When Sew Over It released their second e-book I was playing all hard to get and was telling myself that I do not need it. How long do you think I was able to stick with it? I think it was for about a week. Ha!

But seriously, when it contains a pattern like this mac AND it is called Anna (for those who do not know me my name is Ana!), what else is there to say? Now I just need to work on making more patterns form the book because there are some lovely ones in there.

I love a good collar and this mac really does have it. It is the right amount of statement I want. The one thing I am not too excited about is side seam pockets so I decided to skip them and put on patch pockets. And I love how they look! They feel either safari chick or 70s detective cool. I think I prefer the second one more 🙂 The second change I did was to shorten it to the hip level. Originally I planned it as a mid-calf length coat but boy did that look bad. So chop, chop to save what I could.

I had to make the sway back adjustment. I make this adjustment on most top patterns so I should have guessed I would need it with this one as well. But I was in a hurry to have this jacket done and skipped that step. So, of course, there was a lot of gaping in the lower back. Since the whole thing was already cut and sewed I made the adjustment directly on the garment. I simply pinned the excess fabric where the gaping was and took in about 4 cm in the middle of the back going to 0 cm at side seams. Good thing is that I have the belt to cover it up because the seam is visible.

On-site sway back adjustment

Remember how I said I was in a hurry to have this jacket finished? Well, by the time I got to the finishing touches it all just sat there a few weeks. I am sure it had to do with the weather turning colder so I knew I would not be wearing it out any time soon. But I can’t wait for Spring! Anyhow, I finished the hems and now we are ready for a walk in the park. Or city streets. Or safari excursion in a 70’s detective show!

The one thing I would do differently next time is the wider waist tie. Or add buttons for closure which would add extra details and could help elevate it. I find picking buttons always to be a fun activity and the right ones always add impactful design points. Big brown buttons would work really well her for example.

The fabric I used is a home decor fabric. It is a bit on the lighter side but it is so satisfying how crisp it is after ironing. I like the oatmeal color and knew right there and then it would be a perfect mac. It is easy to combine in different outfits and goes well with everything. I also like how you can easily see all the details in this fabric like sewn on pockets and the big collar.

Thanks for reading and happy sewing!

Ana