Product Review: Jacket and Pants set for a child pt. 1

Do you like these product reviews? Maybe I should call it product analysis? I like to look at how other people are making their products. Children's products, in particular, require a little bit different construction because they are so small.

Up next is part 1 of a 2 part series on a 2 piece set consisting of a yellow jacket and casual pants. It is picture intensive and I didn't want to post it all in one super long post. I won't tell you the size yet. Maybe you can guess in comments? The fabric is what I call a "popcorn" knit. I think the correct classification is pointelle, but I am not sure. Anyway, it is a textured knit and there are some surprising details that I wouldn't expect in a bulkier knit or in this size.

First up is the jacket. Raglan sleeves, pocket with welts, lined hood, separating zipper, and a screen printed image. I wonder how the screen printed image will hold up in the wash? It is probably tricky to get it to "stick" on a textured knit. All of the sleeve seams and hems have a decorative stitch from a coverstitch machine.


Here is a close-up of the pocket. I am not entirely sure how to do this in this knit fabric and have it come out so nice. There is no interfacing or reinforcement stitching that I can see. There is the top-stitching around it though.

BTW, the pocket is functional.

The inside of the jacket with the back of the pocket. You can see the pocket extends into the hem but comes just short of where the zipper is located. You can see the zipper is covered with a facing too.

The back neck has a facing in a striped knit fabric. Look at that nice curve on the bottom edge of the facing. Hard to do in a knit. BTW, the facing is not necessary. It is purely for hanger appeal. The neck is finished with a "bias" finish out of the striped knit. The hood is nicely lined too.

The sleeves are set in flat. The sleeves would have been hemmed first, set into the body and closed under the arm. This is typical in this size range and price point.

The seam end of the underarm is tacked down with a straight stitch machine. This is also typical. It prevents the seam from opening back up during wash and wear. You can backstitch with the overlock seam and eliminate this step, but tacking the seam down provides another benefit. It reduces a point of irritation.

Next time I will show the pants. If you have a guess on the size, submit it into comments. I think I left enough clues, so it shouldn't be too hard. I welcome any other questions or comments about the review....