Introducing the Parker Chore Coat!

Meet the Parker Chore Coat

Parker is a chore coat designed for those who appreciate practicality and style. It has a gender-neutral fit, with a straight cut through the body and distinctive two-piece raglan sleeves. For unrestricted movement, it features subtle shoulder darts and a center back box pleat with a release at the mid-back.

You’ll learn how to sew thoughtful details with this coat. It has a cuff adorned with a denim jacket-style placket, a stand collar, and an oversized front placket secured with heavy-duty snaps. And you’ll have plenty of pockets! It has lower pockets that span from the placket to the side seam, two chest patch pockets, and an interior patch pocket.

Eric is wearing a size 8. We shortened the sleeves by 1/2" (12 mm). His measurements are: Chest: 36 3/4" (93.4 cm), Waist: 31" (78.75 cm), Hip: 37" (94 cm), and he is 5'9" (1.75 m) tall.

Franki is wearing a size 18 from our 12 - 30 size range. We removed 1/2" (12 mm) from the sleeve length and added to the across back. Her measurements are Chest: 46 1/2" (118 cm), Waist: 38" (96.5 cm), Hip: 50" (127 cm), and she is 5' 6 1/2" (1.69 m) tall.

Core Fabric Kits!

We’re excited to partner with Core Fabrics for limited-edition fabric kits for the Parker jacket.

All of the samples this month are made from these kits, and there are even more fabric options in the Core Fabric shop here.

Along with the experts at Core Fabrics, we handpicked these fabrics for Parker. They’re packaged up with all the notions you’ll need to complete the project, including yardage, closures, interfacing, and thread.

Each kit contains:

3 or 3.5 yards of Non-Stretch Organic Cotton Denim.

10 15 mm Jeans Buttons

1 yard of Midweight Fusible Woven Interfacing

1 spool of coordinating topstitching thread

2 spools of matching thread

Go to Core Fabric’s shop to pick out your kit, and with just one click, you’ll be ready to sew Parker as soon as your kit arrives in the mail! Then you’ll also be able to join our upcoming sewalong for the Parker jacket.

Fabric and Fit

Fabric recommendations: Look for medium-weight or heavyweight fabrics such as canvas, duck cloth, waxed canvas, flannel, denim, twill, and corduroy.

Fabric qualities to look for: When picking a fabric, prioritize what your machine can handle. This jacket is designed for sturdier fabrics, but there will be several places in the pattern where you must sew through multiple layers. If your machine doesn’t do well with heavyweight fabrics like duck or waxed canvas, opt for something medium-weight, like twill or an 8oz denim.

Seamwork members, take advantage of your member deals this month! You can save up to 20% off your order here.

Fitting tips: You might be tempted to blend between sizes to create more shaping, but for garments with a straight cut, trying to blend can change the design and the overall fit. Instead, select the largest size you’ll need, make a muslin, and see if you need to pinch out any areas to improve the fit.

Parker features our gender-neutral fit, meaning it was developed and fit on both male and female bodies. It has generous ease, as it’s intended to be slightly oversized so you move comfortably. Pay attention to the sleeve and body length, and add or remove length as necessary.

Follow this tutorial to lengthen and shorten a sewing pattern

If you need to blend between sizes, use this video tutorial.

Get the Parker Chore Coat

Seamwork Style Ideas

Parker will add a stylish layer to any outfit, but you can also make it the center of your whole look.

To make Parker the focus of your outfit, layer it over a dress with a straight silhouette. For a woven option, choose Ariel. For a knit option, choose Aaronica.