Club Obi Wan

My wife is going to make me a warm(er) weather Indy style jacket in cloth.
I am looking for input on cloth selection, design details, etc. of this prototype. She is a very talented seamstress; but, we are looking to the Indy jacket experts here for anything we may overlook. She will probably be starting from a basic commercial mens jacket pattern from Vogue and then heavily modifying it from there.
So, if you were making something like this, besides the obvious overall look, what would you want?

Thanks and best regards,

Rambler

That's a fine idea for her to do that for you.

Wested already offers one in denim in case you weren't aware, and can still make them in cotton twill if requested.

What she may want to do is have you find an unwanted Indy jacket and reverse engineer it for you. The pattern is quite complicated.

Regards! Michaelson

Michaelson got great ideas - as always.

I can say from experience that the cotton Wested is a great jacket, perfect for the days when the leather is too heavy, but it's still just a little chilly out. Whether you decide to go with the denim or cotton Wested, or if your wife ends up making you one, it's a great idea! And it's less conspicuous as an Indy jacket.

I say probably the Wested is a good idea - IIRC, it was only about $100 when I bought mine a few years ago. If the materials et al cost more than that for your wife to make it, I say get a Wested, and then if anything, when you start to grow out of it or if something happens, she can just copy it for you!

Shane

I've always wanted to see an indy jacket made out of oil skin material, you know the stuff the outback jackets are made out of? Heck if someone made those I'd buy one.

Thank you Michaelson; I am aware of the Wested offerings in cloth. I guess I should clarify; I am not necessarily looking for a precise rendering of the leather jacket in cloth. Rather, I want the overall look and the basic design features:
storm flap zippered closure (need to decide US v Euro)
gusset, bi-swing back w/ adjust straps
patch pockets w/ flaps (probably NO hand warmers)

It should be unmistakenly be recognizable to a gear-head as an Indy jacket inspired garmet but in cloth.
I am seeking input about what folks might add or delete to a "standard" Indy jacket for this project.

As far as the complexity of the pattern; she wants the challege. I am not too worried as, for example, she has made an A-2 inspired jacket from black wool with hand-knitted cuffs and waist. She added to this a bi-swing back, hidden interior reinforcing shoulder straps which supported hidden pockets for some "defensive equipment".

The first decision for the cloth Indy is materials. The idea of oilcloth is intriguing. We have made an Aussie drover's coat but waived off on the oilcloth after experiments showed that it will nearly ruin a sewing machine by depositing the waxy stuff in the mechanism in short order. The materials for that ended up being cotton canvas that I dyed to a custom color (dark rust brown) with a light weight cotton (flight jacket like) liner in olive drab. I then added commercial waterproofing compound to the cloth.
I want the cloth Indy jacket to "breathe" and to distress a little like leather so a similar canvas or denim are definite possibilities. Color is tough. Blue denim is out because it would look too much like a Levi's jeans jacket including the adjust tabs.The right color for me is darker than khaki, with enough pigment to show the distressing but not so dark as to be a heat-sink in the sun. Let's call it "pecan".

What would you folks add in terms of interior features like pockets etc?

maybe do the 2 inside pockets but make it so one of them zips closed or something? I know I have a couple of jackets with 2 inside pockets and there is always something I want to keep just a little more secure so I stick it in the zippered pockets.

cool idea. Something similar in weight to an Army BDU jacket (shirt) would be very practical.

I would forgo the lining and construct the interior pockets like a standard jean jacket i.e. basket pockets. Ripstop canvas would be cool but if you're after the "Indy" look I'd suggest dyeing natural cotton canvas... It might be hard to find a pre-colored cloth that is the right shade.

Good luck.