.A Snuggly Star Jacket.

 

I've mentioned before how much I like to sew cold weather clothing, especially for the kids, and this jacket is no exception. It is extra warm, and soft and snuggly.

I purchased this star-print french terry lycra from Miss Matatabi at the beginning of the year with no plans for it's life (all sold out, but a few other prints here.) I tend to do that when I see a boy-friendly fabric - especially one that will work well for all ages. They can be hard to come by so I like to stock up the stash when I find them.

Then soccer season started and we found ourselves out in the cold on Saturday mornings and Thursday afternoons and Harvey had no jackets that fit him anymore. I still carry him in the ErgoBaby a lot, so knew that a jacket made from a knit fabric would be a lot more comfortable that one made from layers of quilt cotton and batting.

I sized it up so that the jacket could be layered over other clothing and with the hopes that it will still fit for next winter too. It certainly is roomy now, but I think that adds to the snuggly charm.

So, the pattern...from Ottobre of course! From issue 4/2013: Stardust Hooded Jacket with Diagonal Zipper.  I loved the quirky feature of the diagonal zipper down the front and the only zipper I had that kind of matched was this bright green one, but it's fun and adds a pop of colour to a dreary day! There is one circular pocket on the side too which is pretty cool. The only thing I did differently was to add sleeve cuffs instead of binding on the sleeve hems. The sleeves were extra long with the intention of being rolled back, but I didn't like the thick band of navy blue showing so I cut a bit off the sleeve hems and cuffed them with the ribbing instead. The sleeves were quite wide to start with also, but the cuffs tighten them up a bit and keep his arms warmer too. You can see the original sleeves in the photo below:

The jacket is lined with a soft navy blue jersey and bound with some bright Hilco ribbing. I did have to shorten the zipper, which was much more difficult to do than I imagined, but we got there in the end!

Harvey used to hate wearing hoods, but now when we put them on his head he giggles and moves his eyes upwards trying to look at it! So no more cold baby winter head! He's cute, isn't he? And now he is warm too.

 

{While I'm on the subject of Miss Matatabi (I know I harp on about her all the time, but her store is great - and so is she!)...did you hear about the month of June being Nani IRO month? Well it is, you can read more about it on her blog here and tomorrow I'll be back to share one of my Nani IRO projects as part of the Miss Matatabi and Friend's team!}