Last Christmas, I made my Mother a custom fit Chinese style jacket from New Look pattern 6435. The pattern was easy enough, but I was using a heavier fabric with embroidery that resembled Chinese brocade, but wasn’t. I was only starting out and couldn’t afford to make mistakes costly by investing in expensive fabrics. Because of this slightly heavier fabric, I lined the pattern to make it wear comfortably. This was for Mom, after all!

In lining the jacket, I basically threw out the pattern instructions. I don’t follow instructions well, anyway.

So how did I make this? I serged practically everything. I serged the body piece in one long whole seam around the neck, front middle and bottom, then turned it inside out through the sleeves. The sleeve pieces were also serged and turned inside out before attaching to the body. I made a bad decision to put the pockets in late in the bottom flaps, rather than before I serged it all together, but I thought what a waste to have a double layer without usage as a pocket. Then I put on the piping and frog clasps.

The handbag I also did my own way. I do origami (paper folding), you see, and love my serger to give clothing item some strength, so I found a way to serge everything on that handbag. I couldn’t find round handles like in the picture below so I got another handle and used cheap earrings with Krazy glue for a clasp. The sharp ends were cut short and buried in the rubber backing.

And how did it come out?

It fitted Mom perfectly, for which I was shocked. I didn’t think my first attempt at fitting would go so well! I didn’t take great pictures of it here, as my Mom lives half a continent away from me, and she doesn’t want her picture online, but see for yourself.

Please click here to see other reviews of New Look pattern 6435, most done the way the instructions suggested. 🙂

Please click here to see more of my sewing and fashion on this site.