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Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

I am so excited and thrilled and a little star struck to have been invited on this fabulous tour!! So needless to say, when I received an email from Heidi at Elegance & Elephants I opened it very eagerly and was typing YES before I could even finish reading the email ;) And lucky me, she was asking if I would be willing to sew up her newest pattern, the Spring Showers Jacket!!!
(affiliate link) And for the duration of the tour (April 22 - May 1) she is offering a $1 discount on the price of the pattern, use the code TOUR at checkout!

Heidi was one of the first bloggers I followed religiously when I began my blogging journey. I discovered her through her Knock It Off series. In all seriousness that series helped to fully ignite my passion for sewing for my kids. I did then and still do, get an immense satisfaction from sewing designer looking and designer quality clothes for my kids for a fraction of the price. In fact, this jacket was inspired by a jacket I spotted, that retails for around $65. I didn't spend that kind of money on this jacket and to be honest, I like my version better!

Well, enough of the rabbit trail, let's talk about this fabulous jacket pattern!!!

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

When I first saw Heidi's versions she made her own kids, I was extremely impressed! The jackets looked so professional! And now having sewn one for myself, I can definitely say that it is truly a fantastic pattern that does indeed yield a very professional result. I think I even impressed my husband with this one. I think we can all agree that for most of us, that is saying something. :)

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

I had a few goals this year (sewing related) that I set for myself and one of those was to sew a full on legitimate outerwear jacket/coat. I can check that off the list!!

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

Putting the zipper in gave me a thrill! That sounds hilarious, but it really did! I didn't get the first side right the very first time, but just a little seam ripping and re-sewing and I was good to go. The fact that the second side lined up perfectly on the first try was UH-MAZ-ING. Oh, and it has a real honest to goodness zipper shield!! I had originally planned on adding another zipper shield (I guess that's what it would be called) on top and securing it with snaps, but I seriously couldn't bear to cover up the zipper. HA! I may try that for lil' sis's version. Oh yes, I have all the fabric ready to go for one for her as well! :)

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

Can we talk about this hood!?!?? LOVE it! That visor. I die. And I loved playing with the lining so that it was a super fun "pop" when the hood is up.

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

Another great feature is the lowered hem in the back, a "splash guard". I was really actually hoping for some puddles and rain so we could get the jacket in action. But the weather could not have been more opposite this week and I am having a really hard time complaining about it. :)

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

So the fabric. I wanted something "weather resistant". I didn't want "slicker" fabric, as I didn't want the rain coat look. But I did want it to be somewhat water resistant. I checked all the stores locally and couldn't find anything that suited what I was looking for. I even checked Target's shower curtain section, inspired by the fabulous Alida. But... I wanted a solid color and there was nothing to be found.

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

So, that long story short, I ended up using PUL. Yep, the same stuff they use for cloth diapers. It was perfect! :) Soft and flexible and still water resistant so that he can wear it when it rains. This kid HATES to be wet when clothes are required. He won't wear flip flops outside when there is dew or rain or any sort of moisture on the grass. If he spills water on his clothes it's awful. So when he heard I was making him a rain coat with a HOOD, boy he was thrilled.

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

There was however a learning curve in sewing with the stuff. I was calling it "stuff" in a not so nice way a few times, too. But in the end I figured out what worked pretty good. I just wish the beginning of the project looked as good as the end. :) 

So what did I learn?
  • Use a ball point needle
  • Use a SMALL ball point needle - I used a 70/10
  • Lengthen your stitch length slightly
  • Adjust tension - I had to tighten mine slightly
  • A walking foot is a MUST, I tried both a roller foot and a walking foot, I liked the walking foot better for sewing the seams
  • I found I liked my zipper foot for top stitching the edges after the lining and shell were together the best. Also I could adjust my needle from one side to the other for the double topstitching and got a nice even spacing for all the top stitching.
  • Sew slowly and adjust your speed slowly as well. Stopping, starting, and changing speeds abruptly guarantees skipped stitches. Trust me...
  • Do not use a HOT iron, lower the heat!

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

The lining is Riley Blake. I just couldn't find those wide graphic stripes I wanted anywhere else and decided this jacket was worth the little bit of a splurge. I'm so glad I did!

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

Another thing about the PUL is that it is stretchy, and the lining is not. This wasn't a problem, just something to keep in mind when working with it. The walking foot is must for this part as well.

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

For the most part I stuck exactly to the pattern. The only small change I made was to add straps and snaps to the sleeve cuffs. I also added snaps to the pocket flaps. (Say those 2 sentences 5 times fast!) However those are purely decorative since I forgot about adding interfacing for reinforcement. I'm pretty sure a 4 year old would have holes torn into the PUL in no time, opening and closing functional snaps all the time!

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

I sewed the size 4/5 for him. He is 4 1/2 and the fit is spot on. The sleeves are meant to be a bit long but they actually fit him really well. There is a teensy bit extra that could be folded up but they are just fine left down.

This crazy kid loves his new jacket!

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

And um, yeah. I love it too! It was not a quick sew, but it was so very worth every stitch! I can't wait to get started on O's now. Hopefully I'll get the chance very soon.

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

And how great does it look hanging on our coat rack!?! Eep!

Spring Showers Jacket Pattern Tour & Tips On Sewing With PUL

Be sure to stop by the other blogs on the tour for other AMAZING versions of the jacket!!

Elegance & Elephants

Outfit details:
  • Jacket: Spring Showers Jacket Pattern by Elegance & Elephants - Use the code TOUR for a $1 discount through May 1, 2014!
  • Size Sewn: 4/5 for my 4.5 yr old.
  • Changes made: None, added straps to sleeve cuffs
  • Fabric: PUL & Riley Blake from fabric.com
  • Zipper & Snaps: Joann
  • Labels: Made by me - tutorial coming soon!
  • Shirt: Target
  • Shorts: Childrens' Place
  • Shoes: Target

Happy Sewing!!

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24 comments

  1. This is perfect, Heidi! I really love your choice of fabric, both the outer and the lining. And those little details.. even made the jacket look MORE profesh!

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    1. Thank you!! It's all in the details, right?? :) I'm always SO happy when I take the time to add them! But it's not so hard when it is a FABulous pattern to begin with!!

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  2. This is awesome! I love the wide stripes and the tabs you added to the sleeves! Seriously, awesome jacket!

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  3. I just can't stop going through these photos over and over again. This is seriously an amazing jacket that looks straight out of a designer boutique. And I really want one in my size!!! :) Thank you so much for participating in the tour.

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    1. Ooohhh... Grade it to adult sizes?? How fun would that be!!?? :) Thank you so much! And thanks so much for inviting me!! I hope I'll be invited again soon ;)

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  4. Oh, I really like the colors, fabrics you chose, looks great with the black snaps & zipper.

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  5. Looks beautiful! Very professional result :)

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  6. I love love yours!! That lining is fab and the little details you added are great!

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  7. What a wonderful jacket! I love the extra details you added :)

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  8. Heidi, I love the snaps that you added! Just a lovely detail! I'll keep those in mind for sure! I am working on jacket number 2, as my first one is a complete failure (my fabric did not want to cooperate!!) I am panicking that my second pick in fabric might also not work... yikes! I am up next Wednesday so wish me luck this weekend, haha!

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    1. Thank you Natalie!! Just remember the interfacing ;) Oh man! I am wishing you luck for sure!! I hope it works out, and there's always shower curtains if it doesn't!

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  9. Great cuffs!! I'm still in love with the colors you used too!

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    1. Thank you!! I'm super happy with the colors too, halfway through I was really doubting myself, but in the end, I'm thrilled! :)

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  10. Love the colors-and those stripes are my favorite! Really great jacket!

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    1. Thank you! The stripes are my favorite too! :)

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  11. Your jacket is amazing! Love the details with the straps and snaps!

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