Wardrobe By Me: Men’s Fleece Jacket Release

This post contains affiliate links. I received the pattern free in exchange for testing it.

After being a member of the Wardrobe By Me pattern testing group for quite possibly an entire year, I finally, FINALLY, had time to participate in a test! My local sewing friend, Shalini, frequently tests for WBM and always raves about them to me, so I knew I wanted to get in on their tests!

If you’re unfamiliar with Wardrobe By Me, it’s owned by Christina, a Danish designer with 20 years of industry experience. The designs are Scandinavian inspired, and most of her patterns are for women, but recently she has added menswear to her collection.

I decided that my poor, neglected husband deserved a new make from me, and I knew the Men’s Fleece Jacket would be exactly his style.

The jacket is designed for fabrics such as fleece, French Terry, Soft Shell, and sweatshirt fabric. It has two inseam zippered pockets, and an inside chest pocket. There’s also an optional hood.

Sizing for this jacket runs from 2XS up to 3XL (chest 27.5in – 45in). Length is based on a height of 5’4″ – 6′. My husband measured XL and is 6′ tall. I did not lengthen the pattern, however the designer has added an extra 1-2 inches to the length since I made this version.

The style lines on this jacket are a real stand out to me. I really like them!

I used a combination of both my coverstitch machine and regular sewing machine for all the top stitching in this jacket. The jacket itself doesn’t require fabric that stretches (though mine has 4 way stretch), and the top stitched areas don’t have strain on them, so it’s fine to use a regular straight stitch for the top stitching. Most of my seams were serged, but some had to be done solely on my sewing machine.

I usually love invisible zippers, though I must say, these ones were a little more complicated to do than I’m used to (I usually use invisible zips in dresses where they’re left open at the top (rather than being between 2 seams). The instructions for the zipper installation are detailed though, so just be patient and follow them, and you will have beautiful inseam pockets too! (The pattern is rated 3/4 for difficulty because of the zippers. You will need both an invisible zipper foot and regular zipper foot.).

The only change I’ll make to my next one is that I’ll add binding to the collar seam like I did in my recent Jalie jacket. Doing this will make it easier to sew that seam without the cumbersome work of folding the edge under.

Also, two things to pay attention to while you’re making this: 1) double check that your inside pocket zipper is facing the right way as you install it – I did mine upside down so I ended up putting that piece of fabric on inside out because I didn’t want to unpick it. 2) make sure you align the inside pocket notch with the notch on the bodice. I initially aligned the top of the pocket with that notch, so the pocket was partially overlapping the side pockets. Oops!

Back in December, FabricMart had a huge sale on Polartec Power Stretch, so I picked up 3 yards in black, knowing this project would be coming in the new year. The fabric has fleece on the inside, is smooth on the outside, and stretches in both directions. It’s really comfortable to wear, and nice and warm too.

I’m definitely going to be making more of these jackets! I know my dad would love one, and my husband could probably do with a couple more too!

The Wardrobe My Me Men’s Fleece Jacket is on sale for $10 USD (usually $13 USD) until February 28, 2019.

Link Summary

• Wardrobe By Me – Men’s Fleece Jacket
• Polartec – Fabric Mart (FabricMart only carry closeouts, so selection will vary. For a better selection year-round, check out Discovery Trekking Outfitters in Canada (they ship internationally).)
• Zippers (YKK) – Wawak