How to make a collarless jacket

1. Materials & tools

Materials (women's M)

• Main fabric (tweed, linen or heavy cotton) — about 110 cm wide × 200 cm (43 × 79 in)
• Lightweight fusible interfacing — about 90 cm wide × 70 cm (35 × 28 in) for the front and back facings
• Optional: a covered button or snap

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 “Adult clothes” → “Collarless jacket” from the tabs at the top.
2. Enter the size
   Enter bust, length, shoulder width, sleeve length and ease. Presets cover women's S/M and a relaxed fit. The sleeve length is measured from the shoulder point to the cuff.
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
   Trace the back (on the fold), the fronts, the sleeves, the front facings and the back neck facing (on the fold). Transfer the underarm and sleeve-head notches.
2. Cut
   Cut one back on the fold, two fronts, two sleeves, two front facings and one back neck facing on the fold.
3. Interfacing
   Fuse lightweight interfacing to the wrong side of the front and back facings. It makes the front edges and neckline stand crisply, like a ready-to-wear jacket.
4. Finish the edges
   Serge or zigzag the shoulder, side, underarm, hem and cuff allowances, and the outer edge of the facings (the edge that is not sewn to the body).

4. Sewing

Sewing steps in pictures 11 steps, one at a time

4-1. Sew the shoulders

1. Place the fronts and back right sides together, sew both shoulders and press the allowances open.
   See it in pictures
2. Join the front facings to the back neck facing at the shoulders in the same way and press open. The facing now runs all the way around the neckline in one piece.
   See it in pictures

4-2. Attach the facing

1. Place the facing on the body right sides together, matching the shoulder seams. Sew in one run from the hem of one front edge, around the neckline, to the hem of the other front edge.
   See it in pictures
2. Clip the neckline allowance every 1 cm (⅜ in). Skip this and the neckline pulls and stands away when turned.
   See it in pictures
3. Turn the facing to the inside and press, rolling the edge about 1 mm to the inside so the facing does not show from the front.
   See it in pictures
4. Hand-tack the facing to the shoulder seam allowances with a few stitches.
   See it in pictures

4-3. Set the sleeves

1. Run two rows of long gathering stitches in the sleeve-head allowance. The sleeve head is slightly longer than the armhole (the pattern note gives the amount).
   See it in pictures
2. Pull up the threads to curve the head like a shoulder, match the center to the shoulder seam and the ends to the underarm, and sew right sides together. Spread the fullness on either side of the top and keep it away from the underarm.
   See it in pictures

4-4. Sew the sides and underarms

1. Place front and back right sides together and sew from the cuff to the hem in one run.
   See it in pictures
2. Line the seams up exactly at the underarm before you sew. Press the allowances open.
   See it in pictures

4-5. Finish the cuffs and hem

1. Turn up 3 cm (1¼ in) at the cuffs and slip-stitch.
   See it in pictures
2. At the bottom of each front edge, fold the facing back out so it lies right sides together with the body, and sew across the width of the facing on the hem line, 3 cm (1¼ in) from the edge. Trim the corner and turn it through for a clean corner.
   See it in pictures
3. Turn up the rest of the hem by 3 cm and slip-stitch, then slip-stitch the bottom of the facings to the hem.
   See it in pictures
4. If you want a fastening, add a snap or covered button at chest height on the front edges.
   See it in pictures

✏️ Do not be afraid to clip the neckline. A curved allowance always pulls when turned unless it is clipped. Clip every 1 cm, stopping 1–2 mm short of the stitching.

5. Tips & variations

• Interfacing on the facings is enough: interfacing the whole jacket makes it stiff. The front edges and neckline are what need to stand, so the facings are all you interface.
• It works without a fastening: collarless jackets are usually worn open. Made with no fastening at all, it looks entirely natural.
• Understitch for a steady edge: before turning, press the allowances toward the facing and stitch through the facing and allowances only, close to the seam. The facing rolls to the inside and stays there.