Workwear Thayer Jacket With Removable Lining

I have so many feelings about this make. The process was long and drawn out. I wasn’t really pumped about making it because it was more of a necessity than a fun sparkly desire. But you guys… I am so STINKING PROUD of this jacket!

I needed a new jacket to wear to work. For those that don’t know, my husband and I own a barbecue restaurant. Needless to say, it gets messy there (I mean just look at those overalls!) I very rarely wear anything I’ve made to work because it just gets worn down and splattered allover with meat juice and other mystery substances. But I needed a “work jacket”. Between the restaurant and our new farm house I knew I needed a jacket that wasn’t necessarily for looks but was tough and could keep me warm and take some wear and tear. I thought about just buying something because it seemed like a lot of work to put into something that is just going to get beat up. But I had the perfect fabric in my stash and somewhat of a vision.

There were a couple of other patterns that crossed my mind but Grainline Studio teased this pattern back in the spring of 2019 and I knew it was exactly what I was looking for. The Thayer Jacket pattern is the perfect work wear inspired look with just a touch of feminism in it’s barely there swingy shape. I waited and waited and it came out just in time last fall. My local sewing friend and I worked on ours together during our Tuesday sewing nights.

I had this railroad stripe denim ticking in my stash that my husband and I found at an estate sale. It was perfect for this make. I decided to play around with the direction of the stripes and I love the way it came out.

The lining is refashioned from a vintage heavy flannel mens shirt (also from an estate sale). Can you believe I was wearing the shirt as my winter work jacket before I made this! I didn’t quite have enough of the shirt for the sleeve lining so I used some super soft twill that was leftover from these Chi Town Chinos. That fabric actually worked out better for sleeve lining because it’s a lot slicker and has less friction. I played with some fun details by keeping the original shirt pocket of the vintage shirt which now operates as an inside pocket.

Now for the fun part… the lining is REMOVABLE!!! I knew I needed this jacket to be warm, but I also lacked a lightweight work jacket (especially since I chopped up that flannel shirt to make the lining!) So I decided to make the lining removable.

I plan on making a full tutorial about this (coming soon!) But basically I used the lining pieces to draft a separate facing that I stitched up in denim. Then I ordered a super long zipper, and attached it to both the facing and lining so when its not quite so frigid out I can just unzip the lining and have a lighter jacket!

The lining is layered with quilt batting and backed with cotton muslin for extra warmth. A last minute decision that I definitely do not regret because its been freezing here lately!

The plaid on the collar was an accidental decision. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do plaid or solid denim, decided on the solid denim with the plaid for the under collar, then sewed the collar on upside down. :-p (You probably aren’t shocked to hear thats not the first time I’ve done that!) I caught the mistake before closing everything up, but then tried it on first before unpicking and decided I loved it. Plus when I pop my collar to keep the wind away it’s nice and soft against my neck.

The pattern fit me perfectly right out of the packet. I made a size 0 with zero changes whatsoever. And in true Grainline Studio fashion the instructions were super clear and easy to follow. They now have a sewalong for this pattern as well!

The only thing I changed was switching the buttons to snaps. I didn’t see myself bothering to close the jacket very much and I was too lazy to do all those button holes. 😉

See this jacket in action with even more details in this video:

In the end I was SO SO HAPPY and proud of myself and the way I executed this make. I absolutely couldn’t believe how well it turned out.

Have you ever been reluctant to make something only to end up loving it?