A review of the Delphine jacket by I AM Patterns

I’ve made two Delphine jackets by I AM Patterns now – one a couple of years ago and one this Spring.  So I thought it would be a good time to share my thoughts on this pattern as well as showing you my two (very different) versions.

The Delphine jacket is described by I AM Patterns as an easy to sew women’s jacket.  It is straight cut with a traditional collar and can be sewn with or without patch pockets.  There are two lengths included, waist length and slightly longer.  It is designed for a reversible fabric, so there is no need for a lining.  However, I AM Patterns have produced a free pdf download for adding a lining to the jacket, if you would like to make it using a non-reversible fabric.

My versions

Version 1 – Teddy coat made using free lining add-on

I made my first version of the Delphine jacket in lovely red Italian teddy fabric from Minerva (link to the fabric here).  This fabric is not reversible so I knew I would need to use the lining add-on to make my Delphine. 

The teddy fabric has some stretch so for the lining fabric I chose a stretch satin in a deep red colour to match the teddy fabric.  I was a bit unsure when choosing lining for this jacket, as it was the first lined item of clothing I had ever made.  The team at Minerva was really helpful and actually sent me the links to several fabrics that might be suitable.  I ordered swatches and then made a decision based on those. 

For this version, I lengthened the Delphine pattern by 6 inches, to turn it into a longer style jacket. 

Version 2 – Quilted coat using reversible teddy fur lined fabric

For my second version, which I made just this month, I used a gorgeous reversible denim blue quilted fabric backed with cream coloured teddy fabric from Guthrie-Ghani.  I originally saw this fabric earlier in the year on Guthrie-Ghani’s website but it had sold out.  I added my name to the waiting list, not really expecting anything, and was very pleasantly surprised when I got an email that it was back in stock.  I snapped some up with the Delphine pattern in mind.

For my version, I chose to finish my jacket with the teddy fabric showing at the cuffs and around the neckline.  For the hem and the pockets, I opted to finish with no teddy fabric showing as a personal preference.  You could however have the inner fabric showing on the hem and pockets too if you prefer.

I made this version of the jacket per the pattern, selecting the longer (slightly longer than waist length) option. 

• 

Sizing

The Delphine jacket unfortunately does not have the broadest size range. The pattern goes from European size 36 (in inches: bust 32 ½ waist 24 ½ hips 34 5/8) to size 46 (bust 40 1/8 waist 32 ¼ hip 42 ½).

My measurements are 32:26:36.  For my versions of the Delphine I therefore chose to make a size 36 at the bust, grading out to size 38 at the hips.  I am happy with this sizing and I am glad I chose to grade out at the hips. There are no finished garment measurements provided with the pattern but the jacket seems to sew up very true to size.  It is not designed to be oversized and I think the size 36 would have been snug on my hips.

The only other adjustment I made was to lengthen the sleeve pattern pieces by 1.5 inches.  For the unlined, reversible fabric version, you can always adjust the sleeve length when hemming the sleeves at the end, which is quite a nice feature of this jacket pattern.  So if in doubt, you can lengthen the sleeve pattern pieces and then shorten them later when you have a clear idea of how long they come up on you.

Construction process

I have made a few I AM Patterns and I find their instructions to be more brief than some other indie pattern companies.  This is ok for me now I have some sewing experience under my belt.  However I think when I started out I may have found the instructions a little more daunting as I liked a bit of hand holding and extra detail to begin with.

Having said that, I would really recommend the Delphine jacket if you have some sewing experience and would like to try your first jacket/coat pattern.  As it is unlined it is a straightforward construction process and also there are only a handful of pattern pieces.  The jacket comes together surprisingly quickly.

The pattern is rated intermediate by I AM Patterns and I think this makes sense.  There are a few fiddly bits along the way, including darts and sewing the collar in.  Also, working with a thicker reversible fabric requires a bit of experience in itself.  I found the quilted, teddy backed reversible fabric I used to be a bit of a challenge in terms of its bulk!

For my unlined version, I also would have appreciated a little more guidance on the finishing stages of the jacket.  In particular, the facing is left loose inside the garment at the end of the sewing process.  With a bulkier fabric, I found this was a little bothersome as it didn’t lie very flat.  I ended up stitching the neck facing section down to secure it to the back of the jacket, which helped it to lie flat – see photo below. 

For my unlined version I also left sewing on the pockets until right at the end of the sewing process, so I could make sure I got them in the right place for me.

For the lined version, again I found the instructions for the lining add on to be on the brief side.  I found it a bit tricky to understand the process of attaching the lining and I’m not sure if the way I did it was exactly as the pattern intended.  Luckily my version came out fine. I do think that if I revisited the instructions of the lining add on now, having lined another coat recently, I would have a better understanding of the process so it would feel more comfortable. 

Summary

The Delphine jacket is a great classic jacket pattern.  If you are making the unlined version in reversible fabric it is a straightforward and surprisingly speedy sew.  If you are making the version with a lining, it would be worth having some sewing experience under your belt. 

I think it is a really timeless pattern that can look be very versatile with different fabric choices.  I really love both my versions and I hope you like them too.