I’m so excited to finally be sharing about this project! I’ve had several inquires about sewing a faux shearling-lined Spindrift since we launched this design a couple months ago. I was really curious about this myself because I see a lot of folks wearing similar style jackets with faux shearling collars or fully lined with faux shearling material. Let’s get into it!
What is Faux Shearling?
Faux shearling is a soft and fluffy fabric that looks like sheepskin. It is typically made from cotton or polyester. There are lots of different kinds of faux shearling fabric out there, from super thick and fluffy fabrics to denser, thinner varieties. You can get faux shearling fabric on its own or you can find it pre-fused to the backside of other fabrics, like denim or corduroy.
Note: Faux shearling is often referred to as "Sherpa". This is the name of an ethnic group in Tibet and Nepal and so there has been a movement in recent years to call this fabric by a different name. Here is an article where you can read more on this subject. I previously called this fabric 'Sherpa' in my post and have updated it to reflect this change.
What fabric did I use?
I used a faux shearling/denim fused fabric for my Spindrift. It is a cotton denim with cotton faux shearling lining. I got this one at L’oiseau fabrics in Calgary.
If you decide to go with a separate exterior fabric and line it with faux shearling, I would suggest underlining the pieces first and then constructing the jacket as normal once everything is underlined with the faux shearling. One benefit to this is avoiding super thick areas because you can sew the details with just the exterior fabric (like the pockets, undercollar, back tabs, etc).
What changes did I make to the design?
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There were some details that were too hard to sew in this thick fabric, so I eliminated:
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The chest pocket flaps
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The back tabs (I took the jacket in a bit at the hip to make up for the lack of cinching from these tabs)
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I sewed several things with the wrong side out to expose the faux shearling lining:
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The angled edges of the lower patch pockets
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The upper collar
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The inner yoke
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The front facing
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The underside of the sleeve placket
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The inner cuff
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I finished the hem of the jacket with a handstitched facing
My Design
I mocked up my plan in illustrator so that I could visualize it before I began. There are many places where one could have the fluffy edge peaking out, but I didn’t want to overdo it. I decided to have it show on the collar, lapel, lower pocket edge, and sleeve placket.
How it Went
Sewing some elements of the pattern with the wrong side out made my brain hurt a bit. I did have to unpick a few times, but I got there in the end. It could be helpful to mark which side is going to be facing out with some masking tape or something so that you remember to sew it the way you intend.
This project was a BEAST! I won’t lie, some of these seams were quite hard to sew, the project was difficult to wrangle, and I broke about 6 needles. With that said, I did manage to complete this jacket and it felt so good! This one definitely pushed me out of my sewing comfort zone.
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I used clips instead of pins for the most part. They are so much better when working with bulky fabric like this!
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I hammered my bulkier seams flat with my hammer.
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I serged the edges of all my pieces to prevent shedding of the fabric. It wanted to shed SO MUCH! Keep a lint roller handy.
I attempted to sew the pocket flaps. I made these really cute flaps but then I was not able to sew them onto the project without them sticking out like a shelf from my chest. It was so silly looking that I decided to abandon the flaps, but I still wanted to show you how cute they are! Laying them on the finished jacket now makes me wish I could sew them on somehow.
After the flap debacle, I knew the back tabs were not going to happen. I decided to just not sew them on, and I took the jacket in a bit at the side seams instead. This approximates the cinching in at the hips that the back tabs accomplish.
The hardest part to sew was the collar/yoke sandwich. It was so thick and I barely got through the layers. In hindsight, an inner yoke in a lighter fabric would have helped immensely. I am happy with the inside fuzzy lining though, it feels nice and warm on the upper back.
The sleeves and cuffs were also tricky, but do-able. I folded the lower placket edge with the wrong side out and I think it looks so cute! I also did the inner cuff wrong side out and I love that it is nice and soft on my wrists.
I wanted to reduce the bulk as much as possible for the interior seam finishes. I trimmed one side of the seam allowance down a little bit (about ⅛”) and then serged it. This slight grading of the seam helps to reduce bulk. I didn’t have a nice cream colour serger thread so I just used white. In hindsight, with a project this involved, splurging on some matching cream thread would have been nice.
When it came time to do the final hem on the jacket, I decided I did not like the rounded edge when I folded it up onto the wrong side. The front facing has faux shearling peeking out all along the edge and the front hem, so the regular hem didn’t feel like it matched. I trimmed off the excess hem allowance and turned it around to make a hem facing with the faux shearling facing out. This meant that the faux shearling peeks out from under the jacket all along the hem. I sewed the hem by hand with some catch stitches. I was hoping it would be more invisible, but you can definitely see it. No big deal but I wanted to point it out for you.
I finished this jacket with cream buttonholes and shiny copper buttons. Normally I prefer a brass jeans button but this one just seemed to really pop with the copper. The buttonholes are definitely a bit stiff and hard to use right now, but I am confident they will loosen up over time.
Final thoughts
I love how this jacket turned out! I felt so accomplished when I completed this beast of a project. It was one of those sewing moments where you think “I can make anything”! It is so comfy and warm. The weather has been quite chilly here lately and I’ve been wearing this jacket out and feeling very warm and protected from the elements. I especially like putting my hands in the fuzzy lined pockets and popping the collar up when it is windy.
I do think this is a cool project to tackle if you are interested! It was challenging and satisfying. I’m glad I have this warm winter jacket for cooler weather!
