Fabric choice has such an impact on the outcome of a pattern. Whether you are a solids or a prints fan, you will admire the pattern mixing in this piece. Melanie, a member of the Advisor’s Circle, is sharing her fabulous and scrappy Yananka jacket.
I’ve wanted to make a Yanaka jacket for a while! I love the silhouette and the relaxed design; cropped or shorter jackets usually look best on me, so I knew I’d have to make this one. Quilted jackets are all the rage, so I was planning to try one; however, I concluded that a simple scrappy jacket without quilting would suit me best.
I think this is an ideal pattern for print mixing, as there is a center back seam, sleeve gussets, and facings that can show if you fold the collar down—lots of opportunities to use smaller pieces and show off those pretty leftover bits. And I have lots of pretty leftover bits! I use a lot of cottons and linens in my sewing, so I got out my scrap bins and pulled out some of the larger remnants. I trialed many different combinations but finally decided on five floral prints that all fall within the same color tones and scale. Then I had to decide how to place them!
I devised a placement plan, but these fabrics were all fairly light/fluid. The Yanaka pattern recommends a medium to heavier weight fabric to support its shape, so I interfaced all the pieces with a medium-weight fusible interfacing before starting construction. I knew that the standing collar, the front points, and that wee back notch needed to be sharp, not floppy. Interfacing them before construction allowed me to use these particular scraps.
I didn’t make many changes to the actual pattern. But there were a couple. I shortened the sleeves, actually, by a little too much. Ultimately, I didn’t want to take any length out with a wide hem, so I made a 2″ wide sleeve facing out of the cotton I used for the sleeve gussets (these were non-interfaced) and hemmed the sleeves that way. This also gave me a clear surface to stitch the lining on. I’ve added back some of the lengths to the sleeve pattern so I don’t make this mistake again.
And I also made a lining for this — the jacket pattern is unlined, but with all my interfaced innards, I wanted it all covered up nicely. Because of this, I finished all my seams with a quick pass of the pinking shears since they’d end up invisible anyway. I added in a 1/2″ center back pleat to give more movement room, and the lining was also a scrap!
The most notable change I DIDN’T make was that I did not shorten the body of the jacket at all. I almost always shorten above the waist, but this time I liked the finished length and didn’t want this to be too cropped, so left it as drafted. I really like how it turned out! It’s really comfortable, and the fit is great. I love the chance this pattern offered to use some of my beautiful print scraps to make a one-of-a-kind jacket. The lines of the design are just made for it!
Cute jacket! Looks great on you.
Thank you!
love your jacket, how did you do the lining please, that really makes it perfect
Beautiful jacket. Really neat idea to use up those lovely leftover fabrics. I like your placement of the various prints. It looks terrific on you.
This is a great pattern to use larger remnants. And then you have all the references to other outfits to enjoy as well 🙂
Bold fabric choices that come together to make a stunning one of a kind piece!!! Bravo!!!!
Thanks!! I am glad that the fabrics work well together.
This turned out beautifully, Melanie! I love your added lining, too.
Thank you! The lining is easy to add & makes it feel luxurious.
I just adore this! I’m so in awe of people who can use patterns and colour this way. It looks amazing.
Thank you! It was fun to sort through scraps & find just the right ones to match up for this project.
thanks for (melanie’s scrappy yanaka jacket) this post. very helpful for me. I’m waiting for your new post. good luck