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Butterick 6244: The Sleeveless Jacket I Can’t Live Without

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I’m the kind of girl that always has a million plans and dreams on my To-Do List and never enough time. I’m a type 1 perfectionist on the enneagram.  I’m one of those people with stacks of self-help books that have been read, highlighted, and dog-eared in the appropriate places. I plan trips months in advance.  I have been known to make itineraries for our house guests that are planned down to the minute.  Yep.  You read that right. The minute. 

So deciding to take on a sewing project the day before a trip I haven’t fully planned yet is basically a thing that would never happen to me. 

Except it just did. 

Our lives have gotten so much busier this past year. I still marvel that I’m a homeschool mom that never seems to be home. The perfectionist in me has had troubles adjusting to a busier lifestyle that isn’t planned down to the minute,  but out of necessity, I’ve made it work. (Did you hear all my fellow perfectionists just gasp in horror?) 

So even though I’ve known our family was flying to Los Angeles for months, I never got around to fine-tuning our plans.  Now, before you think I’ve lost myself in the middle of our busy lives, please know the following:

Yes, I have a list of things we must do in Los Angeles. 

Yes, I have pre-researched restaurants and the weather.  

Yes, I’ve researched parking for various locations and made note of the best time to find parking at top destinations. 

I just haven’t planned a daily trip itinerary. It, honestly, kind of kills me to even type that.  Someone, get me a counselor!

So imagine my surprise when I decided I was sewing myself a sleeveless jacket instead of meticulously packing for our trip. 

Sneak peak at the sleeveless jacket I sewed when I should have been packing.

I still can’t get over my sudden reckless abandon. 

Here I am. The Amy who now suddenly lives with reckless abandon.

My husband basically thought I was insane, and so did my kids.  Every time my foot touched the presser foot, all eyes darted in my direction.  While everyone else was doing last minute packing, I was doing last minute sewing before throwing a little last minute packing into the mix too. 

I literally HATE the term “YOLO”.  My teenage boys sometimes say it to me as a joke because they know how much it pains me to hear it.  But the new Amy filled with reckless abandon had a YOLO moment and she isn’t sorry.

Here’s the thing. 

Butterick 6244 is magical.  This pattern is easy-as-pie to sew and the fit and style of this unlined jacket is beautiful. Included in the pattern are instructions for flat-fell seams which make the inside of this garment just as lovely as the outside.  I’m one of those people that can’t stand the thought of an unlined jacket, but this Butterick pattern is changing my mind.  When the interior seams are pretty, an unlined jacket is something I can get behind!

Butterick 6244 making its debut on Rodeo Drive cause that’s how I roll.

This fabric I used is a camel-colored knit that entered my stash before my daughter could even read. Originally purchased from JoAnn Fabrics, it is a remnant from a previous project that I never loved. I almost never sew knit, but I love the way this particular fabric drapes.  

It’s so flowy, you guys!

There are a million ways you could style this and because of the color, it matches just about everything too. 

I’m so smitten with it, that I plan to make a replica in black as soon as we get back from our trip.   I’m also thinking I want to make a version and include the sleeves. Because who are the monsters repeatedly making jackets and omitting the sleeves?!! 

For my version, I chose to add the darts and flat-fell seams as the pattern suggested. However, I decided not to hem any of the edges, including the arm hole. This gives it a clean crisp look and I love the little extra bit of style those raw edges add to this piece. 

I’ve never left raw edges on anything before but I’m loving them on this make.

You’re going to see me everywhere in this.  And I beam with joy when I think of it because this make is the project none of us ever saw coming. Sometimes a little change does a person good. (Cancel that appointments and tell that counselor I’m gonna be ok, after all.)

Sure, I’m a little wrinkly but I’m wearing my masterpiece on Rodeo Drive. WHAT?!?!?!

Now for my official pattern review…

Butterick 6244 Pattern Review

Describe this pattern.

Semi-fitted, unlined coat (wrong side shows) has front extending into draped collar, flat-fell seams, narrow hem, and shaped front hemline longer than back. Lined dress has contrast shoulder yokes, short sleeves, fitted bodice with princess seams, and invisible back zipper.

What is the difficulty level for Butterick 6244?

This pattern is easy. There are no buttons or zippers involved so this is a great pattern for a beginner seamstress.

What type of fabric would be best for this pattern?

This pattern was designed for light-weight to medium-weight woven fabrics. I used a knit from my stash, and it worked perfectly.

Are the pattern directions easy to follow?

Yes.

What did you like about this pattern?

I love that this pattern is easy and includes instructions to keep the inside nice and pretty, just like the outside.

What did you dislike about this pattern?

I loved everything about this pattern.

Did you make any alterations to this pattern?

I omitted the sleeves and did not hem the armholes or bottom of garment bc I used a knit fabric and I felt this gave it a cleaner look.

Do you recommend this pattern? Would you sew it again?

This is a great pattern for the beginner seamstress. The fit is great, the instructions are easy to understand, and this pattern can easily translate to every season by omitting/adding/modifying sleeves and fabric.

Flowers on the Dirt

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I’ll never forget that moment.

We were walking away, but I knew I couldn’t walk away without just one more glimpse.  I didn’t want that last look to be forever etched in my memory, but I couldn’t just keep walking.

Behind me, nestled in the hills of West Virginia, was a fresh mound of dirt.  And there, amidst the beauty that John Denver famously referred to as “Almost Heaven”, lay my mother.

It felt terrible to just walk away, and so I prayed for strength and looked back one last time.

And there, in the middle of a trauma with more pain than felt bearable, I saw my aunt lovingly arranging flowers on the newly-formed mound of dirt.  It was so beautiful…a rainbow of colors cascading over the dirt in honor of one of the most beautiful women to walk this earth.

It was God’s gift to me in the middle of my pain.  It was a reminder from Him that He makes beauty out of ashes and in that moment, I made the mental note to never forget it.

Almost twelve years have passed since that day and many of the constants I’d always known are no longer constant.  Death affected my family in a bad way.  It also left me wondering what to do with this huge void my mother left in the world.  She sewed everyday and it pained me to imagine a world without projects rolling off her sewing machine.

And so I assigned myself the task of keeping her memory alive through the art of sewing.

I was timid at first.  Everything my mother created was perfect.  I trembled at the thought of not being able to live up to her high standard. Especially, since I was sewing things on the machine I inherited from her. But as time passed, so did my timidity.  I began to try sewing new things.  Harder things.  I even got brave enough to sell my things at craft shows where I learned that people loved my makes!

Soon I found myself loving the very thing that had instilled so much fear in me before.  I no longer saw myself as a wannabe; I saw myself as a bonafide seamstress.  Timidity and fear of imperfection were replaced with passion and pride.

It still blows my mind that God was able to use this deep pain and loss as a jumping board for the flourishing of a creativity that I didn’t even know I had inside of me!

I don’t know why God chose to take my mother so soon.  It seems unfair that a good mom was taken so early after three painful years of suffering.  It seems unfair when girl friends complain about their moms while I would do anything to have my mom back.  It’s not true what they say about the pain being less severe over time.  I’ve cried in fitting rooms while listening to moms and daughters shop together, and very recently, I sat and cried over a sweet little text a friend sent me about her mom.  I miss my mom so much!

But in all His wisdom, God took my mom to be with Him.  And in all His wisdom, He allowed our family to fall off the perfect little Christian pedestal where we once sat for everyone to see.  Sometimes my youngest brother and I retrace fond family memories together amidst the shards of that pedestal, but it’s mostly painful for me to remember the life I know we can never have again.  And so I shift my focus back to the beauty and happiness that currently surround me while praising our Father Who has used my deep grief as launching pad into a hobby that has brought abundant joy and healing into my life.

I’ve grown so much in the past two years as I’ve more fully grasped the new reality that is my life.  I’ve learned that my mother is gone and that it’s not my responsibility to hold our family together.  I’ve learned that I inherited her love and skill of sewing and that she would be proud to see the things I’ve sewn.  Most importantly, I’ve learned that I am strong.  I never saw myself as a strong person before, but fully grasping Christ’s love for me has released a freedom in my soul like I’ve never known and has also given me the courage to set boundaries of protection in all areas of my life.

I wish this wasn’t my story.  I wish I wasn’t the one with the dead mom and the family that fell apart.  I wish I wasn’t the girl that spent 39 years not realizing the strength she possessed in Christ.

But this is my story, and I share it because it’s also a story full of hope and comfort.  Our current situations don’t dictate our future, and my story is living proof of that.  For every moment, there is a season.  And in every season, God holds us in His faithful hand.

Ann Voskamp has this quote, one I’ve never forgotten.  She says this,” Giving thanks is that: making the canyon of pain into a megaphone to proclaim the ultimate goodness of God when Satan and all the world would sneer at us to recant.”

Creating beautiful things is my way to give thanks to the One Who created me. It’s a way to show the world that I am trusting that God holds my future in His hands and that He is making something more beautiful than I can fathom.

He’s putting flowers on my dirt and I’m sitting here with my palms open.