Cropped Jacket with Dolman Sleeves- No Pattern Req'd! (8956 Views)

view all steps

•  
  1
•  
  2
•  
  3
•  
  4
•  
  5
•  
  6
•  
  7
•  
  8
•  
  9
•  
  10
•  
  11
•  
  12
•  
  13
•  
  14
•  
  15
•  
  16
•  
  17
•  
  18
•  
  19

• 

  Step 1 of 19

  (This is almost the same project as the Dolman Sleeve Dress)

  You will need:

  1 (92 cm) yard of 36” (92 cm) wide fabric Trim of your choice 1 Frog Closure

  There is no pattern for this jacket. All measurements included a 5/8” (1.6 cm) seam allowance.

• 

  Step 2 of 19

  Fold fabric into quarters as shown, with right side on the inside. The top left hand corner becomes the neckline. The top folds become the sleeve and the selvedge edge will be the sleeve hem (which you can also finish with trim or however else you please). The long fold on the left is the center front and the center back. The raw edge at the bottom will become the hem.

• 

  Step 3 of 19

  The first point- 7” (17.78 cm) down the selvedge- becomes the armhole. The second point at 12” (30.5 cm) across the raw edge becomes the hem. Mark these points.

• 

  Step 4 of 19

  Then draw a line that between these points that looks like this, connecting the dots. Essentially, the pink line above becomes the side seams for you jacket. You can use patternmaking tools such as rounded rulers and French curves. Or you can mark with pins the line you would like to create, and then use a tailor’s pencil to draw the line.

• 

  Step 5 of 19

  Now your folded piece should look like this.

• 

  Step 6 of 19

  Next, unfold the piece so it looks like this (with wrong side up).

• 

  Step 7 of 19

  Fold the piece in half, length wise, like this. You will now see that the top of the sleeve runs across the middle of the piece. The Center Front and Center back are no longer on top of each other.

• 

  Step 8 of 19

  Now mark the neckline and center front of jacket. Mark a point 2 ½” (6.35 cm) above the “top of sleeve” line, along the fold. This will become the back of the neck. Next, mark out 4” (10.2 cm) on the “top of sleeve” line. Below this line, mark about 5” (12.7 cm). Then connect these points to create the neckline.

• 

  Step 9 of 19

  Mark 1” in from the fold along the center front. This becomes the front opening. Cut along this until you reach the neckline that you drew, and then cut out the neckline.
  

• 

  Step 10 of 19

  Your piece should now look like this.

• 

  Step 11 of 19

  Next, refold the piece so that the front is on top of the back, with the side seams matching. With right sides facing, sew along the side seams.

• 

  Step 12 of 19

  Now, make a pleat at the top of the center back. Mark the Center back, and 2” inches out on each side of Center Back with a pin. With right side of the fabric facing you, bring each side pin to meet at the center pin.

• 

  Step 13 of 19

  This forms the pleat. Stay stitch along the neckline.
  

• 

  Step 14 of 19

  Try on the jacket. I decided to change the front and pinned my new center front and neckline before trimming it.

• 

  Step 15 of 19

  Notice the back of the jacket. This is a cropped jacket but has a LOT of fullness in the back.

• 

  Step 16 of 19

  To control this, I tacked down the pleat at the center back hem. This still allows a full silhouette, but looks less like a beetle or butterfly. You can tack it in place with some hand stitching and then cover it with a button.

• 

  Step 17 of 19

  I used a trim along the neckline, center front, armholes, and hem. I used a frog closure to close the center front. Try the jacket on yourself or use a dress form to find the center of the bust. Using hand stitches, tack the closure in place firmly. The center front just kisses, and does not overlap, so using a button would not work very well in this case.

• 

  Step 18 of 19

  You may find that you have to pull some of this fabric over itself to reduce the bulk and make a smoother back. This still allows a full silhouette, but looks less like a beetle or butterfly. You can tack it in place with some hand stitching and then cover it with a button.

• 

  Step 19 of 19

  There are many ways to alter this jacket. Create some with new necklines, trims, or come up with an interesting treatment for the fullness in the back and post them on BurdaStyle.com! You can also download the patterns for other jackets and shorten them to create a more tailored cropped jacket.