September is the month of outerwear in my self-imposed challenge. September is also a month with a very busy work schedule, so my production rate slowed down considerably compared to August. However, I managed to finish a couple of projects, and the Papercut Stacker jacket was the first. It has been worn out and about many times already and is a great addition to my outerwear collection.

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This project was inspired by a number of iterations mainly found via the #stackerjacket tag on Instagram. I love the boxy shape of the jacket and the workwear vibe, and it is a pattern with loads of hacking possibilities. It can be made up in all kinds of fabric, you can line it or not, and you can lengthen it to a coat.

I wanted a slimmer fit than intended and went down a size, which was by and large a success. It is a tad snug across my back and the armsyce is a bit tight, which gives little room for layering a sweater under. This is ok, because my plan for this jacket is to wear it as the weather transitions during early autumn and in spring when you want to wear something warm to protect you from chilly wind outdoors, but only a light shirt or tee indoors. If I make another one, I’ll adjust the back slightly (adding a small broad back adjustment), but it’s totally wearable as it is. Since I’m a little shorter than average most cropped jackets hit me too low on my hips. I shortened the pattern pieces by 4 centimeters and it worked really well. Besides lining the pockets, this was the only modification I made to the pattern. The fabric is a medium/heavy weight wool flannel with (60%wool, 40%viscose). It has enough body for a jacket and is quite warm. For the lining, I used a pinstripe tencel twill I had in my collection. I adore the color combination – mustard yellow and light grey is one of my favorite color combinations. It works with so many other colors, and the addition of white feels particularly fresh.

My new sewing machine behaved really well and I managed to sew with topstitching thread without any problems. I changed the needle (topstitch 90) and everything worked out the way it should, including the button holes. Topstitching has been a challenge to get right before, but this time it went as planned with no need of the seam ripper – fantastic! The gold thread against the grey flannel adds interest and ties the colors of the lining and the outer fabric together.

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The pattern instructions are easy to follow, and I had no problems during the process. One thing, though: The sleeve cap has a lot of ease and required heavy steaming to get it smooth. I’m curious to know if it really is necessary to have that much ease in a sleeve cap in a drop shoulder design. I think it would look better if it was flatter. The last thing I want is a pouf below the shoulder seam in a design like this. I am tempted to try to make an alteration next time – adding a small bicep adjustment and lower the curve on top a little. I think that would improve the fit. If anyone has experience with this, please leave a comment because I’d love to learn more about this.

Sewing outerwear is challenging and rewarding, and having a variety of jackets and coats to choose from brings the basics in my wardrobe to life. Most of the year wearing outerwear is a necessity here in Oslo, so sewing up a few is a no-brainer.

Pattern: Stacker jacket by Papercut Patterns
Fabric: 1.5 m wool flannel from Saab tekstil and 1.2 m tencel twill from metermeter.dk