Stalker Jacket + Mood Fabrics Discount Code!!

Being in quarantine, I really miss getting inspiration from the window shopping and people-watching I do going to and from work. Back in early January, I saw the FLYEST jacket EVVVVVER while going down to grab my lunch at work. “GASP,” I exclaimed in my head! I was walking, a safe distance, behind her trying to memorize the jacket details because, I had also declared that, “I’m going to make THAT!” Now, in hindsight, I should’ve just said, “Hi lady, your jacket is super cute! Can I take a picture of it? Cause I’m going to make one just like it.” But I didn’t want to be a weirdo………..I just snapped a pic as I followed her to grab my salad and followed her back to the elevator to keep absorbing details. **awkward crooked smile emoji**

I knew I had a jacket pattern at home that I could hack into what I needed. I just needed to find a good faux fur and the right army green mid-weight sort of canvas-y material. I found a great green fabric at Mood Fabric. In store, it’s item #115847 and I got 2.5 yards of it. It’s not online but this cotton canvas comes close.

I also found this amazing faux fur on Fabrics.com. (But it’s currently sold out!!!! Ugh!)

If I were to do this again, I would absolutely get this Faux Arctic Fox Fur OR THIS Rifle Green Abstract Faux Fur from Mood! WHAT!??! Still side-eye-ing that second one. Hhhhmmfppptt.

I pulled out my Simplicity 8700 pattern and started planning!

I did View 1 with the sleeve cuffs, added the tabs on the shoulders, in a size medium, with top pockets and flaps, and would cut the jacket into two 1-5/8″ below the waistline. AND ADD POCKETS! I used the bottom piece of the jacket as inner lining and as a guide to cut the fur that I’d sew onto. The pockets were meant to be invisible so that I could slip my hands into them under the fur from the outside. I messed up while sewing in the lining so the pockets are there but they’re accessed from the inside. I’m totally ok with that! I’ll take an inside pocket to no pocket, am I right?

Some notes………I can’t say that I enjoyed making this pattern. The cuff is really just a cuff on the sleeves. I would’ve enjoyed making a split cuff instead. And there is a generous amount of ease on the medium size. But those are both on me for next time. I should have read the whole pattern first and measured the pattern out to make sure it’s not too baggy. The sleeve and collar installation were both wonky to me. I let the faux fur breathe a bit to fluff out. I let it fluff up before I cut into it and I let it sit on the jacket a while before I trimmed it. Yes, you heard me. I bought a hair trimmer fringy thing at the beauty supply store and trimmed some of the fur coming out of the top seam. I initially decided not to trim off the fur in the seam allowance because I didn’t want it to possibly look a little bald or lacking around the seams.

All in all, I LOVE this jacket! I was so proud of it that I decided to splurge and get the buttonholes done by a professional in the fashion district but I never made it. Work was busy and I didn’t get a chance to escape to get this done and then the work from home directive came through so I ended up doing my own buttonholes. They’re not amazing but they came out quite alright.

LASTLY, a 10% discount code for Mood Fabrics: MSNDB44!!! I”m so happy to be a part of their sewing network and how cool is it that I can share a discount code? I like a discount. You like a discount? Who doesn’t like a discount? Huh? Who?

Fun Fact: whenever I’d go fabric shopping with my mom in Midtown Manhattan, she’d ALWAYS haggle and/or ask for a discount. And 9 out of 10 times, she got it!