Jalie 2680 - "Stretch City Coat" in Windblock Fleece


 I love to travel, and I love to use an upcoming trip as an excuse to sew something new!  Next month I’m headed back to Seattle, one of my favorite American cities, and I decided I should make some outerwear for the trip.  I’d had the Jalie 2680 Stretch City Coat pattern in my “to sew” pile for a while and decided the hooded version would be perfect. 

 I also had 3 yards of this black perforated windblock fleece in my stash that I bought last year from Califabrics.com.  It is medium weight, has nice stretch, and a soft fleecy interior.

Since I anticipated rain, I decided on the hooded view.
I cut a size U based on my measurements.  There are a lot of pieces, with seaming and topstitiching details, but the construction is quite simple.  I made this on a Saturday while battling a cold and it was still easy!!

I used a 90/14 ballpoint needle and had no problems sewing it with the machine (hand-tacking was a bit difficult which I chalk up to not having the right needles for the job).  

Pockets are tacked to facing
I decided to tuck the pockets inside the facing and then tack them down, so when the coat was open you wouldn’t see pocket bags flopping around. (Also, I installed the pocket bags “inside out” – so my hands would go into the soft fleece side!) Because I tucked the pockets into the facing, there was 4 layers of fabric on the lower front, and I did not want to attempt to put closures thru that many layers, so I only made buttons/buttonholes down to this point.  Since it’s not a hardcore outdoors jacket I’m fine with it not closing all the way down.  It’s for walking the city in light rain.  


This pattern is well drafted. The instructions, like most Jalie patterns, are concise but clear, with useful illustrations.  I think I can honestly say I’ve never sewn a Jalie pattern and gotten to a step and thought, “well what the hell do I do now?”  The instructions are always well done.  The sizing is accurate.  I’m a fan of their patterns in general.


Back Sleeve Seam Detail
And I’m really happy with the resulting coat! I like the gentle shaping that the panels give, so that it’s casually nipped in at the waist (as opposed to my store bought raincoat which is super boxy).  The hood is roomy – I have a big head – and the sleeve length is perfect (for me!) 


 The topstitching and seams give it some design interest and the perforated softshell gives it a bit of texture so it’s not just black on black.  I love it, I think it’s a great piece to have for California winters or trips to the Pacific Northwest!


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