Paola Workwear Jacket Tutorial
Meet spring in style with this super trendy jacket! Workwear-inspired, the Paola jacket combines fashion with practical, everyday wear. Featuring straight boxy fit, four large patch pockets and flat-felled seams for sturdiness, it pairs well with just about everything. Made from our textured heavy-weight linen, it has that lived-in feel from the very first wear.
All the coolest brands have it, but the price tag can sometimes be too high. With this free multi-sized pattern, a couple of yards of our heavy-weight linen and a few hours of intensive sewing you can now make one yourself!
Materials
For our sample size S pictured in this tutorial: 2 yards of 4C22 TEAK Softened Heavy Weight Linen
Refer to the yardage table in the PDF pattern to determine the exact amount of fabric you will need to make this jacket.
Matching sewing thread, fusible interfacing, five 1”-wide buttons
Tools
Scissors, pins, ruler, chalk, measuring tape, fabric marker, buttonhole foot, seam ripper, needle, sewing machine
Difficulty
Advanced Beginner
Sewing Time
4-5 hours
Pattern
You can access the multi-sized printable PDF pattern by following this link HERE. All seam allowances are included. The model is wearing size S.
Remember to transfer all the notches onto your fabric.
Steps
Note: Prewash your fabric and tumble dry it until it is still slightly moist, dry at room temperature. Iron the fabric so it is easier to work with.
1. Start by attaching the patch pockets to your front bodices. Follow the instructions in this step-by-step tutorial (the first method) and place the pockets at the dots indicated in the pattern (smaller pockets are attached at the bust level, and the bigger one – at the waist level).
Run two lines of topstitching ¼” apart.
2. Pin the two fronts to the back right sides together at the shoulders.
3. Sew at a 5/8” seam allowance then finish with a flat-felled seam as explained in this tutorial. Fold the extension towards the back.
All major seams (shoulder, sides and sleeves) are sewn using this technique for a neat and sturdy finish.
4. Now pin and stitch your interfaced front and back facing pieces right sides together at the shoulders with the standard 3/8” seam allowance. Press the seams open.
Finish the outer edges with your preferred method (using a serger or a zigzag stitch) to prevent the fabric from fraying.
5. Take your upper and under collar pieces and pin the two right sides together along the outer edges. The upper collar is slightly larger to allow for the turn of the cloth so try your best to spread the excess amount of fabric of the upper collar evenly. It’s not much and shouldn’t be a problem. Make sure the center back notches match up.
6. Stitch the collar together at a 3/8” (1 cm) seam allowance, grade the edges down to ¼”, snip the corners to reduce bulk.
7. Turn the collar right side out, pop out the corners and press making sure the upper collar juts out a bit making your seam invisible.
Run a line of topstitching ¼” from the edge.
8. Pin the finished collar between the right sides of the bodice and the facing along the neckline from one notch to the other. The upper collar should be touching the right side of the facing. Make sure the center back and shoulder notches are aligned.
9. Now pin the facing to the jacket along the front opening. You’ll notice that the facing is missing the bottom seam allowance. This is intentional as it would allow to reduce bulk when hemming.
10. Stitch the pinned edges at a 3/8” (1 cm) seam allowance. Trim the seams down to ¼”, clip along curves to release the tension and turn right side out. Topstitch ¼” from the edge along the front opening and neckline.
11. Stitch the facing to the bodice along the outer edge to secure it in place and create a decorative detail.
Next up – the sleeves!
12. Pin and stitch (at a 5/8” seam allowance) the sleeves to the armholes right sides together matching the notches.
13. Finish the seams with flat felled seams. Fold the seam towards bodice.
14. Pin (matching underarm seams) and stitch the side seams and the underarms all in one seam at a 5/8? (1,6 cm) seam allowance then finish with flat-felled seams folding the extension towards the back.
15. Finish the sleeve opening with a rolled hem. Fold the fabric twice to the wrong side (3/8” to 1”). Press, pin and edgestitch.
16. Fold the hem twice to the wrong side (3/8” to 1”), folding your hem over the facing. Press, pin and edgestitch.
17. Lastly, sew the buttonholes and attach the buttons. Remember, that the buttonholes are sewn on the right front, whereas the buttons – on the left front.
For the buttonholes, you can follow our detailed tutorial HERE. As for the buttons, check our tutorial HERE for instructions. Overlap the button bands and place a pin into the center of each buttonhole. This is where you’ll need to attach the button.
We love seeing what you make! Don’t forget to share your pictures and tag your creations with #FabricsStorePaolaPattern hashtag.
To make this jacket, opt for one of our heavy-weight linens. We have a large variety of colors in our store. Browse our selection of linen fabrics and find the fabric that inspires you for this project!
Leave a Reply to Laura Matthews Cancel reply
Related posts
FS Colour Series: BLUE BAYOU Inspired by Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s Grecian Sea
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema was a dreamy romanticist, painting idealised historical scenes set amongst the marble pillars and iridescent light of ancient Greece. Cool shades of aqua blue like BLUE BAYOU Linen brought crisp, fresh lightness into his scenes, particularly when combined with the glossy marble architecture of the ancient world. In amongst these tranquil and…
Hitomezashi Sashiko on the Ashton Top: Part TWO
This tutorial will focus on the stitching of Sashiko on the fabric pieces cut out for the front and back bodices of the Ashton Top by Helen’s Closet. These fabric pieces have been prepared for Sashiko stitching by drawing 0.5cm x 0.5cm grids on them. For my preferred method for drawing a grid on dark-coloured…
Natural Dyeing: The Magic of Green
Although green is found abundantly in nature, especially here on the “Emerald Isle”, there is no one plant that gives you a rich deep green directly from the dye pot. Yes, a variety of plants can indeed give you subtle hues or shades of green but to get a true green one has two main…
Hitomezashi Sashiko on The Ashton Top: Part ONE
This is a tutorial where I will be sharing how I embellish the Ashton Top (designed by Helen’s Closet Patterns) with Hitomezashi Sashiko. The tutorial is divided into two parts, and in the first instalment, we will be focusing on preparing the grid for Sashiko-stitching on the Ashton Top. After drawing the grid on the…
Sewing Glossary: How To Sew Set-In Sleeves
If you like sewing your own clothes, there will be a time where you will come across a pattern that requires knowing how to sew set-in sleeves and attaching them to the bodice. And this is when this tutorial will come in handy. A set-in sleeve is the most basic of sleeves and as its…
Latest Posts
29 Comments
Patty Gale
Button placement? I have finished construction of the jacket and am ready to place the buttons. I shortened the length a bit to suit my smaller frame. I assume that I evenly space the 5 buttons along the front placket, but how far above the bottom edge and below the top edge do I start to place them? Thank you.
Patty Gale
And how much room do I leave between the edge of the placket and the button?
Lauren Gates
Hello Patty, This is a personal preference really.
I place my first button at the point I’d like the top edge/collar to flare out when worn buttoned up, and I like my last button to be about 3″ from the hem.
Patty Gale
Which pieces get interfacing? I don’t see it in the instructions. My guess is Front Facing, Back Facing, Upper Collar, and Under Collar. Is that correct? Anything else? Please advise.
Lauren Gates
Hi Patty, the interfaced pattern pieces are the front and back facing and just the undercollar. No need to interface the upper collar, but you can if you desire an extra crisp collar.
Laura Matthews
Hello there! I love this jacket but am having difficulty with the pattern. There are a couple of inches of difference between the neckline opening and the facing. Why the difference? How is it possible to incorporate the extra fabric at the neckline and not have a bundled up mess when it’s turned? Any help would be appreciated.
Lauren Gates
Hi Laura, Applying facings can be tricky since you’re sewing something which will be sitting on the curve of the neck and shoulders. My tips are to pin the facing to the neckline beginning with the notches. Then go ahead and pin the remainder. Remember the only section that needs to sit flat here is the fabric along the seamline, so if your fabric is bunched up like pictured in step 8, that’s OK as long as the seamline is flat. When you sew your seam, and flip your facing to the inside of your jacket, all of that excess fabric will sit nicely with the rest of the shirt.
If you’d like some extra help, feel free to send us an email.
Nancy Pike
Has anyone left the sleeves off to make a vest from this pattern? I’m thinking I can make sleeve facings by using the armhole curves of the the front and back pattern pieces.
James Varga
This is my first garment I’ve sewn with long sleeves, and I’m having some trouble with the flat felled seams, my machine having a flat base rather than the more modern narrow arm with removable base. Going to give it a go anyway and just make sure to be as sturdy as possible on the arms. Otherwise very doable pattern even with my limited experience and straight stitching Kenmore. Thanks!
Sabrina Kahn
I’m in the final stages of making my jacket. I took this project on because it said “beginner” but I’m having some trouble! First the facing was very difficult to attach as it had a lot of extra to ease in. I’m assuming that’s what we’re supposed to do with the excess. I wondered why it wasn’t just a smaller pattern piece so there wouldn’t be the bulk of the excess. Now I’m trying to do a flat felled finish on the side/sleeve seam – how do you get back into the sleeve to do the flat felled finish???? I took off the sewing machine piece that makes the skinnier arm, but I can’t get all the way through the sleeve. I wonder if it wouldn’t also work to set the sleeves in after finishing the sleeve seam. I think I’m going to have to finish the sleeve seam with my serger because I don’t see how to get it done with a flat felled. Unless you can please tell me how!!! Why is this all so hard for me???
Lauren Gates
Hi Sabrina,
I’m happy to help out here. Yes the facing does have some extra ease so it sits nicely over the curves of your shoulders and neckline. They are a bit tricky the first time you do them, but once the garment is finished you’ll see why you needed all that extra fabric.
The flat-felled seam finishing does take a bit of maneuvering, and I would recommend starting your stitching from the side seams and work your way towards the sleeve cuff.
If you’d prefer, you can always opt for a french seam instead.
Emmy Beber
Hello,
I can’t seem to get the link to the pdf to work. Is there another way of accessing it?
Thanks!
Emmy
Pingback:
Paola Workwear Jacket – Free Pattern by FabricStore.com – The Sewing Room / ŠivaonaCaitlin Bant
Is there a suggested fabric layout for this pattern?
nicole glaberman
I would also love if you guys gave pictures of how you lay this out!
Celia Mitchell
Hello, what type of interfacing does this project use? Thanks!
Rima Khusainova
Hi Celia, you can use medium weight fusible interfacing.
Mary Lilledahl
Are the pattern size measurements given anywhere? i.e. bust, hip, length, etc… for each of the size options? I see the pattern pages but nowhere do I see the various measurements to know which size is best to cut out for me. Thanks for your help…
Zoey Duncan
I’m hoping for this info on sizing too, please.
Zoey Duncan
Oh, I figured it out! When you download the PDF, the pattern is packaged as a separate attachment from the sizing and yardage information. When I first open the pattern in Adobe Acrobat Reader, the sizing is on that portion of the PDF. Then I have to open a separate attachment within the PDF for the sizing. Hope this helps!
Leann Runge
I found the actual pattern! Download the tutorial at the end of this page, then on page 6 of the tutorial, it has a highlighted “HERE”, for the pattern.
Leann Runge
I love this pattern, how do I get it? It appears the download is the tutorial and not the pattern. Any help would be appreciated! It’s exactly what I was looking for.
Pingback:
Fall-Winter Sewing Plans – sooz.madeAne Isusi
Hello.
I can’t find the PDF pattern for this jacket. Is it available somewhere?
Thanks.
Lisa Bates
I would really like to make this jacket but I cannot find the actual printable pattern anywhere – got the tutorial but nothing else. What am i doing wrong? thanks
Jorien Hofman
Did you find it? Because I can’t :’)
Sheralyn Franks
Maybe I’m just missing it but I can’t find anything on the pattern which marks out the pocket placement? Step 1 says to position pockets on the dots but the only dots I see are the button placements
Aunty M Flammatory
Where do I find PDF pattern in your new format?
Aunty M Flammatory
I found it at the very end of the tutorial.