You know that feeling when a garment just gets you? Not because it’s flashy or on trend but because it moves right, feels right, fits right and looks great on you. That’s exactly how I felt the first time I wore Jenna’s jacket.
A chance discovery
I “found” the women’s plus size jacket during a sewing class at Timaru Sewing Centre. It was lying on a pile of scrap fabric.
“Oooo, I wonder who this belongs to,” I said picking it up and looking at how well it was sewn.
“I love it.” I held it up and looked in the mirror with it against my body.
“I want it,” I said. My fellow sewing students rolled their eyes.
Lost and found and lost
A number of times I thought I’d lost a favourite jacket by leaving it on the back of a chair in a meeting room or conference centre, at an event or even in the library. I felt so lucky because I’d go back and it was still there but one time, it had gone. While it is annoying to lose a favourite jacket, I hope whoever is wearing it now likes it as much as I did.
Doing the right thing
I’m an honest person so I couldn’t just take this jacket. Not when I knew the owner could probably be found.
I took it to the owner of the Timaru Sewing Centre and she knew immediately who it belonged to. It was Jenna’s – one of the tutors of another sewing class.
I handed it over but the garment stayed on my mind.
Trying it on with permission
The next day, after a quick phone call, I had Jenna’s permission to try on the jacket. I practically ran to the sewing centre during my lunch break for the opportunity to see this beautiful jacket again.
The sewing centre manager snapped a few photos of me in the jacket. I wore a simple black dress I’d made and somehow the whole outfit just worked.
“It looks great on you. Did you plan to wear that dress?” the sewing centre owner asked. Nope. Total fluke. I’d only phoned on a whim, wondering if Jenna’s jacket might still be around.
Oh, it felt so good with it on my back, a perfect fit.
I decided I needed to meet Jenna and talk to her about her the women’s plus size jacket sewing pattern she’d used to make it.
Advanced but doable with encouragement
“It’s a great jacket, isn’t it?” Jenna beamed.
It absolutely is.
Turns out, this dreamy garment wasn’t just made for admiration. Jenna had originally brought it in the jacket for one of her students.
“She wanted something with a bit of swing, maybe a high-low hem,” Jenna explained. “And I thought, well—you can do that with anything. Your sleeve length, hem—those are easy changes. This women’s jacket sewing pattern had all the characteristics she was looking for.”
It does swish beautifully. The student loved it but worried it might be too challenging.
“It is an advanced pattern,” Jenna said. “An advanced Vogue pattern.” (Vogue 1494).
She looked at me and smiled. “But you could totally do it.”
That moment stayed with me. Not just because the jacket was gorgeous (and it was) but because of what it represented – a level-up moment in sewing. It was that gentle nudge toward something more ambitious – maybe even a little glamorous.
From stash to sparkle
“I just fell in love with the fabric,” Jenna told me. “I bought three metres (it was 150cm wide) and I had it sitting in my stash for ages and I didn’t know what to do with it.”
Of course I had to ask where it was from.
“The fabric store,” she said. “It’s 100 per cent linen but it’s foil-printed—that’s where the metallic sheen comes from.”
The owner of the sewing centre and I had both wondered what it was. We had guesses about silk and blends but it turns out it was pure linen, glammed up with a foil overlay. Now I know, it makes sense. It’s one of those fabrics that quietly commands attention.
The big bang
Jenna didn’t know what she was going to make with the fabric when she bought it, maybe pants. At some point, as these things happen, the fabric and the pattern collided in a little burst of creative clarity.
“I love Vogue patterns and when Spotlight has a sale, well… I go a bit nuts buying them,” she laughed. “Other times the fabric leads the way. But this jacket—it was like a big bang in the middle. One day I just knew—this fabric was meant to become that jacket.”
Jenna made the jacket not long after moving to her current home in Winchester, South Canterbury, New Zealand. It was around 2015 or 2016. The fabric had travelled with her from Christchurch, quietly waiting for its moment and it didn’t disappoint.
A jacket with just the right drama
“I wear it in spring and autumn—it’s not warm enough for winter, and you don’t want to wear a jacket like that for summer,” Jenna explained.
I personally think it would make a great special occasion jacket or as Jenna says, it is for every day. It’s one you can wear when you want to feel a little bit special. Isn’t that the dream – everyday pieces that make you feel like the an A-list celebrity.
What Jenna loved most about making it was the topstitching—especially across the dramatic collar. “I love garments with topstitching,” she said. “And that collar has lots of top stitching. It’s just gorgeous.”
Interestingly, the pattern shows the collar standing up but it also sits flat beautifully.
This is one of the few garments Jenna has made for herself that turned out better than she ever expected and it shows. The cut, the shimmer, the swing. It’s got presence, it’s got personality and it made me feel fabulous just trying it on. That’s how clothing should be.
Inspiration that sticks
Later, Jenna showed me the pattern (Vogue 1494).
“This is my spare pattern,” she said, holding it like a treasure. “I bought it twice because I knew it was going to be popular.”
The pattern is now out of print so Jenna is glad she bought two.
“This one’s uncut. I’m not cutting it until the other one is absolutely dead.”
When she does open the pattern envelope, Jenna intends to copy it onto something more permanent. I get it. Some patterns are worth preserving.
The women’s jacket sewing pattern is designed to be made with lamb leather but it works beautifully in other fabrics too. It swishes like a dream.
I think what I love most is how much care and attention Jenna puts into her pieces, not just in making them but in teaching others how to make them too.
“If you want to make your wedding dress or something horribly complicated … nothing is too challenging,” Jenna told me.
Walking away inspired
I walked away from that conversation with Jenna thinking two things:
- I really want to make that jacket; and
- I’m not going to sell myself short next time a “challenging” pattern comes my way.
When something makes you feel that good – swishy and all – it’s worth the extra effort.
Jenna is Creative Genius at Jenna Sews, 153 Temuka-Orari Highway, Winchester.
I enjoyed reading your well-written blog Helen and I’m looking forward to reading about the creation of your beloved jacket. You obviously have a lot of fun creating clothes you love and sharing your experiences. PS Good luck with your latest sew!