Fat Quarter February continues! Stay tuned all month long for creative projects that use just a quarter yard of fabric. This week Emma Jeffery, from the blog Hello Beautiful, shares a tutorial for sewing up a sweet and simple baby jacket.
Jackets are a great item for newborns because you get to avoid the awkward, over-the-head dressing techniques of tops and tees and this one uses a Velcro fastening which is great when speed is of the essence.
To make this raglan sleeve jacket, you’ll need:
- Raglan sleeve jacket pattern
- one package of Ric Rac (I used medium size)
- a small amount of Velcro
The pattern will squeeze neatly onto one fat quarter of Spoonflower’s Petal Signature Cotton. I used some small-scale prints by Heather Dutton. You will have three pattern pieces. Begin by pinning the raglan sleeves to the shirt back and sewing.
Press the seam allowance towards the back piece and topstitch down.
Next, pin the two shirt front pieces to the sleeves and sew. Press the seam allowances towards the front and again, topstitch down.
Hem the sleeves, shirt back and shirt fronts by turning the raw edge ¼” to the wrong side, pressing and turning another ¼” hiding all raw edges. Stitch the hems.
To make a neat finish along the shirt fronts and neckline, I like to use ric rac. It easily curves around the neck and adds a sweet little detail to the finished jacket. You could also use a thin bias tape, but I find it unwieldy on small projects like this. Start by pinning the ric rac to the right side of the shirt, starting at one bottom edge of a shirt front, up around the neck and down to the bottom of the second shirt front. Turn the ends of the ric rac under to make a neat finish. Sew the ric rac to the shirt. You are aiming to sew a straight line through the middle of the ric rac.
Next, fold the ric rac towards the wrong side of the shirt and pin down. Sew the ric rac in place from the front.
Fold the shirt together with right sides facing. Sew the back and shirt fronts together at the side seams and underarms. Make sure to match the hems at the sleeves and bottom edge. Trim and finish the seam allowance with a zig zag stitch or serger.
Complete the shirt by sewing two Velcro tabs to the front, making sure to put the scratchy side of the Velcro away from the baby’s skin and you are done!
Note: With two fat quarters, you could mix around the fabrics to make contrasting sleeves on your jacket like I did with the pink and gray versions in the first photo.
About Our Guest Blogger
Hi! I’m Emma, and as well as working on the Fiskars Design Team, I blog over at hellobeautifulblog.blogspot.com/
I’m an obsessive sewer, often leaping into projects with more enthusiasm than talent, more bravado than skill and more good luck than anything else. This technique has worked well for me so far and more often than not, I make things I love, even if they’re not absolutely perfect. And though I’m no expert, I have a passion for fabric, color and design. I know what I like and what I like makes me smile.
hello, I love the little shirts.
I have a question. You must hem the sleeves etc, but I can’t read if it’s nessessary to hem the front-parts before sewing the ribbon on it.
If not, doesn’t it unravel? kind regards
Hi Gertrude,
Great question! In this tutorial we took the ric rac trim and pinned it on top of the right side of the fabric, then we flipped the edge under and sewed everything down for a quick finish. You can also do this step by hemming the front parts with the rest of the hems before you sew the trim on.
Craft regards,
Anna
Spoonflower
Hallo! Ich bin Ilse und möchte schon lange zum nähen beginnen.Suche schon länger eine Puppentrage und bin durch Pinterest auf dich gestoßen. Ich freue mich bei euch eventuell etwas im nähen zu erlernen!Liebe Grüße Ilse
Hallo Ilse, danke für deine Nachricht. Schön, dass du uns gefunden hast und schön, dass du mehr Kreativität in dein Leben bringen willst! Es freut uns sehr, dass wir dich inspirieren können! Alles Liebe, Hanna
What age is this please?
Hi Katie,
It looks like this pattern is sized for newborns. However, you can experiment with other sizes by adding an inch to the pattern’s overall measurement and make it for 0-3 months, or add even more for a larger size.
Happy sewing!
-Anna
Spoonflower
The images are not visible. Can U fix this?
Hi Kathryn,
Thank you so much for letting us know! We have now fixed the images and they should be all be visible.
Best,
Anna
Spoonflower
I would love to make one for a 2 year old. Do you know how I can do that?
Hi Michelle, great question-
This is where I would simply redraw the pattern to the correct size! Cut out the original pattern shapes and trace/transfer them to another sheet of paper. You’ll want to draw a border around the edges that extends a couple inches out, or however large you need the new pattern to be, and then cut those new shapes out. I recommend buying cheap fabric or using scraps to test the new pattern sizing out before moving on to your official fabric.
Happy sewing!
Anna
Spoonflower
Hi how do you deal with the raw seams I side please?
Hi Kate,
Thanks for your interest in this project! You can hem the sleeves, shirt back and shirt fronts by turning the raw edge ¼” to the wrong side, pressing and turning another ¼” to hide all raw edges and then stitch the hems. I hope this helps, but please let us know if you need anything further assistance!
Take care,
Amy
Spoonflower
Inside I meant
Hi, what scale is the pattern drawn to? The proportions of the paper look unfamiliar to me – I’m guessing it’s designed to be printed on a standard American paper size, and I’m in the UK – so I don’t think my printer will know what to do with it! Any hints on measurements, e.g. if you can tell me what the actual measurement of one of the lines should be, would really help! I love this kimono jacket and would love to make it for the baby girl I’m expecting!
Hi Sophia,
The pattern is drafted on 8.5″x11″ paper. When we measured the first page, the pattern is about 5.5″ wide at the widest part and about 8.5″ tall. I hope that helps, but if you have any more questions don’t hesitate to ask! – Meredith
Is there a front and back side for the armhole cut. As one side appears to be a tiny bit bigger or did I falter in copying
Hi Sangeeta,
When cutting out your raglan sleeves, we suggest flipping over your pattern piece when cutting the second sleeve to make sure you have the inverse of what you’ve just cut. I hope that helps, but if you have any more questions don’t hesitate to ask! -Meredith
Does the pattern have sew allowances already?
Hi Mila,
A 1/2″ seam allowance is included in the pattern!
-Meredith from Spoonflower