As back-to-school season is just around the corner, it’s time to take style cues from Cher Horowitz and Blair Waldorf! Our latest free sewing pattern, the cropped Melora Jacket, features a square neckline and subtle puffed sleeves, perfect for a modern twist on the classic Chanel suit set. We turned the Aspen Skirt into a mini by simply cutting off some length, leaving the raw edge frayed to show off the gorgeous colors and textures of the fabric. The Melora Jacket would also pair beautifully with our Myrtle Shorts. Let’s get sewing and serve up some plazacore realness!

Purchase Materials Used Below:

• 2.5 yards of Newcastle Almond Buff, Pink and Sea Pine Viscose and Acrylic Chenille Tweed
• 1 yard of Margot White Polyester Lining
• 0.5 yards of Heathered Black Warp Knitting Fusible Interfacing
• 5-6 pcs of Crocus Pink Moon Shallow Plate 2-Hole Plastic Button – 32L/20mm
• 1 spool of 322 Medium Rose 100m Gutermann Sew All Thread
• MDF324 – The Melora Jacket Free Sewing Pattern (free download below!)

Alternative Recommended Fabrics:

• Wool Suiting
• Corduroy
• Wool Boucle

Seam allowance is ½” unless otherwise noted.

Note: A walking foot is highly recommended for this fabric. For extra tips on sewing with tweed, check out our free infographic!

Getting started:

1. Iron interfacing into the self facings and sleeve bands.

2. On both sleeves, sew a basting stitch between the gathering notches.

3. Right sides together, sew up the inner arm of each sleeve.

How to sew the bodice:

1. Sew the darts on the front and back pieces. Press darts towards the side seams.

2. Right sides together, pin the lower bodice to the upper bodice, making sure the dots are aligned. Because these pieces are curved, you’ll need to ease the lower bodice to the upper bodice. Sew, then repeat on the other side. You should now have two front bodice pieces.

3. Right sides together, sew both front bodice pieces to the back bodice, up the sides. Then sew the shoulders.

How to attach the sleeves:

1. Gather the sleeve shoulders. Matching notches, pin a sleeve into an armscye right sides together. Sew. Repeat on the other sleeve.

How to sew the facing:

1. Sew the front neck facings to the back neck facing, right sides together.

2. Sew the front waist facings to the back waist facing, right sides together.

3. Sew a cuff band together on the short ends, right sides together, repeat.

How to sew the lining:

1. Construct the lining in the same way as the fashion fabric, except there’s no cuff band.

How to attach the neck facing to the lining:

1. Fold under and topstitch the bottom edge of the neck facing to the right side of the lining.

How to join the sleeves to the lining:

1. Take one cuff and place it around the right side of the lining’s sleeve. Gather the lining and align the seams and notches. Sew. Repeat on the other sleeve.

2. Turn both layers inside out. Gather the lower edge of the fashion fabric’s sleeves.

3. Right sides together, pin the cuff to the self’s sleeve at the edges – you’ll basically be pinching and pinning the two layers together, not laying them on top of one another. Match the underarm seams and gathers to the notches. Double check that the sleeves aren’t twisted! Sew. Understitch the cuff. The result should now be a tube. Repeat on the other side.

How to finish the facing:

1. Right sides together, pin the waist facing to the lining, aligning notches and edges. Sew lengthwise, then understitch the facing.

2. Pin the waist facing’s free edge to the bottom edge of the self, right sides together. Sew, stopping about an inch from the center front edges of the lining/facing. Understitch the facing.

3. Back to the neckline: With a seam allowance of ⅝” here, sew along the upper edge of the lining, stopping about an inch from the lining’s center front edge. Understitch the facing.

4. Because the lining is smaller, you’ll notice the edges of the lining and fashion fabric don’t match up at the center front. Pull and pin the lining so its edge lines up with the fashion fabric’s, as pictured above. Sew down the center front, then understitch the fashion fabric. Repeat on the other side.

5. Taking the excess outer fabric at the center front neckline (clamped for visibility), fold it towards the center front of the fashion fabric and finish sewing the top edge, picking up where you left off in steps 2 & 3. Repeat on the center front bottom, then repeat on the other side.

How to finish the garment:

1. On one of the lining’s side seams, use a seam ripper to take out about 5 inches worth of stitches.

2. Grab the fashion fabric from the hole in the lining, and pull through until it’s right side out.

3. Handstitch the ripped seam closed.

4. Button placement is up to you! Once you decide, sew the buttonholes. If you’re using this fabric, take extra care and practice a few times if you’re sewing the buttonholes on a machine.

5. Stitch on the buttons.