McCalls 4676 Review

Robbie wanted a fleece pull over half zip jacket to match his dad's.  I found this pattern and thought I would try it.  The review is below.

This is the back.

And the color in this picture is actually truer since it was taken during daylight hours.

He will definitely be seen!!

Pattern Review:


Pattern Description:   McCalls 4676 - I made view B

Pattern Sizing: Kids 3-4, 5-6, 7-8 10-12, 14-16 and Adults S-XL - I made size 10-12

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes - although mine is monochrome

Were the instructions easy to follow? yeah, not totally.  I had some difficulty with the collar construction.  That part was not clear.  I wound up doing my own thing.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? It was fairly easy once I knew what I was doing.  I made some alterations and liked it much better.  I do not like the way they install the zipper.  It also calls for a 14" zipper, but it only goes the length of the yoke.  Measure your collar and yokes pieces and get the zipper size based on that measurement.  I used a 7".

Fabric Used: Non-pil Fleece from Joann's

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: The collar comes in two pieces to allow for a fold over.  I did not use the under collar piece since I didn't need that fold over.  I cut 2 upper collar pieces instead.  I stitched the collar like every other pattern.  The pattern has you stitch the collar on all 3 sides before attaching, but that makes for a very bulky seam when installing the zipper.  I ripped out the side stitches in the collar and cut off the seam allowance so it would line up evenly with the yoke.  The zipper hides that part anyway, so that seam is unnecessary.  I did not install the zipper according to the instructions.  I basted that seam closed, pressed the seams open, then attached my zipper right down the middle of that seam on the wrong side.  Once stitched, I simply removed the basting stitches.  It worked beautifully.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes, I absolutely would sew it again with the same changes unless I decide I like the contrast colors. And I definitely recommend it to others. 

Conclusion: My total time was longer than I expected - roughly 3 hours, but I suspect next time that will be shorter - 90 minutes tops.  Fooling with the collar and zipper took more time than it should have.