Kelly Anorak Progress

Here is the finished muslin for my Anorak.  My final version will include adding length, moving the waist casing down an inch, and possibly changing out the sleeves for a roomier fit.

Ready, Set, Go!  For the month of November, I am constructing my Anorak, little by little.  Oh, and YOU ARE INVITED to see the process!  I will be posting updates here as I finish each step, and give you a little insight on things that would be helpful for that step.  From muslin to finished garment, I will show you how I get there.

Pockets

I love these gusset pockets!  They look COMPLICATED, but they really aren't.  The tip here is, if you follow your notches carefully, and pay heed to the seam allowances (as well as the additional 1" turn for the bottom two sides) then you will be successful here.  There is also a helpful tutorial on the Closet Case website here.  

The snaps are also very easy to attach!  I ordered the hardware kit from Closet Case, and it proved to be a worthy investment.  It has everything you need for installation, as well as a few extra snaps just in case you are error-prone, like me, lol!  

Here is the final look with the snaps open:

Now they are ready to be attached to my jacket

Jacket lining
Somehow I find myself starting witht the INSIDE of the jacket after constructing the pockets.  I am constructing everything with the lining first, so I can easily insert it after I finish the jacket exterior.  I started with the jacket hood.  It is roomy, but not excessively so.

I haven't done any plaid matching on this part of the hood, and I hope it won't be noticed too much on the inside of the jacket.  I am ok with not driving myself crazy about it for now.  For the hood, I recommend sewing slowly.  It is much easier to ease the curved pieces together when you have some control.  Other than that, this goes together well.  

I like the way it is looking so far!  Everything on the WRONG side of the lining is pressed with the seams open.  I didn't think flat felled seams were necessary, but will do them for the outside of the jacket, of course.

Here is the completed jacket lining with sleeves attached.  There are no additional tips to add here, yet I will state that the sleeve pattern in this lining expansion pack is created with more room in mind.  However, the sleeve lining does feel a bit constricted while on.  I will give more feedback once I have the jacket finished and tried on.  It may be possible to do some adjusting on this portion.

 

This is what the hood lining and outer hood look like together!  I just had to take a break and put it on, lol!!! I've got a hood!!!!!  And I love it!  I am super happy with the lining fabric choice.  It brings the navy twill out even more.  

My tip for this portion is to use a serger if you have it.  I serged the outer hood seams before constructing them, and then stitched a faux flat fell seam.  It helps to eliminate bulkiness, and it lays beautifully.  Also, there is a small portion between the first and second notch that the instructions say needs to be eased in.  I actually sewed a long basting stitch to gather the fabric some, and ease it in, like you would a sleeve.  The results were awesome!!

*For the hood, wait until you attach it to the jacket to topstitch it.  It is much easier to line up the hood edge and jacket edge if you do so.

Drawstring Casing (optional)

I knew that I wanted a drawstring casing for my jacket, so that is what you see here.  I didn't know that this casing would entail a bit more time and attention than I originally thought.  It is a simple casing to sew on, yet I was as careful as I could in marking where my natural waistline fell (that is where you position this).  

Since I added 1" to account for my longer torso, I ended up moving my casing down a bit.  Then I did some more measuring to see where the casing should hit on each side seam.  When sewing, it is easy to attach the casing on the top portion, install your grommet, install your drawstring, and THEN sew the casing closed.  However, my tip here is to be aware of the positioning of your grommet.  My grommet was in the way, and I had to creatively topstitch.

Installing the grommets was not hard at all!  I was pleased with how well everything came together, but I did have a moment of panic when I created a hole with my awl and got some unraveling.  I thought it might continue and mess the grommet up, but it didn't.

I interfaced the area before inserting the grommets, and be aware that the hole you create for this portion is a little bigger than the one for snaps.  There is more helpful info on the Closet Case website here.

Pocket placement/Sewing Placket and Facings

I admit I did not sew on the pockets in the best way.  I am a measurer by heart, and I attached everything by following my markings, and then making sure everything lined up spatially.  For the right side of the jacket there is less spacing from the pocket to the placket. On the left side, there is a couple of inches more.  This is part of the design, since the placket will contain snaps and fold over.  If everything was equally spaced, you could fold the jacket right sides together and check the placement, but I don't think that would work in this instance.  It took some working, but I did get my pockets lined up to my satisfaction.

The placket and facing were actually quite simple to create.  My tip here is to make sure the zipper is oriented correctly while you are sewing it.  It should be face down at first, so that it turns outward when you press your seam.

At one point in the instructions, you sandwich the zipper to get the facing on.

Putting it all together

Once everything was constructed, the lining and jacket went together pretty seamlessly.  I admit I got stuck on attaching the hood jacket/lining to the jacket and lining because the instructions got a little tricky for me there.

I contacted Closet Case Patterns, and received extremely helpful advice from Alexis!! I was able to figure out that I needed to wrap the hood facing HORIZONTALLY around the neckline seam in order to get it attached. Overall, my BEST tip is this: if you purchase the lining expansion to go with your pattern, make sure you follow the instructions that come with it.  They have been adjusted, and some steps in the original book have been moved around to give you the best outcome.

In conclusion, after all of your hard work, this is where you will end up:

Best wishes on sewing your own Kelly Anorak, and feel free to message me with any questions.  I would love to know how your version is coming along, and if this information about my experience has been helpful!