So, I last posted about picking a pattern for my winter jacket. In the end, I couldn't decide to make Simplicity 2149 or Burdastyle 08-2011-102.

Both jackets look good on the models, but I really wasn't sure what would look good on me. Since I've gotten much faster at sewing and I had lots of old bedsheet fabric, I went ahead and made both!

I made Simplicity 2149 in size 16. I made one alteration - I turned the sleeve into one piece with a shoulder dart instead of two pieces.


I tried the jacket on over my inner Polartec fleece jacket, which is how I'll be wearing it. The jacket is too big, as you can easily see from the side photo. I probably could have made a size 14. It is comfortable, but I think the overall look isn't what I'm trying to go for. It would probably work better for what it was designed for and not as a shell jacket.

I made Burdastyle 08-2011-102 in size 40 (which is equivalent to US size 14). Right away, I was much happier with it. So, I put a zipper in it and started making some alterations.


As you might be able to tell, the sleeve caps are a bit high, so I lowered the one on my right shoulder to get it to look better. I also let out the side seams a little - I somewhere between a size 14 and 16 with the polar fleece jacket on.

I think the style suits what I am looking for much better. I'll have to do a few other alterations, such as increase the sleeve width, increase the underarm gussets, do a small bust adjustment, etc. I'll detail my changes in a later post.

I also found that the Burdastyle jacket is the same as Burdastyle 08-2011-103. This version of it is longer and has less of the buttons and pockets on it. Overall, It looks a lot more like what I'm trying to achieve for my winter jacket.


Now I'm off to make my alterations!