About 15 years ago I bought a red fleece barn style jacket from Nordstrom. It was perfect for throwing on to walk in the neighborhood or for errand running. The problem was that it pilled like crazy so it did not last long in my closet. I was disappointed because:
A) It was from Nordstrom and I expected better for the price I paid.
B) I liked having a casual warm jacket to throw on that was different than the regular zipper style everyone was wearing.
I knew I could find the non-pill fleece at JoAnn’s. All I needed was a pattern. My first thought when I saw Simplicity 1540 a few years ago was to make it in boiled wool. I still have plans to do that, but for now I would make a fleece version.
The princess seams give this jacket a flattering shape.
The back is also interesting on this jacket.
The pattern is well drafted and comes together fairly quickly. The jacket is unlined so even though the fleece does not fray, I serged the edges. I interfaced the bottom of the sleeves with a medium weight interfacing to give the sleeve a little weight.
Because I don’t like finishing my blog posts with my back to you, here’s another picture of my jacket. The jeans are the Jalie jeans that I made a couple of years ago.
I bought some green fleece at the same time as the red. I made the green jacket first a few years ago. The collar on this version is a great substitute for a scarf. Perfect for walks with my fashion photographer.
Simplicity 1540
I think both of these are examples of really upping your game for practical pieces. Both of them are flattering and unusual pieces, but how on earth did I miss that green one?? It is simply stunning. I am going to have to look for this pattern and some fleece. You have inspired me.
Both are gorgeous. I didn’t know you could get fleece that really was non pill.
Really great jackets — both the red and the green! Love the collar on the red, but the green high-necked version looks appropriate for my northern MW climate ;-}
Beautifully sewn and they look great on you, Lucy!