Patternmaking Essentials: The Tailored Jacket

Class Preview

Turn your bodice sloper into a perfectly customized tailored jacket pattern. Discover highly sought-after techniques for drafting a classic design.

Drafting the Jacket Back Sloper

Meet your instructor, Oticca Beamer, and start learning how to draft a jacket sloper from your own bodice sloper. Then you’ll add ease to the bodice sloper back for the room you’ll need in a jacket. Finally, measure the neck and armhole and learn how to relocate the back armhole notch.

Drafting the Jacket Front & Sleeve Sloper

Add ease to the front bodice sloper and don’t forget to square your edges! Then true the front jacket sloper you’ve created to the back jacket sloper. Add ease to the bodice sleeve to create a jacket sleeve sloper, and compare the jacket armhole circumference to the sleeve cap measurement.

Designing the Lapel

Now you’ll begin to draft your custom jacket pattern from the jacket sloper you’ve created, as Oticca demonstrates how to add ease for an optional shoulder pad. Then design and draft your button extension and lapel break. Finally complete the lapel shape and see some of Oticca’s favorite variations.

Designing the Collar

Design the upper and undercollar for your jacket pattern with Oticca’s help! First, measure and draft the main collar on your pattern. Then trace the main collar to create the upper and undercollar pattern pieces for a collar that will lie perfectly against your neck with no collar seam visible.

Designing the Front

Finish designing the front jacket pattern pieces with Oticca’s guidance. First, convert the darts to a flattering princess seam. Then, consider adding pockets. Finally, create the facing and lining pattern pieces and use Oticca’s trick to account for the turn of the cloth at the lapel.

Designing the Back

Continue drafting the back jacket pattern pieces as you design a back princess seam to perfectly match the front. Then, make the back neck facing pattern. You’ll also create a lining pattern with a jump pleat and back pleat. Oticca shows you how!

Designing the Sleeve

Oticca demonstrates drafting a two-piece sleeve from your jacket sleeve sloper and shows how to true up the inner and outer sleeves. Next, draft a sleeve lining pattern. You now have a complete custom jacket pattern and a jacket sloper you can use again and again for new designs.