Pattern Review of the Pauline Alice Patterns Ayora Jacket

Finished Jacket with the Pattern Instructions

Pattern Information

The Ayora Jacket is a fully reversible quilted jacket and comes in sizes 34-52. It is designed to sit above the hip and has a boxy shape. Features include long set-in sleeves, a stand-up collar, two big pockets on the front and a small one inside. The neckline, hem and sleeves are finished with facings and you can add snaps or buttons to close the jacket if you wish.

What Size and Adjustments Did I Make?

I started with a size 42 on the shoulders, and neck and then graded to a size 46 at the hip. For the sleeves, I started with a 42 and graded to a 44 at the hem. I based this off of the finished measurements compared to my measurements (37 3/4” or 96cm bust, 33” or 84cm waist, and 44” or 112cm hip).

What Fabric Did I Use?

I purchased the fabric a while back from completely different stores. The cool thing about having a lot of fabric in your stash (yes I’m guilty!) is that as your style changes, many of the fabrics share the same colours and look great together, which was the case for these fabrics. They are both quilting cottons, the bluey/grey fabric came from Amitie Textiles in Torquay and the purple/blue fabric is an Art Gallery print I purchased from The Cloth Shop.

I already had the batting, a bamboo quilting that I purchased from Spotlight years ago when I thought I was going to make a quilt and then got distracted by sewing clothes…one day maybe.

I am pretty sure I had 2 metres of both fabrics at 1.5 metres wide, but the bluey/grey one could have been 1.12 wide and I only just had enough.

Construction Method and Instructions

I absolutely loved making this jacket, in particular the quilting part. The instructions were fantastic and Pauline has provided examples of how you can quilt the fabric. I do not have a walking foot for my machine and I was quite nervous about the fabric shifting so I decided early on that I was only going to quilt in straight lines.

I cut out all of the pieces then thoroughly basted the pieces together and marked out all of the quilting lines in chalk before I started sewing. This did take a bit of time but it was completely worth it as the fabric did not move at all.

Quilting was such a nice change to sewing seams on garments and I found the repetition of the task quite therapeutic, so maybe I will make that quilt after all.

I sewed the jacket exactly per the instructions until I got to finishing the edges of the jacket. I had cut out the band that goes around the jacket but I was worried about it being too flimsy. I had seen some lovely versions of the Megan Neilsen Hovea Jacket and I loved the bias-bound finish but with the ties to hide in the pockets. So I decided to give it a go. I used the scraps I had left of the bluey/grey fabric and made my own bias binding. I made it 2” wide as I knew I wanted it to be quite narrow and then attached it like regular bias binding around the whole jacket.

However, to make the jacket fully reversible I attached the other side of the bias binding using an invisible hand stitch which was time-consuming, but I really enjoyed the slow process and finished most of it whilst watching TV in the evenings.

Mistakes

I actually didn’t make any mistakes with this make, which is uncommon for me. I am not sure I even unpicked a seam, which is unheard of. I am going to put that down to the great instructions and the fact that the jacket's back, side, and front pieces are all in one so you only need to sew the shoulder seams to be able to assess the fit.

Challenges

This was quite an easy and enjoyable make. I guess the only challenge was it did take quite a long time to put together, but that was only because I made my own quilted fabric and decided to hand-finish the edges otherwise it would have taken half the time. Now that I've refined the pattern and made the necessary adjustments, I could easily whip up another one in no time.

Changes and Adjustments

As I was unsure if I wanted to use the band I decided to add extra width to the front of the jacket when I cut it out (just in case). I added an extra 1” (2.5cm) to the front of the jacket starting from the second notch on the pattern pieces. I then added 1” 1/2” (3.8cm) to the bottom of the jacket so I didn’t lose the length the band would have provided. Remember that any adjustments you make to the bodice you will also need to make to the front pocket piece.

Once I had sewn the shoulder seams I noticed that the arm scythe and back neck height were quite high on me (this seems to be a common issue with this pattern) so I scooped out 1/2” (1.3cm) from the arm scythe and back neck-line. As the bodice piece is one piece these are very easy adjustments to make once the shoulder seams are sewn.

Would I Recommend this Pattern?

Yes! I would 100% recommend this pattern. I have worn this jacket heaps. It is light-weight but super cosy and I love that I can wear one side with most items in my wardrobe but if I want to wear something bright I can flip it out the other way and wear it with something neutral, like a pair of jeans.

Final Thoughts

I honestly thought making a quilted jacket was going to be a lot harder, but this came together easily. It did take a while to sew but I think that was part of the enjoyment of making this pattern. Sometimes it is nice to slow down and enjoy the process.

More photos and a reel of me wearing this dress can be found at @sewcial_sewing and on Facebook.

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review, I purchased the pattern and fabric myself. All statements made in this review are my honest opinions.