Jacqueline Hoodie Blog Tour and Giveaway!

Today we have another fabulous pattern from Itch-to-Stitch. I was lucky enough to test the Jacqueline Hoodie pattern, which is hot off the press, so to speak. It was recently released and I. Love. It. After seeing the tester call I was ready to beg to test the Jacqueline Hoodie. Thankfully there was no begging necessary.

Partial zip at the neck

So let me tell you about the pattern features. Details include asymmetric zipper placement, epaulets, welt pockets, and decorative buttons. All but the first of those details are optional, but oh so lovely.

Full zip

Other pattern features include layers (so you can print just the sizes you need), excellent, detailed instructions (so you can get a quality product), and an extra print shop format file (so you can skip the extra cutting and taping). One other feature is awesomeness. Just so you know.

The pattern came together for me pretty easily, though it isn't a fast sew. There's quite a bit of edgestitching and topstitching. It adds a professional, polished look that just wouldn't be there without the extra effort. There are good directions for how to blend your size without messing with the gorgeous design lines. Alo make sure your sewing machine is not faint of heart, because there's a lot of bulky topstitching to be done.

Epaulet and topstitching

The fabric I chose worked perfectly. I had ordered a houndstooth ponte de roma (no longer available) for another project. It was not what I expected. Rather than what I thought it would be, the fabric was like the lovechild of a sweater knit and a ponte and I had no clue what to do with it until I saw the tester call. It turned out to be a terrifically great mistake.

Welt pocket

I only made minimal changes to the pattern. The most noticeable was adding a contrast hood lining. I wanted something to go with the white and black that wasn't the red, blue, or green I generally expect to see paired with a houndstooth. Purple is my favorite color, so I cut up an old t-shirt that was precisely the color I wanted. The matching zipper was easily procured but I had to order the buttons. Boo.

Behold, the danger of marking button placement after the garment is sewn. I don't mind enough to change it. 

The other major change I made was cutting some of the pieces on the bias. The yoke, cuffs, and welt pockets were all bias cut. I could say that the reason I did that was to add interest and mix things up, but the real reason is that I had been matching the pattern on all the other pieces and I was just kind of done with that. It worked out really well for me until I cut the pockets. Do you know what happens when you cut a double layer of houndstooth on the bias? This happens:

TWO directions on the houndstooth?! Crap. Well, you learn something new every day, I suppose.

I was lucky there was enough fabric for me to recut the welt pockets. It was a tight squeeze, but I got it all on. The rest of the pattern was just following the excellent directions and taking the time to make sure my topstitching lines were tidy.

What rain?

The next time I make this pattern (oh yes, there WILL be a next time) I will lengthen it in the body, as per my personal preference. Other than that there isn't anything I'd change. I may do a version without the front buttons, but I really like the balance it gives the jacket. Again, personal preference. And I'll chose a fabric that requires no matching of pattern. I went overboard with this one Seriously, look:

See the precision of that houndstooth in the middle? They all would have been like that if the bottom band were not designed to stretch to fit. Now you see why I was done matching the pattern by the time I got to cutting out the yoke.

This hoodie is now my go-to jacket for the crisp mornings we're still having here. It's very comfy and has just the right amount of warmth to it. I forsee several more of these with different fabric combinations.

Now that you've come to the end, I promised you a giveaway. Kennis is graciously offering a free copy of the Jacqueline Hoodie pattern to a (very) lucky winner.The pattern is also on sale for 20% off for a limited time. But don't wait to see if you've won before buying it. If you buy it and win you'll get a lovely little refund.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Also, don't forget to check out the other testers' creations on the blog tour. It was really cool to see what everyone made! Go show them some love.

Monday, Apr 27: Coralie
Tuesday, Apr 28: Angela
Thursday, Apr 30: Elsa
Monday, May 4: Stacey (allsewnupbystacey.blogspot.co.uk)
Tuesday, May 5: Rachel (onceuponasewingmachine.com)
Wednesday, May 6: Debbie (stitchitnow.net)

My end...I mean, The End.