Finished project: Blank Slate - Zippy Jacket

Don't you love it when you finish a pattern and think, "That was so much fun, I want to make it again!" That's how I feel about the track jacket that I just completed for Eva, using Blank Slate's Zippy Jacket pattern. I know that I'm not the only one super happy with this jacket; Eva has been wanting to wear it nearly constantly since I finished it.

I managed to get a few "action" shots of her wearing it after soccer practice the other day. (Yes, she's only 2. Yes, we already have her enrolled in a toddler soccer program. We start 'em early in the PNW!)

Blank Slate Zippy Jacket contemplating the slide

On the big girl swing!

PDF and pattern drafting notes

The pattern printed out just fine. One thing that I love about Blank Slate patterns is how nicely the pages always tape together and are clearly keyed so that you don't feel like you're putting together a jigsaw puzzle. The pattern pieces are also tiled so that they don't use more paper than necessary.

I did run into one slight drafting issue (I've never had any drafting issues before with any of the other Blank Slate patterns I've made). The sleeve cap didn't have quite enough ease, and I had to ease the armscye onto the sleeve, rather than the other way around, like how it should be. This is an easy enough problem to fix (just had a touch of height to the sleeve cap), but I had already cut my fabric when I found out and didn't have enough to cut new sleeves. Just to make sure that there wasn't user error somewhere on my part, if you make this pattern, walk the stitching line on the sleeve cap and armscye pattern pieces to make sure that there's enough ease in that cap.

Fabric

The fabric for this dress is a cotton jersey blend from Girl Charlee. The ribbing is a rayon rib knit, also from Girl Charlee. The size 3T/4T jacket took a little over 1/2 yard of the main fabric and remnants of the ribbing.

Pattern sizing

Eva is on the cusp of the 2T/3T size break on the Blank Slate size chart, so I sewed this jacket in the 3T/4T size. (The sizes are grouped together as 18m/2T, 3T/4T, 5/6, and 7/8.) The fit is comparable to children's RTW such as Carter's or Circa (from Target) in this size. As you can see, it's a little big, so that she'll be able to wear it into the spring.

Pattern instructions

Yes, as I've found with every Blank Slate pattern that I've sewn, the instructions were clearly written and well-photographed. I'm surprised that Blank Slate doesn't get more internet love for their well-written instructions. Check out this near-perfect bound circle pocket--one of my favorite details of this pattern:

Zippy Jacket ribbing-bound pocket

The instructions will give you a nicely finished garment on the inside, too, although I forgot to take photos of that. If you're apprehensive about doing a zipper/collar combo like this jacket has, the instructions will clearly walk you through the process.

Finally, here's a shot of the jacket laid flat:

Blank Slate Zippy Jacket - flat

If you can't tell, I'm super happy with how this turned out and will definitely be making more of these for Eva. Next time around, I'll likely make a warmer version using either sweatshirting or fleece.