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Using Boardshort Fabric for Rain Jackets with Audrey of Skirt Fixation and Jenn of Jennuine Design

June 15, 2021

Hi there! It’s Audrey and Jenn and we’re going to share how we used board shorts fabric to sew up rain jackets. We both used slightly different methods, so hopefully one of them works for you.

We both used the David Rain Coat pattern from the latest Project Run & Play pattern collection, Project Smooth Sorbet. This pattern is a unisex kids zip front raincoat with bound edges, raglan sleeves and a paneled hood. A choice of curved bound pockets or big boxy pockets with flaps. Extension pack for lining available separately. The David pattern can be sewn in 15 sizes from 12 months to 14. The fabric recommendations are Laminated cotton, polyurethane and coated cotton. For lightweight coats Cotton drill and denim can be used.

Board shorts fabric is not water proof, but rather water resistant. This means untreated, it will act more like a windbreaker than a waterproof rain jacket. Audrey used the fabric untreated, and Jenn gave her fabric a special treatment.

JENN’S JACKET:

Finding raincoat fabric in cool prints isn't always the easiest, so I conducted an experiment to see if I could make a waterproof raincoat using boardshort fabric... Spoiler alert, it worked beautifully!!

Raspberry Creek Fabrics sponsored my sewing for the Project Smooth Sorbet collection with Project Run & Play. Because of that, I didn't want to shop around at other sites for raingear specific fabrics to use for the David Rain Jacketby Bobbins 'N Buttons. I knew there were materials available to treat fabrics, so I did some research and found products that would work for me.

I found these two projects from Seattle Fabrics: ReviveX Wash-in Water Repellent and 7/8" wide Melco Iron on Seam Tape. I did some quick Googling and found out that the wash-in repellant should be applied to the finished garment and not the yardage to prevent any effect on the machine from the coating it deposits on the fabric.

I prepped my pattern pieces, and applied the seam tape to the seams on the top of the coat: the raglan sleeves, the hood and neckline. I didn't apply the seam tape to the underarm and side seams as that didn't seem necessary. The tutorial for the David Rain Coat has many of the internal seams bound by bias tape, but I sewed them as usual, just trimming the seam allowances a little so they would be trapped underneath the tape. Applying the tape is as simple as pressing the seams open, placing it over the seam allowances and pressing securely in place with a pressing cloth.

Once the rain coat was finished, all that was left was to wash it using the water repellant treatment. That's as simple as it sounds - toss the rain coat into the machine and put the treatment in as you would detergent.

Does it work?

Yes it does!! I tested the treated fabric along with some of the untreated fabric using a small spray bottle. On the treated coat the water beads up and stays on top of the fabric. On the untreated fabric it spreads out and begins to penetrate the fabric. The boardshort material on it's own would probably keep you fairly dry in a light sprinkle. We haven't put the treated fabric to the test, but I bet it would keep the rain off for short periods in a steady rainfall. I doubt that it would keep a person completely dry in an extended heavy rainstorm. Treated or untreated this polyester microfiber should dry really quickly.

AUDREY'S JACKET:

Hi, this is Audrey! I was delighted to work with board shorts fabric when sewing the David Rain Coat pattern. First, however, I sewed a muslin using water proof laminated fabric. (More on that here.) After seeing how it was a little stiff, I went ahead and sewed up the next version using Raspberry Creek Fabrics board short fabric.

To make this rain jacket as water resistant as possible, I made bias tape from other board short fabric from Raspberry Creek Fabrics so that the contrast piping is just as water resistant as the rest of the jacket. No sense in having soaking wet edges! I also lined the interior seams in the hood with board shorts fabric so that if it’s down it’s water resistant also. Plus it’s just plain pretty!

So what’s the verdict? How wet does she get in a rain shower? Well, she hasn’t worn this in a downpour, but in several lighter sprinkles, she has stayed 100% dry! Yay for Raspberry Creek Fabrics board short fabric!!

LINKS FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE:

Jenn’s cross post: https://www.ajennuinelife.com/2021/06/waterproofing-board-short-fabric.html.

Audrey's cross post: David Rain Coat Pattern Review

David Rain Jacket pattern: https://projectrunandplay.com/product/david-rain-jacket/

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Using Boardshort Fabric for Rain Jackets with Audrey of Skirt Fixation and Jenn of Jennuine Design

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