As part of my April Sewing plans this month, I really wanted to go out of my comfort zone and try making my first ever biker/moto jacket. I only own one other biker jacket that I must have bought over 5 years ago from H&M, which doesn’t suit me anymore. But as Spring is here and Summer is around the corner, I wanted to make an easy-wearing jacket that I can throw over dresses and cami tops.

Choosing the pattern

The Chip Jacket by Seamwork / Colette Patterns is an intermediate pattern that features the iconic style of a moto jacket with a knitwear twist. It has a very relaxed fit and is meant to be perfect for layering. I hadn’t seen too many other makes of this on Instagram, so felt a bit nervous if this would work out well. But the easy wearing vibe of the jacket made me want to give it a go!  

Choosing the fabric

I love trying to find the perfect fabric to use online and came across this Black Ponte Roma from Minerva Crafts which was a medium weight, stretchy fabric. When it arrived it felt so soft, but the fabric was definitely a little lighter than I imagined and I was worried it might be too flimsy to work with this pattern. I also ordered their lightweight Knit Interfacing which felt really good quality!

Construction

I did a bit of research of what sizing other people used and found it ran a little big on them. So I decided to cut a size 2 because I wanted it to be fitted but still be able to wear a jumper underneath and it turned out to fit exactly how I envisioned! The arms are a little loose, but it allows me to fold up the sleeves for a super casual look.

I found the general construction of the jacket very easy to follow, the instructions were super clear to understand and the illustrations were perfect. There were a lot of firsts in this project, I had never used knit interfacing before – but it fused really well to the fabric on the first go. I also had never attached an open-ended zip, It was a lot easier than I imagined and looks very professional – so I’m happy with that! You literally just sew the zipper as two separate parts, I found it much easier than sewing an invisible one.

I’m not gonna lie, I used the Ponte Roma Knit for the first time and kept getting skipped stitches and found it more difficult to sew with. I like to stitch the seam, then overlock it as I find it intimidating going straight to the overlocker with pins! I didn’t manage to resolve the skipped stitches, so there are a few on the topstitching of the jacket but I’m not too fussed as you can only tell if you’re really looking. But I’m so glad I used this fabric as it feels really soft against the skin and has a nice drape – so it was worth the frustration! I also purchased the wrong snap fasteners so didn’t attach them in the end as I didn’t mind the jacket without them.

I’m so glad I made this in black as I know I’ll get a lot of wear out of this, layering it over dresses and jeans. Next time I’m going to make this in a grey or a pink and slightly lengthen it by an inch or two, as I would want it slightly less cropped. I hope you try this pattern out as it’s definitely not as difficult as it looks and feels amazing to wear, not to mention you can fold up the sleeves.