BERNINA Corporate Blog -Welcome to the sewing instructions for the denim coat “Jackie” from the new inspiration magazine 1/2025! I’ll show you step-by-step how to sew this great denim coat. It is perfect for the upcoming spring and is a real eye-catcher thanks to the large turned-up collar and the figure-flattering waist belt!
Sewing the denim coat “Jackie” – material list and pattern
You will need the following materials to sew the denim coat:
- 3.2 – 4.3 m denim fabric, 138 cm wide
- Fabric interlining G 700 (fusible interlining)
- Extra strong sewing thread or Denim Doc
- Jeans needles
- BERNINA Dual Feed or Three-Sole Walking Foot with Seam Guide #50
You can buy and download the pattern for the denim coat here. When printing the pattern, make sure that you print using the “Actual size” setting. It is best to print only the first page and check the size using the control window. If everything is correct, you can print out the remaining pages. You can use the size chart on the pattern to find the right size for you and cut it out for all the pattern pieces.
I used this cotton denim stretch for my denim coat. Use the weight of 270 (g/m²) and the composition of 97% cotton, 3% Lycra as a guide for your fabric.
Lay out the fabric lengthwise along the grain and cut the pattern pieces as indicated:
- 1: 2 x front panel with cutaway collar
- 2: 2 x front facing with cutaway collar
- 3: 2 x pocket
- 4: 2 x back part
- 5: 1 x back facing with fabric fold
- 6: 2 x sleeves
- Belt total 180 – 210 cm x 8 cm (plus seam allowance), finished width 4 cm. Belt loops 14 x 4 cm, finished width 1.3 cm (seam allowance not necessary here).
Sewing instructions for the denim coat “Jackie”
Step 1: Iron on the fabric interlining
We now iron some of the pattern pieces with our interlining to make them a little more stable. Cut the facings (pattern piece 2) from the fabric interlining again. For the top edges of the pockets, cut two strips across the entire width of the pockets and approx. 4 cm high. The belt is also completely reinforced with fabric interlining. When cutting, make sure that the side with the adhesive dots is facing the wrong side of the fabric.
To attach the interlining, place it with the adhesive dots on the wrong side of your fabric pieces. Now place your iron piece by piece on the fabric covered with the interlining and stay in one place for approx. 10 seconds before moving on. You may also want to place a cloth between the fabric and the iron to protect your iron.
Step 2: Close the darts
Close the shoulder darts on the back pieces. To do this, start your seam at the open edge and sew towards the point of the dart. Do not lock the seam here, but sew over the point. Leave a few centimeters of thread overhanging so that you can knot it and then cut it off.
Step 3: Close the back and side seams
Lay your two back pieces right sides together and close the seam. Finish the seam allowances together on the overlock or alternatively with a wide zigzag stitch.
Now place the two front pieces right sides together on the back piece and close the side seams. Neaten the seam allowances here too.
Press the seam allowances in one direction and topstitch the center back seam and the side seams twice, jeans style. To do this, use your extra strong sewing thread, set the stitch length to 3.8 and topstitch the seam allowances once close to the seam and then again about a presser foot’s width away from it. For the first seam, you can optionally use the Edgestitch Foot #10.
Step 4: Close the shoulder and collar seams on the front and back pieces
Lay the shoulder edges of your front pieces and the back piece right sides together. Sew them together until just before the point marked in the picture.
Clip the allowance on the front pieces until just before the seam.
Now overlock the seam allowances of the shoulder seams together again and press them into the back piece. Now topstitch them twice jeans-style, increasing the stitch length to 3.8 and topstitching once just next to the shoulder seam and once about a foot’s width next to it.
Now close the collar seams on the front piece (pattern piece 1) and press them in one direction. Now pin the cut undercollar on the front piece to the back neckline (pattern piece 4), right sides facing, and sew it in place. The seam allowances run at a slight angle to the shoulder seams. Sew up to the shoulder seam as shown in the following pictures:
This is what the finished seams look like from all sides:
Step 5: Sew the facing
Now let’s turn to the front facing. Close the collar seam on the facing pieces (pattern piece 2) as well. Finish the seam allowances together, press them in one direction and topstitch them twice again with a stitch length of 3.8.
Now pin the front facing to the back facing, right sides together, along the back neckline and the shoulder edges.
The two corners meet in the neck and shoulder area. To sew these, you need to cut approx. 0.8 – 0.9 cm into the seam allowances of the front facing (pattern piece 2) and place the two cut sides around the corners of the back facing. You can see exactly where you have to cut and what the cut corners on pattern piece 2 will look like in the pictures below:
Sew the trims together. To do this, sew very close to the cut corners. Briefly lift the foot at the corners with the needle lowered, turn the fabric and then continue sewing.
This is what the side of the front facing looks like:
This is the side of the back facing:
This is what the right side of the front and back facing now looks like:
Step 6: Sew on the facing
Now pin the finished facing to the coat, right sides together, along the front edges and the collar.
Then try on your coat and check its overall length or determine how big your hem allowance should be at the end. This is important for the next step.
Then sew the front edges, collar and bottom edges of the facing together.
Cut back the allowances in the corners and clip in the collar several times until just before the seam. Turn the facing inside out and iron the edges.
First serge the front facing and then the back facing.
Step 7: Sew on the pockets
Mark the seam allowance on the top edges of your pocket with two snips if you have not already done so when cutting.
Finish the top edges of the pockets on the overlocker and press them over to the wrong side at the height of your snips.
Hem the top edge of the pocket with “Extra strong” sewing thread. Optionally, you can also double topstitch the seam.
Press the remaining allowances to the wrong side using the pattern piece as a mold.
Transfer the position of the pockets to your fabric according to the pattern, pin them in place with several pins and topstitch them close to the edge.
Sew a bartack with stitch program 24 to the left and right of the pocket openings to prevent them from being torn out.
Step 8: Sew on the belt loops
Finish one long edge at the belt loops. Fold in the other long edge, fold the overlocked edge over to create 3 layers of fabric and topstitch the long edges together twice close to the edge.
Cut the belt loops into two parts, each end has a 1 cm seam allowance. Try on the coat and check the waist marking. Press the seam allowances inwards and pin and sew on the belt loops at waist height.
Step 9: Sew in the sleeves
Pin and sew the sleeve seams right sides together, overlock the seam allowances.
To insert the sleeves perfectly into the coat, we need to line them up along the armholes. We start about 2-3 cm above the marking on the front sleeve and run the seam over the shoulder seam. The end point should be approximately the same length as the back sleeve. Now sew two parallel gathering seams with stitch length 5. The seams are not locked at the beginning and end and the threads are left a few centimetres overhanging.
If we now pull on the bobbin threads, we can gather the curve slightly until it matches the armhole, hold the gathering in place and insert them into the armhole, right sides facing. Important: No creases should form, otherwise you will end up with puffed sleeves. So make sure that the fabric lies flat where you are about to sew it on and is only slightly gathered at the seam allowance.
Then sew in the sleeves so that the facing is also sewn in. Remove the gathered seams by pulling firmly on the loose threads and overlock the seam allowances together.
Step 10: Hem the sleeves
Try on your coat again and check the length of the sleeves. Decide how much of an allowance you would like to hem them with. Finish the sleeve hems once all the way around with the overlocker, press the allowance to the wrong side and topstitch in place.
Step 11: Sew around the hem
Now finish the hem edge of the coat using the overlock machine.
Trim the hem allowance at the bottom edge of the facing. To do this, sew along the hem to the end of the short side of your facing parallel to the hem. You can cut the corners on the front edge at a 45 degree angle so that the edge is not too thick.
Turn the facing outwards. You can now press the hem up and topstitch.
As shown in the picture above, do not sew the front edges all the way to the end, but leave a gap of approx. 0.5 – 1 cm to the edge, as the coat will be topstitched here. Topstitch the edges along the front edges and the collar once or twice, depending on what you like better. I have opted for one seam, in the original it is topstitched twice.
Step 12: Fixing the collar
To prevent the collar from slipping when worn, we secure it with a short seam. To do this, press the seam allowances of the collar seam down at the back of the neckline, pin them exactly on top of each other and sew them together a little in the shadow of the seam at the neckline. Then topstitch the back facing in the seam shadow and attach it in this way.
Step 13: Sew the belt
Fold the belt lengthwise, right sides facing and sew it together along the short and long sides, starting on one short side. Lift your presser foot briefly in the corners with the needle lowered to turn the belt and then continue sewing. Leave a turning opening of approx. 10 centimetres open in the middle of your belt on the long side.
Turn your belt through the opening, e.g. with the help of a long wooden or metal stick.
Topstitch your belt all the way around and thread it into your two belt loops.
The denim coat is finished! I hope you have lots of fun sewing and later wearing your coat. If you have any questions, feel free to write to me in the comments.
See you soon,
your Linda
P.S. You can also check out my Instagram account and that of inspiration magazine. There will also be a video or two on the sewing instructions for the denim coat “Jackie”.
You can find all my sewing instructions on the BERNINA blog on my profile.
I can’t wait to start this pattern. I’d like to do it in wool.
Thank you for your feedback! The coat is beautiful indeed 😍 Wool will also be lovely.