I Sewed My First Kids' Jacket Using a Winter Parka Pattern
A personal breakdown of sewing a kids' winter parka from a ready-made pattern: welt pockets, assembling the front panels and back, insulating the lining, setting in the zipper and hood, a waist drawstring with a grommet, a wind flap, and elastic cuffs with hook-and-loop tape — including fabric and insulation amounts used.
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Translated
Things you will learn
The jacket was sewn strictly to a ready-made kids' winter parka pattern with no changes except an added knit collar; the pattern is given without seam allowances, so you need to add them yourself.
The shell is Dewspo fabric, the lining is sherpa fleece and kazirma lining, and the insulation is Thermofin 100+100 (the pattern is designed for 200-250 g insulation); the parka was sewn in size 128 plus a 4 cm allowance.
The pockets are welt pockets rather than patch pockets — this lets you use a non-solid-colored fabric without disrupting the print.
The lining is fleece down to the hips for warmth, and taffeta below that so it slides easily over pants; the sleeves are lined in taffeta and the hood in fleece.
The design has a two-piece hood, an internal drawstring at the waist, tabs on the sleeves, and cuffs with elastic and a hook-and-loop closure.
What you'll get
You'll get a warm kids' winter parka with welt pockets, a two-piece hood, an internal drawstring at the waist, a wind flap behind the zipper, and cuffs with elastic and a hook-and-loop closure.
Materials and tools
Materials
Shell fabric (Dewspo), about 1.4 m needed for size 129; the example uses a "cat's eye" (Dallas) print fabric
Sherpa fleece lining, used down to the hips for warmth, and also in the hood; about 1 m needed
Taffeta lining, used below the hips and in the sleeves so the lining slides easily over pants; about 0.5 m needed
Thermofin / Isosoft insulation, the pattern is designed for 200-250 g insulation; the example uses Thermofin 100+100 (two layers), with about 1 m of 250 g Isosoft used
A zipper, 2 cord locks, and a drawstring cord, hardware for the front closure and the waist drawstring
Elastic and hook-and-loop tape for the cuffs, needed for the sleeve cuffs with a closure
Tools
Sewing machine, needed for all the main seams and decorative topstitching
Serger or zigzag stitch, needed to finish the taffeta's raw edges
A grommet (optional), recommended for the drawstring hole, though you can skip it
Preparation
Prepare your fabrics and amounts
Prepare the shell fabric (Dewspo), the sherpa fleece and taffeta lining, insulation of the right density, a zipper, cord locks and drawstring cord, plus elastic and hook-and-loop tape for the cuffs. Use the fabric amounts for size 129 above as a guide.
Check the pattern's seam allowances
Remember the pattern is given without seam allowances — add them yourself when cutting out all the pieces.
Cut the pieces and make the welt pockets
First the front panels and pocket pieces are cut, then the welt pockets are assembled.
Cut the front panels and pocket pieces
Cut the front panels from the shell fabric and the pocket pieces: pocket piece 1 from fleece, pocket piece 2 from the shell fabric. Transfer the waistline and pocket markings onto the shell-fabric front panel.
Sew on the welt
Start the pocket on the front panel: fold the welt in half and sew it to the bottom of the pocket opening. The stitching needs to run exactly along the frame transferred from the pattern, without going past it. Sew the pocket piece cut from the shell fabric to the opposite side.
Cut the slit on the wrong side
On the wrong side, cut the slit as shown in the photo — carefully, without catching the pocket bag or the welt.
Turn the pocket through the opening
Turn the pocket through to the wrong side through the opening. Push the pocket bag aside.
Topstitch the welt's frame
Topstitch along the welt side, and along both the top and bottom edges of the frame.
Reposition the pocket bag and finish the pocket
Put the pocket bag back in place and sew the last line of stitching. Turn the front panel over and fold the pocket bag aside, lay the fleece pocket bag piece in place as shown, and sew it on, catching the welt's seam allowances. Fold the shell-fabric pocket piece into place, turn the front panel right side up, fold the fabric as shown, and sew the pocket bag pieces together, starting from the welt's side allowances.
Assemble the back, hood, and sleeves
Next, the main body and hood pieces are assembled from the shell fabric.
Assemble the back panel
Cut the back, hood, and sleeve pieces from the shell fabric. On the back panel, transfer the waistline onto the fabric. Sew the back seam down to the vent and add two lines of decorative topstitching, pressing the seam allowances open in opposite directions.
Sew the shoulder seams and set in the sleeves
Sew the shoulder seams and attach the sleeves. Add a line of decorative topstitching at the shoulder on the back side. Add decorative topstitching on the sleeve as well, align the side seams with the sleeve, and sew them all in one seam. Clip notches at the curves.
Assemble and attach the hood
Sew the hood pieces together, add decorative topstitching, and attach the hood to the parka.
Sew on the waist drawstring channel
Strips for the internal drawstring channel are sewn onto the waistline.
Cut and sew on the strips
Cut four strips 4 cm wide: 2 pieces the length of the waistline up to the front facing, and 2 pieces the length of the waistline across the back. Sew them onto the parka at the waistline with a line of stitching along each edge.
Assemble and insulate the lining
The lining pieces are cut from taffeta and fleece, and insulated before joining with the shell.
Cut the lining pieces
Cut all the lining pieces, plus all the facings and front facings, from the shell fabric. Also cut strips 2 cm wide (plus seam allowance) to sew in between the fleece and taffeta — their length matches the "fleece length" line marked on the pattern. The sleeves, and the bottom of the front and back panels, are cut from taffeta: to do this, lay the hem facing against the pattern, draw a line, then measure 2 cm down from the "fleece length" line and draw a second line — the space between the two lines is the taffeta section.
Sew the lining pieces together
Sew the back and front lining pieces together, except for the front facings and other facings, and topstitch the strip cut from the shell fabric.
Insulate the lining pieces
Insulate all the lining pieces: lay them against the Isosoft batting and sew around the edge, then trim away the batting along the seams. You can skip insulating the hood facing. Sew the hood and attach the facing.
Attach the front facing and sew the side seams
Sew the front facing onto the front panels and topstitch. Sew the side seam and sleeve in one seam, leaving an opening unsewn on one side for turning. Finish the taffeta sections with a serger or zigzag stitch.
Sew the back seam and attach the hanging loop
Sew the back seam down to the vent. Attach the hanging loop (a scrap of shell fabric folded in four) and a decorative square, then attach the hood.
Set in the zipper and join the hoods
The zipper is sewn onto the shell fabric, and then the shell and lining hoods are joined.
Sew the zipper onto the shell fabric
Set the lining aside. Sew the zipper onto the shell fabric, starting 1 cm up from the bottom of the parka, all the way to the top. Trim off any excess teeth later.
Join the hoods
Put the shell and lining hoods right sides together and sew. Trim away excess seam allowance, and clip notches at the curves.
Finish the zipper at the hood
At the zipper, fold it over, stitch across the top, then join the front facing to the shell fabric and sew it up to the neckline — this leaves the zipper sewn to the lining at the hood area. Turn the hood right side out and topstitch.
Make the drawstring opening
A neat opening, ideally with a grommet, is made for the drawstring cord to come through to the lining.
Make the opening and finish it
On the front facing, make an opening for the drawstring cord to come through to the lining — it's best to install a grommet, though you can skip it. Cut a square from the shell fabric, draw a circle 7 mm in diameter on it, place it against the front facing at the waistline, and sew around the circle. Cut the circle open in a "snowflake" pattern without catching the stitching, and turn it through to the wrong side. Stitch it on the machine, forming a square.
Add a loop for the drawstring
Cut a strip, fold it into four layers and sew, then attach it as a loop where the front facing meets the shell-fabric front panel. Thread the cord (or elastic) through the drawstring channel and secure it as shown.
Sew the wind flap
The flap protects against drafts coming through the zipper.
Sew and attach the flap
Sew a wind flap 5 cm wide and as long as the distance from the hem to the neckline (plus seam allowance), from two pieces of shell fabric with insulation sandwiched between them. Turn it right side out and sew it to the jacket, catching only the top layer, as shown. Trim the seam allowance down as much as possible, unfold the flap into its correct position, and add another line of stitching.
Make the elastic cuffs with hook-and-loop tape
The cuffs are made from fabric, wrist elastic, and hook-and-loop tape.
Cut the cuffs and elastic
Cut the cuffs to the length of the sleeve hem, 10 cm wide. Measure the elastic snugly around the wrist, then cut it in half — one half for each cuff.
Sew the elastic into the cuff
Lay the elastic in place as shown, fold the cuff over, and sew along the edge of the elastic. Then lay the elastic against the middle of the cuff and sew along the edge again.
Topstitch the cuff with three lines
Stitch the cuff, first sewing only over the elastic while stretching the cuff. To keep the lines even: align the first line with the edge, the second with the first line, and the third with the second line.
Add the hook-and-loop closure
Cut the closure tab, sew along three sides, turn it right side out, and cut a piece of hook-and-loop tape the same length. Sew the hook side to the closure tab, and the loop side to the cuff.
Assemble the cuff into a ring
On the elastic side of the cuff, fold the remaining 2 cm of fabric to the inside. Lay the closure tab against the cuff as shown and sew it along the edge. Fold the cuff into a ring: tuck the end with the closure tab into the small pocket at the edge of the elastic and sew. The first cuff is done.
Attach the cuffs to the sleeves
Turn the sleeve right side out and lay it with the front facing up. Insert the cuff into the sleeve as shown and sew it to the sleeve — the elastic will end up on the palm side.
Finish assembling the jacket
The final stage is joining the lining to the shell, the collar area, the side seams, the hem, and the vent.
Join the sleeves to the lining
Turn the sleeve to the wrong side and join it with the lining sleeve along the seamline. Insert the shell-fabric sleeve inside the lining sleeve and, holding the seam allowances, stitch as close as possible to the previous seam.
Sew the collar area
Sew the lining and shell fabric together at the collar area. Turn it right side out, align it at the hanging loop, and sew — not the whole collar, just 5 to 6 cm in the middle.
Sew the hem and vent
Join the sleeves at the underarm, stitching through the seam allowances at one point. Join the parka along the hem, right sides together, and sew the bottom, leaving the vent itself unsewn for now. Then sew the vent in two passes: first one side up to the seam allowance, then the other side up to the seam allowance — this makes it easier to turn right side out.
Turn the jacket right side out and finish topstitching
Turn the jacket right side out through the unsewn opening in the lining. Topstitch the hem and the vent. Hand-sew the opening in the lining closed.
Finish and variations
Finish
Wear your finished parka
You can wear the finished parka right away — it's designed for 200-250 g insulation and includes an allowance for growth (in this example, size 128 plus 4 cm).
Variations
Patch pockets instead of welt pockets
If the shell fabric is a solid color, you can make patch pockets instead of welt pockets — the author chose welt pockets specifically because the shell fabric has a print.
Adding a knit collar
You can add a knit collar to the pattern, as the author did — the rest of the pattern doesn't need to change.
The zipper at the neckline rubs or catches on the child's chin.
Likely cause
The pattern doesn't include a separate chin-guard piece at the top of the zipper.
How to fix it
Add a small guard piece (fleece or fabric) at the top edge of the zipper so the metal teeth don't touch the chin.
The welt's stitching goes outside the frame
Problem
After stitching, the welt's topstitching doesn't line up with the frame transferred from the pattern.
Likely cause
The pocket markings were transferred to the fabric imprecisely, or the stitching was sewn without following the transferred frame.
How to fix it
Follow the frame transferred from the pattern to the fabric exactly, and stitch precisely along it without going past it.
The pocket bag or welt gets caught while cutting
Problem
While cutting the slit on the wrong side, the pocket bag or the welt gets accidentally caught.
Likely cause
The slit was cut without enough care near the edges of the pocket bag and welt.
How to fix it
Cut the slit on the wrong side carefully and slowly, leaving clearance from the pocket bag and welt.
The taffeta's raw edges fray
Problem
Unfinished taffeta edges start to fray after cutting or during sewing.
Likely cause
The taffeta's raw edges weren't finished with a serger or zigzag stitch right after cutting.
How to fix it
Finish the taffeta pieces' raw edges with a serger or zigzag stitch right after cutting, before further assembly.
The cuff's stitch lines come out uneven
Problem
The three lines of stitching on the cuff sit unevenly relative to each other.
Likely cause
Each line wasn't aligned against the previous one, and was instead sewn freehand.
How to fix it
Align the first line exactly with the cuff's edge, the second with the first line, and the third with the second line, so all the lines run parallel.
The insulation makes the seams bulky
Problem
The seams come out thick and stiff because of the insulation inside.
Likely cause
The insulation wasn't trimmed away at the seams after insulating the lining pieces.
How to fix it
After sewing the insulation around each piece, trim it away right at the seamline to reduce bulk.
?FAQ
What fabrics were used for the shell and lining?
The shell is Dewspo fabric (a "cat's eye"/Dallas print in this example), the lining is sherpa fleece (down to the hips and in the hood) and taffeta (below the hips and in the sleeves), and the insulation is Thermofin 100+100.
What insulation density is the pattern designed for?
The pattern is designed for insulation with a density of 200-250 g.
Does the pattern include seam allowances?
No, the pattern is given without seam allowances — you need to add them yourself when cutting.
Why welt pockets instead of patch pockets?
The shell fabric has a print, so patch pockets would disrupt it; welt pockets look neater in this case.
Is it worth adding a chin guard at the zipper?
Yes — based on comments, it's worth adding a chin-guard piece at the neckline; it's a small but important detail missing from this pattern.
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Great work! Bravo to the maker! We try to buy our son jackets from well-known brands (Gap, Carter's, H&M), so I can say for sure that the seam quality, pockets, and drawstrings — everything measures up (y) The only thing I noticed is that there's no chin guard on the zipper at the collar. It's a small but really necessary detail. If it had that, I'd think the jacket was bought from a brand store ))
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Great work! Bravo to the maker! We try to buy our son jackets from well-known brands (Gap, Carter's, H&M), so I can say for sure that the seam quality, pockets, and drawstrings — everything measures up (y)
The only thing I noticed is that there's no chin guard on the zipper at the collar. It's a small but really necessary detail. If it had that, I'd think the jacket was bought from a brand store ))