Fibremood has got us used to tent dresses and hot-air-balloon blouses, but there are always a few gems hiding in there… in this case a balloon-hem bomber!
For several weeks, possibly months, I had been after a short but roomy jacket. This design caught my eye, and when I remembered the length of corduroy mouldering away in a drawer, off I went!
| ITEM | SHOP | QUANTITY | PRICE |
| Astrid jacket | Fibremood no. 37 | 1 | €19.00 |
| Cotton & elastane corduroy | Coupons de Saint-Pierre | 1.7 m | €15.00 |
| Printed viscose twill by Timothée | — | 0.70 m | €0 |
| Stretch faux leather | Market stall | 0.30 m | €0 |
| Viscose / polyester lining | Tissus de Rêve | 1 m | €3.90 |
| Fusible interfacing | Stash | 0.80 m | €0 |
| Separating zip | Stash | 1 | €1.00 |
| Magnetic press studs | Amazon | 10 | €2.00 |
| Thread | Stash | 0 | €0 |
| Total | €42.90 |
The Astrid jacket pattern
The Astrid jacket is available in issue 37 of Fibremood, published in February 2025. As is their habit, the diagrams are in the magazine and the full instructions have to be downloaded separately.
The design is very roomy. That said, I still went for a size M to be sure it would go over my hips… since that’s the narrowest point of the jacket.
Key features of the Astrid jacket:
- A very roomy cut that lets you wear underneath all those lovely puff-sleeved blouses, shirts and dresses we’ve all ended up sewing over the past few years (let those with none in their wardrobe cast the first stone)
- Dropped shoulders with wide sleeves, fastened at the cuff with a press stud
- Panel seams on the front
- Exposed zip pockets
- A separating zip fastening hidden behind a placket
- A balloon hem formed by pleats at the bottom joined to a shorter lining
This is not a quick project. Tracing off alone takes an afternoon: lots of pieces, scattered across 6 different pattern sheets.
Sewing the Astrid bomber
The fabrics
As I said, the project came together the moment I remembered this black corduroy with a little elastane in it that I’d been hoarding for several years. A length originally destined for a pair of dungarees that never made it to the top of my list… at some point, you have to know when to change tack.
And I contrasted it with a stretch faux leather collar (stabilised with fusible interfacing to give it some body), which rides the barn jacket trend WITHOUT tipping over into the sort of barn jacket that smells a little too much of Cyrillus, hunting with hounds and conservative politics for my liking.
For the body lining, I used a scrap of viscose twill printed with a design drawn by my nephew. I’d won an Instagram competition to have 3 m of fabric printed… and it’s partly that length of fabric that gave me the idea for Tissœurs. But that’s another story.
For the sleeves, a classic lining with a good slip to it, obviously.
The modifications
Because of course I made some.
To start with, I added a lining to the sleeves: the original design only offers a sleeveless lining. And I found that unsatisfying… too half-hearted.
Then I turned the exposed zip pockets into zipped welt pockets: so much smarter, even if it’s more technical and takes longer. As usual, I recommend the Craftsy class “Designing Details: Pockets” by Kenneth D. King.
I also added a wallet pocket, or rather a vertical mobile phone pocket, slipped into the seam between the facing and the lining. Discreet and handy for keeping my phone safe. I racked my brains so that it wouldn’t collapse under the weight of the phone. In the end it’s anchored with ribbons at the shoulder and at the centre front.
And the finishing touch: a little label ❤️ and a Miffy patch, because the trend caught up with me.
The sewing
This project takes time to sew, but the thing that really gave me trouble was the collar.
For some reason I can’t pin down, but possibly to do with the elastane in the corduroy and/or in the faux leather of the collar, the lengths of the collar and the neckline simply didn’t match.
And since that’s precisely where the most layers pile up, I sweated blood. Sewn, unpicked, resewn, unpicked again. Sewing is a school of perseverance.
For the fastenings, I used magnetic press studs that are set like rivets. I found them really handy, I’ll be doing that again on future projects.
The verdict
I’m a big fan of this jacket, finished just in time to enjoy weather far too warm to wear it in.
That said, a few points are worth flagging before you start. With all that volume and the dropped shoulders, when you move your arms the whole jacket comes along for the ride, something to bear in mind depending on your shape. Finding your pockets in corduroy is sometimes a challenge. As a result the zip needs two hands to open but, hey, good luck to any pickpockets! Ha.
