Simplicity 1540 Ruffled Collar Jacket

This is my second project using Simplicity 1540 and this time I sewed view C which features a ruffled collar.

This wonderful sweatshirt knit fabric was purchased two years ago from Emma One Sock. It has a knit side on the outside and a soft fleece on the wrong side. Since it did not ravel, I knew it would work and I loved the idea of the white fleece providing a contrast from the wrong side. 

And because the fabric was quite thick, I thought a lapped seam construction was best. I loved how it turned out because it mimicked the look of a sherpa fleece jacket. I'm sure there are many tutorials on how to do lapped seam but I love this tutorial by Kathryn Brenne. I have tried it before when I sewed with scuba knit and I adapted the method to handle all the seams on this jacket, including the facings and front openings. I did used some shortcuts to facilitate the process. 

Lapped Seams

Instead of marking my 5/8" seam guidelines with marker, I just machine basted them. I found it faster because there was already a seam guide on the sewing machine.

Below are pictures showing the succeeding steps in the lapped seam construction:

Trimming the seam allowance from the overlapping seam.

Pinning the overlapping seam to the underlying seam. For straightforward seams, I did away with handbasting. 

Edgestitching and topstitching on the overlapping layers. When securing thread ends I had to take note of the 5/8" mark where the overlapping seam will be trimmed.

Excess fabric trimmed from the wrong side.

Closeup of the lapped seam in the right front area and armhole. 

Lapped seam used on the sleeve and sleeve band.

Finishing

To finish the front openings, I bound the edges with one inch strips of self-fabric and topstitched. 

For the bottom hem, I just turned the hem allowance in and topstitched. 

For the snap closures, I disregarded the marked locations from the pattern and adjusted to fit. 

I sewed on a label to the back neck facing to secure the facing to the jacket. I also tacked the facing along the shoulder seams.

I love how my jacket feels! It is super soft and cozy. It has a lot of ease so I can easily wear a medium weight sweater underneath. 

I usually prefer lined jackets but this was one instance when a lining would not have been a good idea because it would have covered that soft warm fleece.

Back view.

And my favorite part, the ruffled collar!