How to Make Your Own Woman's Varsity Jacket

Using a sewing machine and your school colors, you can make your own varsity jacket.

College and athletic teams often have their own varsity jackets. With the growing popularity of women's sports, athletic designers are adding different versions of the varsity jacket to their collections. By incorporating your school colors and emblems, you can use a different mix of fabrics to create a unique jacket expressing your individual style, team spirit and school pride.

Things You'll Need

• Sketch pad
• Colored pencils
• Fabric (your choice: about 2 to 3 yards)
• Lining (your choice: 2 to 3 yards)
• Padding: (optional)
• Trim: (your choice)
• Pre-made pattern
• Pattern paper
• Ruler
• Pencil
• French curve ruler
• Straight pins
• Fabric scissors
• Leather knife (optional)
• Leather shears (optional)
• Tailor's chalk
• Sewing machine

Instructions

Developing Your Varsity Jacket Pattern

1. Design and sketch your varsity jacket in your sketch pad. Use colored pencils to indicate your school or team's complementary color combinations in your sketch, such as a soft brown jacket body with contrast soft green sleeves. Determine if your jacket will have a full zipper or snap front placket opening. Include any rib stripes for your collar, sleeve cuffs or waistband. Add pockets such as angled welt or patch pockets.

2. Choose your jacket's fabric, lining and padding. Most of these styles mix two different types of fabrics such as a melton wool or fleece body with leather sleeves. You can also opt to incorporate a complementary color lining made from a polyester blend as well as a 1/2 inch width padding for warmth.

3. Choose your jacket's trim. Most styles incorporate applique logos, varsity team insignias such as chenille letters or school emblems such as iron-on patches. You can also opt to add a complementary color faux fur trim to an attached hood.

4. Buy a pre-made jacket pattern. Look through your fabric store's reference pattern books for a style resembling the jacket you want to create. Although you can make your own pattern, varsity jackets entail attached collars, sloped sleeves, pocket treatment, waistband inserts and slightly over-sized specifications. If the pattern is not done correctly according to your size specifications, you will not be able to wear the jacket over your clothing.

5. Trace the pre-made pattern onto pattern paper. Mark all necessary notches and seam allowances onto your pattern paper. Mark your pattern with color and fabric instructions to avoid any unnecessary cutting mistakes. Keep the original pattern for future use and reference.

6. Alter your pattern with any design details you made in your original sketch. For example, if you added contrast elbow patches measuring 6 inches long by 4 inches wide for a women's size medium, mark each sleeve pattern with the stitching placement. Use a French curve ruler to shape your patches. Make sure both elbow patch sleeve placements are even.

Constructing Your Varsity Jacket

1. Pin your patterns to your fabric and cut out with your fabric scissors. The cut out fabric is referred to as fabric parts. If you are incorporating leather hides, use a leather knife or leather shears to cut your pattern parts. Make sure you have a cutting mat to avoid damage to your table surface.

2. Stitch your trims to your jacket's outer shell before attaching the lining and padding. For example, stitch your elbow patches onto your open sleeve fabric parts before attaching the sleeves to the outer shell body. It is important to stitch any pocket treatment, appliques or stitched letters onto your shell as well.

3. Mark your outer shell with any snap or zipper front-placket placement with your tailor's chalk. Machine stitch your outer shell.

4. Stitch your lining shell. If you are adding padding, it is important to stitch the padding parts to the lining fabric parts. For example, pin your sleeve's padding part to the sleeve's lining fabric part and stitch together. You will repeat this process with the front and back jacket fabric parts. Once all the parts are stitched individually, you can assemble and stitch the padded lining shell.

5. Place your stitched outer and padded lining shell on your dress form. Pin your collar or hood, as well as your sleeve cuffs, collar and waistband. Carefully try on your jacket and make any necessary fit adjustments on your dress form. Insert your zipper or add your snaps and machine stitch your varsity jacket.

References

• "The Sewing Book"; Alison Smith; 2009
• "Pattern Making by the Flat-Pattern Method: Fifth Edition"; Norma R. Hollen; 1981