Jacket: sewing steps in pictures

1Place both fronts on the back and sew the shoulders

Lay the back right side up and place the two fronts on it wrong side up, so the right sides face each other. Line up the shoulder ends and the neckline ends, pin, and sew along the stitching line 1 cm (3/8 in) from the edge.

2Press the shoulder allowances open

Open the body out flat and press the shoulder allowances open.

3Join the facings at the shoulders too

Place the two front facings and the back neck facing right sides together, sew the shoulders and press open. The facing becomes one piece running round the neckline.

Fuse the interfacing to the facings first.

1Sew the facing from front edge round the neckline

Place the facing on the right side of the body, right sides together, matching the shoulder seams and the front edges, and pin. Sew with a 1 cm (3/8 in) seam in one run from the hem of one front edge, round the neckline, to the hem of the other front edge.

2Clip the neckline and turn the facing

Clip the curved neckline allowance every 1 cm, stopping 1–2 mm short of the stitching, and trim the top front corners diagonally. 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.

Skip the clipping and the neckline pulls and stands away when turned.

3Tack the facing at the shoulders

Hand-tack the facing's shoulder allowances to the body's shoulder allowances with a few stitches. The facing then stays inside.

1Gather the sleeve head

Sew two rows of the longest machine stitch in the sleeve-head allowance. Pull both bobbin threads together to ease the head to the length of the armhole, spreading the fullness either side of the top and keeping it away from the underarm.

The sleeve head is a little longer than the armhole (the pattern note gives the amount). Ease it smoothly, without forming gathers.

2Match the notches and sew the armhole

Place the sleeve on the body right sides together. Match the center of the head to the shoulder seam and the ends of the sleeve to the underarm, then pin. Sew the armhole from end to end with the sleeve on top.

1Sew from the cuff to the hem in one seam

Fold right sides together at the shoulders and match the armhole seams exactly at the underarm. Sew from the cuff, through the underarm and down to the hem with a 1 cm (3/8 in) seam, then press the allowances open.

1Sew and turn the front hem corners

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 allowance diagonally and turn the corner through.

Sewing this corner first makes the front edge and hem meet in a clean corner when you turn up the hem.

2Turn up 3 cm at the hem and cuffs and slip-stitch

Turn up the rest of the hem and the cuffs by 3 cm, press and slip-stitch. Slip-stitch the bottom of the facings to the hem too.

1Make the buttonholes and sew on the buttons

On the upper front, work horizontal buttonholes at the center-front notches, starting 3 mm beyond the center front toward the edge. Sew the buttons on the center front of the other front.

If you use snaps, place them on the center-front notches too.