How to make a kids' jacket

1. Materials & tools

Materials (one jacket, 120 cm height)

• Main fabric (corduroy, Oxford cloth or canvas) — about 110 cm wide × 100 cm (43 × 39 in)
• Bias binding, 12.7 mm folded — about 2.5 m
• Buttons, 15 mm — 3 or 4
• Sewing thread

Tools

• Sewing machine (or needle and thread)
• Fabric marker or pencil
• Ruler and scissors
• Iron
• Pins or clips

2. Make the pattern (auto-generated in Katagami)

With the Katagami pattern tool, you just enter the finished size and it drafts a seam-allowance-included pattern, tiled to print at actual size on Letter or A4.

1. Open the tool
   Open the pattern tool and choose “Kids' clothes” → “Kids' jacket” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter the chest, length, sleeve length, neckline width, ease and placket width. Presets cover heights of 100 to 130 cm.
3. Set the seam allowance
   Use the slider at the bottom (beginners: 1.0–1.5 cm / about 3/8–5/8 in).
4. Print
   Press “Print (actual size)”, then in the print dialog set Scale = 100% and turn “Fit to page” OFF. Check the 50 mm calibration box on the first guide sheet with a ruler.

3. Cutting the fabric

1. Trace the pattern
   Lay the pattern on the wrong side and trace both lines. The back's center line is the fold.
2. Cut the pieces
   Back on the fold, 2 fronts, 2 sleeves. With corduroy, keep the nap running the same way on every piece.
3. Transfer the notches
   Mark the armhole on the body and the center of the sleeve head. Miss these and the sleeve twists.
4. Finish the edges
   Zigzag the seam allowances.

4. Sewing

4-1. Sew the shoulders

1. Place front and back right sides together and sew both shoulders.
2. Press the allowances towards the back.

4-2. Set the sleeves

1. Match the center notch of the sleeve head to the shoulder seam.
2. The sleeve head is slightly longer than the armhole. Ease it in with a gathering row.
3. Sew right sides together, round the whole armhole.

4-3. Sew the sides and underarms

1. Place front and back right sides together and sew from the cuff to the hem in one run.
2. Backstitch over the underarm junction.

4-4. Bind the edges

1. Bind the neckline, the front edges, the hem and the cuffs with bias tape.
2. Running the front edge in one continuous length gives the cleanest finish.
3. Work the buttonholes and sew on the buttons.

✏️ The sleeve head is deliberately longer than the armhole — that extra is the room to move the arm. Ease it in with a gathering row rather than stretching the armhole to match. Forcing it puts creases at the underarm.

5. Tips & variations

• Snaps instead of buttons: easier for small hands to manage alone.
• Neat without a lining: bound allowances mean the inside looks finished too.
• Corduroy nap: cut every piece the same way up, or the panels read as different colors.