Shacket Season: Fun, Flannel, and DIY Style

Shirt or jacket? Why not both! Transform your favorite shirt or shirtdress pattern into a chic, oversized shacket. Perfect for layering over a turtleneck with jeans or leather pants, or draping over a dress for a feminine twist. Time for shacket season and to hack your way to cozy, stylish layers!

Supplies

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Shirt or shirtdress pattern with sleeves (such as the Kalle Shirtdress by Closet Case Patterns)

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Plaid fabric (such as wool or wool blends; recommended amount plus 1 yard)

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All-purpose thread

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Buttons

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Pattern or tracing paper

Plan & Alter

Choose from a variety of fabrics like wool, leather/pleather and prints like plaid, Glen plaid, checks, tweed and houndstooth. Color blocking or mixing prints like two-tone plaids or checks is a trendy way to add interest to your jacket.

The featured project used a lightweight wool blend plaid fabric and accented it with a solid jacquard fabric for the back yoke lining, pockets, Hong-Kong seams and hem.

Start with a favorite collared shirt pattern, or any shirt pattern. This sample uses Closet Case Kalle shirt with the sleeve extension because of the curved hem, but other potential patterns include the Grainline Studio Archer, the Mimi G Style Simplicity S9052 or the Friday Pattern Company Ilford Jacket.

Customize your jacket by adding pockets. Options include classic patch pockets, pockets with flaps, box pleat flap pockets or cargo pockets. Play around with the proportion and placement of the pockets as you’re planning your hack. And feel free to borrow pattern pieces from other patterns. The front patch pockets with flaps on the featured sample are from Mimi G Simplicity 9052, with additional added inseam pockets.

FAB FINISHES
Because the jacket is unlined, consider some high-end seam finishing options. Flat-felled or French seams are durable and neat seam finishes, although they might be harder to achieve on thicker fabrics. Hong-Kong or bias-bound seams are your best bet, and even though they’re a little time consuming, they’re well worth the effort. In addition to covering the raw edges, they will add a little pop of color to your jacket.

Cut

If using a plaid fabric, make sure to buy more fabric than the suggested amount on the yardage chart of the pattern in order to match the plaid or large/small-scale print.

Cut fabric in single layers to avoid mismatch.

Add contrast to the jacket by cutting the back yoke lining, the pockets, the sleeve cuff lining and bias binding for Hong Kong seams in a different fabric.

Cut the fabric and transfer all markings, including the pocket placement, before constructing the jacket.