Sewing The Seventies: Make 1 – Faux Fur Jacket Part 1

February 4, 2019 by steelyseamstress 11 Comments

I’ve probably been influenced by all the faux fur jackets that have proliferated this year, because when I saw a McCalls pattern from 1971 for a faux fur jacket on Ebay I snapped it up.

The pattern has three variations; View A is virtually knee length and includes a detachable hood, View B is below hip level and View C is about waist level. The closures are hook and eyes placed on the front edges of the jackets.

McCalls 3016 Faux Fur Jacket Pattern

I was determined to find some faux fur fabric that wasn’t made of synthetic fibres. Etsy came up trumps with this bright blue cotton / viscose, but the price was alarming at £35.59 per metre. I justified it because those polyester RTW jackets were retailing for £60 – £80 and I would still be making my jacket for less than this price. I ordered 1.5 metres and was very pleased with how soft it felt. Even Master Steely walks past the half-finished jacket and gives it a stroke every now and then!

The cutting-out process was a little fraught. Faux fur is so fluffy and messy. The fur has got everywhere. I find that all my clothes look like I’m the owner of a very furry cat with bright blue hair! I was very relieved when I got past this stage. I ordered some viscose coat lining from Croft Mill. They have quite a selection of viscose linings. After all, why go to the trouble of faux fur fabric in natural fibres if you’re not going to use viscose lining?  I agonised about my choice, because the fur is quite an unusual colour and there is definitely a greenish tinge to the blue. I selected a mid-grey lining with a jacquard paisley pattern, which somehow seemed appropriate for a seventies make.

Fluff everywhere!

I decided to make View B, which is the middle length. I also have enough fabric to make the hood too and add a couple of inseam pockets to my jacket. There are some interesting instructions for creating the shoulder seam for this coat. Essentially there is a dart at the centre-top of each sleeve. When you sew the sleeves onto the coat, the armscyes are sewn first (step 3 below) and then then shoulder seams which extend into this dart are sewn (step 4). I’ve never seen this approach before – any ideas why this was chosen?

Interesting instructions for the sleeves?

Included with the pattern is a little booklet entitled “Fake Fur Fun”. It has some good advise in there including:

• Paying attention to the nap of the fabric
• Cutting single thickness
• Using long stitches
• Using a darning needle to free trapped fur
• Shearing the pile on the inside on finished seams to make the seams less bulky

Fake Fun Fun (?) Tips

I’m not quite finished yet, but I tried the jacket on unlined yesterday and found it to be rather warm – much appreciated in this cold weather.