Make a Rag Fur Jacket, then get used to total strangers showering you with compliments. This is a loose-fitting jacket with striking visual and tactile appeal. The rag fur fringe is sewn at a flattering angle so it looks great no matter your figure. It's easy to sew and very comfortable to wear. Surprisingly lightweight, it's a great jacket for spring and fall. Throw it over your shoulders in over-air-conditioned restaurants in summer, or layer it under your coat in winter. It's the perfect garment for all seasons and it's the best travel jacket ever. Scrunch it up in your suitcase, then unpack it and give it a good shake. You can't iron it even if you wanted to!
Nicknamed "Michigan Mink," this jacket is straight-sided with side slits for easy movement. There are no darts to sew.
You are purchasing a tissue paper pattern with full-sized pattern pieces in sizes XXS to XXXL and an 8-page instruction booklet.
Each step in the instruction booklet is illustrated, but you should probably read the words too. (Please read the words!) There are just four easy-to-cut-out pieces: back, front, neckband, and cuffs. That's it! First construct the jacket base, make the fringe, sew the fringe on the jacket base, join the jacket seams, and add the neckband and cuffs.
Making the fringe is easier than you think. You will rotary cut multiple layers of stacked fabric on the bias following the instructions in the pattern. Then cut slits along the still-layered strips of fabric with a sturdy pair of scissors, slicing from one edge almost to the other, leaving about 1/8" intact. Why doesn't the fringe get stringy or fall apart over time? It's cut on the bias. True bias edges don't ravel!
Sewing on the fringe is the most time-consuming part, but it's super easy. You can do this!
While you can make a Rag Fur Jacket with regular quilting weight cotton, I strongly recommend using batik fabric instead. It is thinner and more tightly woven. The color saturation is intense on BOTH sides, and your jacket will last much longer. If you need to cut costs, you can use non-batik fabric for the jacket base and use batik for the fringe. (Using quilting weight fabric for the fringe will make you will look like a piñata.)
Fun fact: The jacket I'm wearing on the pattern cover was made using only scraps. Whatever batik fabric I found in the closet got chopped up and "fringed." Totally random. It's one of my favorite jackets. Batik fabric really does work the best.
Guaranteed to turn heads, this is the most fun jacket you'll ever wear. And it's so comfortable you won't want to take it off! What are you waiting for?
Ami Simms 🙂