Hi friends! It feels a little strange to be back here with a post about something other than overalls. It’s been a lot of fun hosting #sewbibs and sewing all of the overalls and pinafores but I’m ready to get back to sewing other things, too. I recently had the pleasure of testing Allie Olson‘s newest pattern, the Monarch jacket, and I’m happy to be able to share it with you!
This pattern was released last week and it’s been sort of tough keeping it under wraps over the few weeks since I finished sewing mine. I really love this jacket! I’ve had to be sure to keep it out of my outfit of the day photos in my Instagram stories (or not so artfully color over it so it’s not visible.)
The Monarch jacket is designed for stable knits and is a bomber-inspired raglan sleeve jacket. It’s slightly cropped, with the waistband hitting a few inches below the natural waist. The sleeves are also slightly cropped for a just-at-the-wrist length.
It’s a boxy silhouette that is meant to stand away from the body a bit. It features wide cuffs and a wide waistband that can be made from self fabric or would work great in ribbing.
I made my Monarch from a sold-out blush pink rayon blend ponte that I purchased from Indiesew. (Currently there is a similar but darker pink in the shop, as well as other ponte fabric that would work well for this jacket.)
I really love blush pink and I love how it pairs with different shades of green. I’m wearing it with my jade tencel Cleo skirt in these photos but I also love it with my olive green Dawn jeans. Of course, it’s also great with jeans or black pants.
My Monarch is a size 10 graded to a 14 at the waist. I love the fit and the only thing I might change next time is to lengthen the sleeves an inch. I like that these are a good length for wearing pushed up, but I think I’d like another one with sleeves that come down a bit on my hand.
This is my tester version of the jacket and there have been some changes made to the collar piece since I made this. The collar piece has to be stretched a lot to get it to lay flat on the neck and the tester version was a longer collar piece. It sticks up away from my neck a bit but it’s really not anything that bothers me.
I am very anxious to make another Monarch soon. I have just enough black ponte in my stash to make a solid black jacket… but I’m also really smitten with the color blocked samples that Allie has on Indiesew and that some of the other testers made.
So, I’ll definitely be making at least one more of these, but don’t be surprised if I end up making two more. It’s so cute and easy to wear. It’s a great extra layer for Spring that’s as comfortable as a sweatshirt but looks more put together. Three isn’t too many, right?
~Teri
Fa Sew La 
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