Tips and Tricks for Sewing the 537 Frenchglen Barn Jacket

The 537 Frenchglen Barn Jacket is one of our most popular patterns. It is a fully lined jacket with zippered pockets plus handwarmer pockets on the outside, and zippered pockets on the inside.  The jacket can be closed with heavy-duty snaps or buttons, and the cuffs can be made with a velcro closure. It is a classic jacket, similar to a Barbour coat or LL Bean's barn jacket.

My daughter was asking for a barn jacket for Christmas, and I asked if she would be ok if I made one for her (instead of spending $300+ on a Barbour jacket).  She said yes!  I used a navy dry oil cloth that we had in stock and bought a flannel cotton plaid that coordinated for the lining.  I used a large whae corduroy for the collar (just needed a scrap).  I used heavy-duty antique brass snaps, and I added a tunnel with a shock cord in the lining at the waist so that the coat could be drawn closer to the waist.  The coat turned out so well!  And my daughter loved it!  

I am going to list some of my tips and tricks for sewing this pattern below in hopes they help you.  And I'll give a quick overview of how I made the cording tunnel for the waist.

Tips and Tricks:

• You can serge instead of zig-zagging seam allowances.
• I did a faux flat felled seam for the side seams and shoulder seams.  
• Top stitching around curves can be tricky.  For the curves of the pockets and pocket flaps, you can draw in the top stitching lines with chalk or a water/heat-erasable marker.  This way, you can get an accurate guide for your topstitching (in a place where it will be seen).
• I also had a little trouble with the lining of the pocket showing through a little along the edges.  My lining fabric was more looselywoven than the cotton oil cloth of the outer fabric, so I probably should have cut the pocket linings just a little smaller than the outer pockets.  
• I also found the pocket zipper opening to be about 1/8" too long.  I should have compared my zipper to the opening to see if I wanted it shorter, but didn't think of it until it was too late.  It was not a big issue, just something I would do differently next time.
• You don't have to zig-zag the curves of the pockets or flaps.  I preferred to clip and trim the seam allowance to allow for the curve to open evenly. Then I turned the fabric to the right side and would topstitch.
• For the sleeves, sew ease stitching in the sleeve cap to start to make easing in the sleeve much easier.  Sew two rows of ease stitching at 3/8" and at 5/8", with a long stitch length, and between the notch on the sleeve cap front and three-quarters of the way down the back side of the cap.  
• Stay stitch the neckline of the jacket, especially if you have a fabric that is somewhat loosely woven.  My flannel fabric was a bit loose, so the stay stitching was very important to keep the neck in shape before putting the lining and outer fabrics together and adding the collar.
• You could use 1" wide grosgrain ribbon/webbing instead of the 3/4" wide that the pattern suggests.  I found the 3/4" webbing a little too narrow and I needed to trim the neck seam down to fit under the grosgrain.  This may be because my fabric (and seams) were a little heavy or bulky, but either way, a slightly wider webbing would have been easier.

How to do the tunnel for a drawstring at the waist:

• Cut a fabric strip from your lining fabric that is 2 inches longer than where the facings fold to the inside of the jacket at the waist of the jacket.  And cut it about 2 inches wide.  You want the strip to be tucked inside the facings when you are finished.
• Fold the long sides in by 1/2" on each side, and the ends by 1/2" to 1", and press.  
• Put a small eyelet at each end of the strip, making sure it will be outside the facings when they are placed over the strip.
• Then pin this long strip to the waist of the jacket, keeping it straight.  Sew in place along the two long edges.  The short ends will be covered by the facings.  You can stitch this to the lining only, which is what I did (before I completely sewed the lining to the outer shell), or you can sew through all layers.  I did tack the lining to the outer shell at the side seams where the drawstring was -- to keep the layers together.
• Feed a 1/8" shock cord through the eyelets and tunnel you made with the fabric using a safety pin or a bodkin.  Cut your cord a few inches longer than the width of the tunnel.  
• Thread a small toggle on each end of the cord and tie a knot at the end to keep the toggle from coming off.