Treasure Island Inspired Hawthorn Zip-Up Jacket - Sew Many Books Sew Along

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I am re-blogging this jacket today.   When I first made it and published my post about it, the inspiration behind it was not so relevant.  But now that Nap Time Creations is hosting the Sew Many Books series, giveaway, and sew along, it's time to bring it back so I can participate!  You can see my original post on this jacket here.

As I've mentioned before, I need to sew practical things.  A special occasion item surely pops up now and then, but I don't have time, money or need to sew things someone won't love and won't be able to wear or use often (and then passed down to younger siblings!).  Even when I make a Halloween costume, it needs to be something that can be worn over multiple years by multiple children.  So, a book inspired outfit from me is going to be practical and not very costume-y (although I love the sweet costumes others create from book characters).  Here I am presenting a bigger-kid version of a book-inspired look.

My oldest son was practically born a reader.  He would sit and listen to books for over an hour and learned to read quite early.  One of my his favorite books is Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson.  He has read a couple versions of it and we own both the Disney and Muppet Treasure Island movie versions.  I have sweet memories of sitting with him as he practiced his reading out loud as a five year old using the brown version shown in the picture above.  It also has not been uncommon to find a "black spot" left for a sibling or parent to find on his or her pillow at night.

So, when it came time to test the Hawthorn Zip-Up Sweatshirt by Titchy Threads for Willow & Co., I took inspiration from Treasure Island to create not only a practical jacket, but one that would be stylish and something my son would love.  The Treasure Island pirate theme was perfect!

The jacket really came together with the skull and cross-bone patch and the striped knit fabric that I used for the lining and pockets - a symbol and a fabric pattern you often see in pirate books and on pirate ships.  The Hawthorn pattern is fantastic, and I've been meaning to show pictures of the inside of the jacket as evidence of how well the pattern is written.  It was my first zipper ever and I was so happy with how the whole jacket came together (but you can read all those details at the previous post).

My son absolutely loves this jacket.  He has worn it many times, and it has been through the wash, on the bedroom floor, in the back of the van, etc on multiple occasions.  The pictures of the inside of the jacket not only show the great design of the pattern, but how well it has held up!

I also love the Hawthorn Zip-Up pattern, but I especially love how the inspiration from Treasure Island helps to create an age-appropriate, stylish, and still practical jacket that my son wears every chance he gets.  No black spots handed out for this one!

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