This super-cute little Cropped Cocoon jacket is a really easy hack of the Cocoon Jacket, which was one of my very first and, indeed, easiest patterns.
Each side of the front of the original jacket is made of two pattern pieces that join to make the seam in which the pocket sits. This cropped version simply uses the top half of the front pattern pieces by themselves, with the back cut to the same length.
This very simple shape relies on a really special fabric to make it come alive. The slightly quilted fabric that I have used is from Rosenbergs from the Knitting & Stitching Show one year. It’s been in my stash for a while but, as it was only quite a short single length, it was hard to find a use for it. It came as an ombre panel, moving from back to white with some beautiful gold embroidery across it. There was just enough! The rigidity that the double layered fabric provides gives the finished jacket a slightly Oriental look, I feel.
This Cropped Cocoon jacket would work well in any fabric that has some body and structure to it – a heavy wool, corduroy, velvet, denim or even a furnishing fabric would be perfect. If your fabric is too light or drapey it will just flop at the front.
For the lining I found some pale gold satin silk which gives it a very luxurious feel makes it slide on and off over other clothing really easily. And by chance, there in my stash, was some vintage gold cotton to match. What luck!
So here are the “how to do it” details:
- Align your BACK pattern piece onto the UPPER FRONT pattern piece and fold it up to the same lengths the front. Use this as the BACK of your jacket.
- Cut the “upper” front panel as usual and cut your FRONT LINING to this same size. Ignore the pockets and the lower FRONT – there is no place for these now – and follow the instructions as you would have done before.
- I have also combined the SLEEVE and CUFF pattern pieces for one long sleeve as there didn’t seem to be any benefit in slicing this beautiful fabric up. When you are joining two pattern pieces like this it is important to remember to overlap them by 3cm to allow for the seam allowance that has been added.
