The Lonetree Jacket (Indiesew Fall/Winter Collection Blog Tour)

Allie Olson doesn\’t mess around, does she? In addition to founding Indiesew, she also recently released her very first pattern, and did she go for a simple tank top or a-line skirt? Nope! She went all out with a jacket. Why not?

The Lonetree Jacket (and vest) is an anorak-ish utility jacket. This pattern requires a lot of precise topstitching, which is a little bit intimidating, but coming off my jeans topstitching I was feeling pretty confident. This jacket required a lot of precision stitching, but it weren\’t any very tricky parts, just a lot of steps. I think it\’s totally worth it for a jacket that is maybe the most ready-to-wear looking item in my closet. I honestly have nothing but wonderful things to say about this project–it came together beautifully. Great job, Allie and Indiesew!

I recently wore a pretty similar jacket (from J. Crew c. 2006) here–that particular jacket is one of those garments that I like so much in theory, but I also haven\’t worn it much, either, because the styling felt just a bit off, so I was excited to give it another shot. Copying this rtw jacket and one of the example garments, I made mine in this army green twill (also c/o Indiesew). I then felt a bit guilty about doing so much copying and decided to do some experimentation with my completed jacket, so I bought a big block of Otter Wax!

If you\’ve never waxed anything before, you just rub a big block of wax (like a bar of soap) over the item and then cure either by blow-drying it or just leaving it for a while to sort of melt into the fabric. I did only one coat of wax and so when I ran my jacket hem under the tap, it\’s not particularly waterproof. It does change the hand of the fabric though, giving it more of an \”outerwear\” layer feel. If I wanted it to be really waterproof, I could do another layer of wax, which I might do in the future. I\’m also considering making the hood separately and making it detachable–I think I could just sew it flat and attach some snaps to the hood and the collar, don\’t you think? Then I could always wax the hood really well for rain protection. I\’ll just have to see if I have enough scraps left over to squeeze it out!

I\’ve had such a lovely time working with Indiesew for this tour (and in general–those ladies are so great!) so be sure to take a look at all the other participants! Several other ladies have already shared their Lonetree Jackets, if you want more inspo… Sara of The Sara Project made a gorgeous rust-color jacket and Peggy of Sew House Seven made an army green one with fleecy facings! And keep an eye out for even more jackets as the tour continues!

xoxo,