Ruffled Canvas Jacket

Instead of making you wait for all the details about everyone’s favorite piece from our Modern Chloris mini wardrobe collection, I decided to blog about the ruffled canvas jacket today for you.  You’re welcome!  Really, there will just be a pretty short tutorial, but the photos do most of the talking.

I started with two things; the Modern Belle pattern by Lil Luxe Collection, and an inspiration photo from Pinterest.   Add to these 2 things the most wonderful, softest, most pliable canvas fabric EVER provided by Art Gallery Fabrics!

I really really can’t say enough good things about Art Gallery Fabrics canvas.  I’ve never felt another canvas soft and pliable enough to make ruffles!  And that’s exactly what I did for the ruffled canvas jacket.

Here’s the quick tutorial.  Cut out the arched side panels for the Modern Belle pattern.  Make a loooooong strip of ruffled fabric by cutting a strip of canvas 5 inches wide, folding it in half (wrong sides together) and ruffling it using your favorite method.

Next, pin the ruffle to the bottom of the arched pattern piece with the ruffle’s bottom overhanging by about 1/2 inch.  Zig zag the top of the ruffle in place.  If you wish, you can add a 2nd line of straight stitching below the zig zig for security.  Cut off the edge of the ruffled strip even with the edge of the arched pattern piece.

Place the ruffled strip above the 1st ruffle, overlapping the bottom of the 2nd strip over the top of the 1st strip by about 1/2”  Repeat these steps until you get to the top of the arched pattern piece.  Making a size 6, I ended up with 7 layers of ruffles.  Continue sewing the Modern Belle pattern as instructed.  The side edges will be caught in the side seams.

At the top, I made a tiny rectangular placket and topstitched it over the top edge of the top ruffle so no raw edges would show.  Another change I made to the Modern Belle pattern were to cut the front piece not on the fold so I would be able to add a zipper.

Also, I added a collar.  And the jacket is fully lined with navy sateen (leftover from Allegra’s Bistro dress.)  I used the instructions from the Downton Duffle Coat (*affiliate link) to assemble the lined jacket.

Basically, this jacket is a piece of artwork which is fitting for the Modern Chloris theme which drew heavily on classical Greece.  I mean, what other era and location did so many timeless classic pieces of artwork emerge from?

As promised, I made a collage of flat lays to show you just how wonderfully this ruffled canvas jacket works with all the other pieces in our Modern Chloris mini collection.  Now all that’s left to do is figure out how to make one of these in my size!!!   And order some more of that luscious Art Gallery Fabrics canvas…as soon as I decide which one to choose!