I am very pleased to introduce you to my latest pattern, the Villers jacket: a chore jacket inspired by workwear and denim clothes.
I launched my previous pattern a couple of years ago, the Coquillage quilted jacket, so it had been a while and I really missed making patterns for Camimade Patterns.
Inspiration: the denim chore jacket
After launching the West End jacket in 2022 with Peppermint Magazine, I wanted to launch my own workwear jacket pattern because it resonates with my style and what I want Camimade Patterns to offer.
When I make a new pattern now, I always try to offer different style variations. This one is no exception, with 3 different collars and 2 lengths.
It is not the first time I offer a Peter Pan collar in a pattern. Do you remember the Paulette dress? I love a statement collar, but I was not sure it would work on an outer piece like a denim jacket. I drafted it, toiled it and I immediatly fell for it!
An other variation offers a classic collar that reflects a more traditional workwear jacket.
As for the mandarin collar, it is also one of my favourite collars, I find it really chic, so why not add it on a workwear piece?
3 views in 1 pattern
Denim workwear jacket with Peter Pan collar: view A
Cotton canvas workwear jacket with classic collar in needlecord fabric: view B
Cotton jacquard chore jacket with mandarin collar: view C
Techniques: workwear seams
This denim jacket pattern is for advanced sewists who have already made jackets and are confident in sewing heavy weight fabrics.
I researched everything about denim seams, aka flat felled seams. I talked with denim experts, experienced machinists and pattern cutters. What I have found is that I was wrong about the previous way I was making flat felled seams.
Well actually not wrong, let me explain… Before, I was making flat felled seams the way I saw on most Youtube videos and sewing tutorials which is: stitch with a 1.5 cm seam allowance, trim one side and fold the other side over it and finally top stitch.
What I have learnt is that they use other ways to make flat felled seams in factories. So in this pattern, I teach two other methods to sewing flat felled seams. I am not saying these are the right methods to make flat felled seams. What I am saying is that, it is how professional machinists do flat felled seams:
I really encourage you to cut some fabric rectangles, try these methods and see how it works for you! Before sewing a whole garment, it is always best to practice seams on your final fabric anyway. That way you can adjust the thread tension, stitch length, etc.
On my instagram page, I have posted some demos:
Fabric suggestions for this chore jacket pattern
For this chore jacket pattern, I recommend using medium to heavy weight woven fabrics. Cotton denim, cotton drill, cotton duck, cotton canvas, you name it. A cotton corduroy would work pretty well too.
For a reference to ready-to-wear workwear jackets, introduce a contrasting fabric for the collar, like needlecord.
Thread recommendation: for heavy weight denim top stitching I recommend Gütermann Mara 80 (left on the following picture). Otherwise, a classic Gütermann sew-all is perfect for lighter fabrics (right). I find the Gütermann top stitching thread (middle x2) too thick to work with so I personally don’t use it but this is a personal preference.
Why Villers?
Villers-sur-mer is the place where I grew up in Normandy (France). I often go back there to visit my parents. Last year, we had an improvised photoshoot during an afternoon at the beach with my family and that’s why I decided to name my pattern Villers.
I can’t wait to see what you are going to make with this pattern! If you decide to share your jacket on Instagram, please use the hashtags #camimadeVillers and tag me with @camimadepatterns. 🙂
