Closet Core Patterns – Kelly Anorak
I am super excited to share this make! I love love love quick and easy sews (basically my staple wardrobe is t-shirts), so this was definitely a change of pace. Bring in the Kelly Anorak from Closet Core Patterns! I sewed up a size 6 and didn’t adjust for height, which I’m glad because I love the length as is! (I’m 5’4 and the pattern is drafted for 5’6) I also used my projector to cut out the pattern, which probably helped me whip it out as quickly as I did. Printing and taping is seriously the worst thing ever.
I basically sewed this whole thing with just the Sew Along posts. It’s a million times easier to see what’s happening with the real life photos for the steps rather than just illustrations, so I would highly suggest looking at that if you are going to be sewing the Kelly Anorak! I think I looked at the actual instructions maybe once, apart from looking at it for the size chart.
The hardware kit for the jacket is awesome, and super convenient! **Please note** the hardware kit comes with 15 snaps. The pattern calls for 13 snaps as written (2 for practicing). If you follow the sew along, the pictures show 10 snaps along the front placket (instead of 9 and I liked the spacing of 10 better anyway) and 2 for each cuff (plus 2 for the pockets), which ends up being 16 snaps in total, which is one short and no room to practice! So make sure you keep in mind if you want to get the hardware kit. You can also do 10 snaps along the front and then only 1 for each cuff, which will still give you enough snaps.
The hardware kit also comes with a 26″ zipper, which does fit perfectly, however whenever I sew this again, I’ll probably opt for a slightly shorter zipper, 24-25″. If you want to shorten your zipper, these top zipper stops are pretty nice!
Make sure you get enough thread! I got 3 spools of Gutterman thread to match my jacket and I honstly should have gotten 4. I got down to the wire at the end and started to use a different thread color for the construction and my matching thread for all the topstitching, that way I wouldn’t risk run out (none of my local shops had the right color). In the sew along, they use a triple stitch for topstitching, which makes the stitches super durable and stand out, which I LOVE! But also requires way more thread. So get one more than you think JUST in case.
For this jacket, I decided to do underlining instead of lining the jacket with the lining expansion. Basically you just baste a lining fabric to your main and act like it’s one piece. It’s constructed just like the unlined version but looks lined and quite polished! There is an add-on pack to the Kelly for lining, but it has a different sleeve piece and I really like the way it looks with the sleeve cuffs for the unlined version. So this was a win/win.
Fabric
The fabric I used for this jacket is Robert Kaufman Ventana Twill (in the sew along, this was recommended as the base that was basically made for the Kelly, so I had to use it!). I ordered it from Fancy Tiger Crafts. You can also order matching Gutermann thread with your fabric. Super convenient, just make sure you order enough spools!
The lining is Leo’s Orchard in Cream from Art Gallery Fabrics. There are a handful of places that had this fabric, but some were sold out or on preorder, but Hawthorn Supply Co. had it in stock.
Since I did underlining, the first step was to baste the two layers together. Thankfully you don’t need to line ALL the pieces. Front, front yoke, back, both sleeve pieces and the hood. I used this basting spray first, and then machine basted around the edges. Avoid basting the bottom edge of the front/back incase your lining ends up being a little longer. It will be easier to trim it before hemming.
Now to get the party started! Pockets! These pockets are super fun! I’ve never done a 3D pocket before and I absolutely love how they turned out
This jacket seemed to come together SUPER quick. Maybe because the big pieces get sewn together in the very beginning. But look at that! It’s already taking shape!
Honestly, when I first saw photos of this jacket, I was not 100% sure about the drawstring waist. I was really undecided if I liked it or not. It is optional but I’m so glad I went with it because I LOVE it! Here it is with the drawstring installed and then again with the placket installed! You can see that the top of the placket is a little short. I should have fixed it with a slightly smaller seam allowance so it matched at the neck, but I was being lazy and didn’t fix it.
Sewing flat felled seams on the hood was a little tricky. I highly suggest one of those pressing hams. It would have made pressing it so much easier! It’s on my list of things to get sooner than later. It’s so handy! Wash away Wonder Tape is also SUPER helpful to hold those seams down along the curved hood.
Here’s a nice look at the jacket before sleeves are added! I did a Hong Kong finish along the bottom hem but the only dark binding I had was this dark blue (the stores were already closed and I wanted to get this part done!) If you want your topstitching to be even along the binding on the hem, make sure you pay extra attention on your hem allowance. I eyeballed it when I pressed mine and you can definitely see a few spots where the thread isn’t straight on the inside. Though, it’s one of those things that no one will ever notice except me.
I did the hood the next day and was able to get black binding for that. If you are sewing the hood version, I’d suggest to draw your stitch line around where the sharp curve is on the hood. It will make it a ton easier to sew and look a lot cleaner. I did both sides without drawing it on and ended up ripping those stitches out, drawing the line around that part and resewing it. It looked 10x’s better.
Don’t be like me. One of my sleeves was slightly uneven after I finished the little opening in the cuff (I can’t think of what that is called) and guess what? Totally uneven. I debated leaving it for a second but I couldn’t leave it! I can be a bit of a perfectionist at times and this was one of those times. Lucky for me, I really didn’t have to seam rib that much. (Winning!) I just had to unpick the bottom corner of the top stitching and the corner where the cuff and sleeve attach. Easy fix, thankfully! The right is the cuff fixed before I added the topstitching back on. The jacket is too beautiful to leave something as silly as the cuff uneven.
Okay, but seriously. I cannot get over how good this looks! The only thing that is left is snaps….I seriously feel like snaps are the worst part of the whole entire project! I really need to get one of those button gauges. Yet another thing to add to my list. Anyway, as I said earlier, the pattern calls for 9 snaps along the zipper placket but the sew along has 10 and I really like the look and placement of the 10 snaps. Since I added more snaps than recommended, this is where that button gauge would have come in handy. Here’s the approximate placement before I hammered away as well as the armscye seam nicely bound!
I am seriously obsessed with how this turned out. I said I wasn’t going to make another one for awhile, but I kind of want to make another one already! If you want to see the sweet reel I made, you can see it on my instagram HERE.
Have you sewed the Kelly Anorak? Have you considered it? It’s such a satisfying sew. You definitely won’t regret it!
Happy sewing!
5 Comments
Suzanne Mills
Love that coat. The lining fabric makes it for me! Fantastic job.
Trissa Marie
Thank you!! I’m so glad I picked the peaches for the lining. It really was the perfect combination <3
Janelle
Wow, that looks great! Doing underlining plus a Hong Kong finish sounds a lot easier than using the add-on lining pattern.
Trissa Marie
Thank you! It was super easy and still looks sooooo good! I’ll probably always do the underlining instead of the lining add-on since I just love the look of the cuffs.
Debra Bouchard
All I can say is WOW…. that looks fantastic on you!