Made by a Fabricista: Dreaming of Spring Anorak

I’m thrilled to be back as a Fabric Mart Fabricista for 2022! This year I’m challenging myself to sew Fabricista projects that either expand my skills or are stylistically different from what I have sewn or worn in the past. At the end of this post, I’ll tell you how this make met that goal.

Here in the North, we’re watching the snow fall and know that we have a few more weeks of the white stuff and freezing temperatures but we are planning for warmer days! For this Fabricista make, I made an anorak that will get me through late winter and early spring days.

A couple of years ago I bought Simplicity 8843 (an unlined anorak) and that seemed like a great project for this time of year. I looked through Fabric Mart’s catalogue for the perfect fabric and stopped when I saw this 100% cotton twill in a fun and colorful floral and skulls print. The brilliant tones in this print are nothing like traditional pale spring colors! Those greens, blues, corals and pinks will pop against snow or the dull late-winter landscape. The fabric was labelled for dresses, tops and skirts and it is also the perfect weight for a light, casual jacket.

The pattern went together very easily. The main challenge was pattern matching and I wasn’t entirely successful on the front panel but the pockets and cord facing appear seamless! This twill fabric was easy to work with - it cut, sewed and pressed very well, and it also looked great after unpicking. (There is ALWAYS unpicking on my garments!)

Because I want to wear this jacket in cooler weather, I added a lining using 100% nylon ripstop. The pattern didn’t include a lining which meant I drafted one using one of the sewing books in my library. It was easier than I expected and certainly makes the jacket more versatile.

I’m looking forward to wearing this jacket on warm spring days and cool summer evenings. It’s going to add a great pop of color to my wardrobe and no one else will have anything like it!

So how did this meet my goals? This project was technically challenging because I drafted a lining for the first time! And the fabric print is different from pretty much everything else in my wardrobe. A good start to my personal sewing goals for 2022.

If you're interested in seeing more about this garment, please visit my YouTube Channel, Janine Sews.

Thanks for visiting!

JANINE | @janineerm

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories: COTTON, TWILL, & LINING.