaded my pattern within minutes. I had the perfect fabric languishing in my stash... a fire engine red boiled wool knit.


I had a slight hiccup when I realised I had less than the recommended yardage. Not by much, but at first it looked like my plans would be scuppered.

Then I saw a few being made up (Kirsty, Helen) and quickly realised that perhaps I'd be able to get away with the petite size with the XS length (only 1cm longer) which might juuuuuuuuust squeeze onto my fabric. It did. Huzzah!


For the record I am almost 168cm tall and the measurements for the XS more closely matched my body measurements. Let me tell you though, this is plenty big enough. Any bigger and I'd be totally swamped. It seems to run a bit large, so be warned.


It's a quick make, if not a bit fiddly with those lapped seams. I wasn't sure I'd like the effect, but I really do! The cut out darts were a bit tricky and I'm pretty sure you could do a regular dart, just wish I'd tried that first.


Sydney has perfectly low slung pockets, cropped sleeves and a beautiful drape. It's fabulously drafted and everything came together like a perfectly formed jigsaw puzzle.


Cropped sleeves on a coat confuse me. In fact they've always been a complete turn off. I don't get it... if I have need for a coat, surely I'm going to want some sleeves. But this style is unexpectedly perfect for Sydney autumn/winter where temps below 15 degrees happen infrequently and the sun actually has a significant warmth to it.

That's something my poor brain could never adjust to when I lived in Canada. It would be a gorgeously bright and sunny winter's day and my brain would expect to be able to bask in the warmth of the sun. But it's total inability to take the edge off the literally frigid conditions always came as a surprise no matter how long I'd been there.

Back to the coat. Originally this was a definite ho-hum make for me. I could not make it work for me stylistically, it just felt like an ultra bright lab coat. Seriously, it really did.

Then I took a step away for a week or two and tried again. And somehow I made it work. I think it needs layers, accessories, a beanie. It just doesn't work for me slung over a long-sleeved tee and jeans. I love it with my over-the-top red boots, my precious pure silk scarf (gift from hubby) and my me-knit beanie. Oh and a good slash of red lipstick never goes astray.

And if you hadn't guessed by the sheer volume of photos I'm sharing, this has become a decided WOOHOO! Thank goodness Sydney didn't let me down. Not that she ever could...

41 comments:

  1. This is freaking amazing! I like that your sleeves don't stick out like some other versions I see. That turns me off because I already have wide shoulders and don't need them emphasised. This colour is so you!!! You should do red more often.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I like that it has pockets! I found when I lived in Sydney I didn't need a winter coat at all, so these sleeves are perfect... I would walk to work in July and be way too hot in my Melbourne jackets! Yours is just fabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am so happy this turned into a woohoo make. I completely agree - all about the layers and your scarf is stunning!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lovely red fabulousness. The entire ensemble is marvellous.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Gorgeously styled, Sydney is always a bit striking, best to let her embrace her role as the star ;) And I hear you about the restorative powers of Australian winter sun, it's magical.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lovely, lovely layers! xxx

    ReplyDelete
  7. So wooohooo. That is quite possibly the best red ever. Fancy having red shoes to match too!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yes Sydney is a spectacularly gorgeous city! Love the jacket and your styling! The fun thing about having a blog is you get to dress up, experiment and see what combinations work :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Not just a WOO-HOO, I'm giving it a Ka-POW! for the amazing red. I just love a blue based red. And as a sydneysider, you couldn't do a black or grey, then it might be a Melbourne ;-) Excellent work as usual Jillian

    ReplyDelete
  10. Nawww thanks thanks Kat! I hadn't noticed the sticky out sleeve thing on other versions. It could be a factor of the fabric chosen. As this wasn't too thick and had a lot of drape as a knit it sits really softly. You should try it!

    ReplyDelete
  11. The pockets are a winner - they're nice and low, where your hands would naturally sit. I feel the cold terribly so a coat has always been essential for me on Sydney winter early mornings. But this works perfectly for daywear.

    ReplyDelete
  12. It was a surprise to me that I made it work! I'm never sure how to accessorise so just chucked a few things on and what do you know!? Hubby was so chuffed to see the scarf out again, I've haven't worn it in ages.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Awww thanks so much Sarah. It's a pretty great red :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh winter sun, it's my only savour with my terrible tendency toward feeling freezing ALL. THE. TIME. I'm terrified of Canberra Frocktails. Brrrrr!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Thanks Kirsty, layers might just be the thing :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. It's pretty intense, huh? But my camera also just wanted to hyper-colour the red elements. Didn't help that it was a full glare, overcast grey day. And yes, the boots are a winner. They are weirdly worn through the toe on the right though so they'll be shortly meeting their demise I suspect :(

    ReplyDelete
  17. I think you're right! We want to make our blog shots interesting too and they can start to look same same very easily. It does tend to push me out of my normal comfort zone.

    ReplyDelete
  18. You're just giving me a Ka-POW because of the Wonder Woman boots, aren't you? Bwahahaha! And I definitely couldn't do Melbourne, what a defection that would be. And thanks goodness - grey and black look absolutely dreadful on me.

    ReplyDelete
  19. SeamsOddLouise.Blogspot.com13 June 2015 at 04:21

    Too awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  20. I also had misgivings about the Sydney, but this looks terrific on you. I totally agree about our weather - where is winter anyway? How clever of you to match a coat to your boots and so much fresher than black!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Thanks Lesley! Truthfully though, I never planned the coat with the boots in mind. It was simply a happy accidental outcome :)

    ReplyDelete
  22. I don't like saying OMG a lot but Oh my God you look amazing!!!!!. Astonishing red, love the boots and the styling is spot on. love it. Now with all the excitement from "seeing red" toned down I maybe should remark the very interesting cut of the jacket ;)

    ReplyDelete
  23. Lovely drape on the collar and body of your jacket! Just beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  24. This is a great jacket! Love, love, love the color. I need to remember this pattern when fall comes back around... uh, hopefully not for a while though. Red can be such a tricky color to match, how perfect that it goes with your red boots!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Well OMG thank you!! ;) It is a really interesting pattern, I really liked the lapped seams suprisingly!

    ReplyDelete
  26. Thank you Linda. It is lovely and drapey, a style I'm quite partial to :)

    ReplyDelete
  27. It's such a bright red Lisa! I think that's why I just had to go all out and team with the boots. And it was an accidental colour matching. I never actually considered wearing it with my boots. In fact I originally bought this piece of fabric with a red riding hood in mind for my little one. She hates the feel of this fabric though and hence it became mine :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. If jacket envy is a thing then I have it. The drape, the colour - wow!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Oh thank you Alex! It's a great piece and would suit you fabulously :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. Thanks so much Melanie. It's such a happy outcome it matched the boots as the boots didn't fuel the project . And sometimes we just need a little distance from our projects so we can see them in a totally different light x

    ReplyDelete
  31. tomatoesandjasmine21 June 2015 at 22:39

    So stylish! The fabric looks very cozy too, and this jacket does sounds perfect for the Sydney winters you described. Your post reminds me of my mom's favourite saying to my sister and I when we dress for school in the Canadian winters: "Don't be fooled by the sun!":-)

    ReplyDelete
  32. It's just too fabulous for words, especially with those boots! And you look amazing in red :-)

    ReplyDelete
  33. Aw thank you Gail. I know red is a good colour on me, but rarely pick it, preferring slightly less garish warm tones. But it is certainly fun to wear!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Thank you! So funny that your Mum felt the same way I did! It's so very true, my perceptions went straight out the window. I was always freezing :)

    ReplyDelete
  35. This looks AMAZING. I love it. I got some navy coating for my Sydney... I'm concerned it's going to be too dull.

    ReplyDelete
  36. This is a really nice looking jacket on you, and as you say styled well it looks sensational. Well done. I love red (and red boots are such fun too).

    ReplyDelete
  37. There is nothing dull about your Sydney Coat! I thought the blue was rich and lovely x

    ReplyDelete
  38. Thank you! Red boots make everything better ;)

    ReplyDelete

A comment? For moi? Why, thank you!

CopyRight © | Theme Designed By Hello Manhattan