Named Clothing Maisa Denim Jacket from Upcycled Jeans

One of my very first sewing projects with a pattern was a denim jacket… I know very ambitious of my 13 year old self. I remember having to ask the teacher to help me with just about every step. After it was done I was unimpressed by the end result. To me it looked handmade (in a bad way), bulky, and wasn’t what I was going for with all that work. From that point on I decided I didn’t want to try another denim project (jeans, jacket, etc). And I pretty much stayed true to that until now…

I saw Named Clothing’s Maisa Denim jacket from their SS17 Playground collection and I couldn’t resist giving it a go again. I was drawn to the combination of contrasting colors and their sample was even made of recycled denim remnants. Perfect! My boys have a box of torn down denim that was just too trashed to giveaway but not nearly trashed enough to throw out. I also can show my boys (as they laugh) this was the pocket of your jeans here, and here was yours right here…I know I’ll get good use out of this and it will also remind me of the many adventures I have with my boys. For the parts I didn’t have enough denim to cover I used TÉLIO’s bleached wash denim that went perfect with the mix of colors I had.

Named Clothing is a Finnish clothing pattern label founded by sisters Saara and Laura. They offer patterns of all skill level from beginner to more experienced. This one is a bit advanced but if you’re new to sewing patterns they have plenty of options to pick from. I love the style of their patterns…classic silhouettes with a twist, interesting little details that bring out the designer in you.

“The aim of the collections is to bring a new perspective to making one’s own clothes and to support ethical and ecological consuming in contrast to a clothing industry focused on fast fashion.”

What I loved the most about this specific sewing pattern is the easy to follow instructions, even for an advanced project like a denim jacket. I never once questioned what was to be done. This alone deserves an applause as we all know most sewing patterns can be difficult to follow.

“Named is much more than handicrafts but it is also more than a fashion label among others – it is learning, love for creation and joy of accomplishment!”

See the steps of the process below including video…

Tiling the pattern.

Piles of torn denim my sons’ and husband have destroyed. They play rough like they should.

The hardest part was making all the scraps of denim work for the project and picking out the color theme.

Cutting the pattern.

I love seeing the jacket come together little by little.

Had to add embroidery of my boys names on the cuff…

Finishing the button holes…

The pattern turned out better than I expected with a perfect fit. The construction process took awhile but take your time and enjoy it. Not every project needs to be under 1/2 an hour. The finished results are worth it!