Pink, frilly, boucle jacket

Sewing is a funny business.  A technique you wish to try here, a pattern waiting for its moment in the sun, a fabric sale there, and next thing you know, you have a frilly, pink jacket.  

Actually, this pattern may never have come into being if I didn't have a fight with my partner over book week costumes.  Originally, the Grand Old Duke of York was going to be Humpty Dumpty.  Only somebody wondered why I would put that much effort into my son only to have him going to school to look like an idiot.  I stormed off in a huff, with no place to go but the sewing room, where I chose the most time-consuming project that I had on hand.

The pattern is Vogue 2923 DKNY, which was printed in 2006, but is still available from Vogue clearance.  I'll show you a picture of the muslin, as it looks quite different made up in a medium weight linen.  The collar becomes a flounce the flows down the front opening and curves around to form the back peplum. I must say that sewing does not always bring out the best in me.  I was quite the miss-cranky-pants when I was fiddling to get my muslin right, and children wanted things, you know, like to be fed, or driven somewhere compulsory.  The linen for this muslin was gifted to me, but it actually doesn't look too bad...maybe I should have had my fashion moments in the eighties with all that peach and apricot.

I have previously attempted a Chanel-style jacket, which is my favourite jacket, but I decided that this time around I did not want the jewel neckline. I wanted something a little less classic.

The fabric is a boucle, with a high percentage of cotton.  I was hoping that it would be what people in other climates might consider a summer weight jacket, but it is a bit bulkier and warmer than I was anticipating.

The pattern has darts.  I was wondering how best to mark the fabric.  I even paused from my frantic sew-a-jacket-in-a weekend pace to read some of the blog "Go Chanel or go Home".  The first dozen or so entries did not mention marking fabric.  It was then that I realised that the traditional Chanel style jackets have princess seams for a reason.  I decided to fudge my marking and remember this as a lesson for next time.

It also did not occur to me to match plaids.  Not that I would have had enough fabric anyway.  Next time, I need to order more fabric to match plaids.  By some fluke, the pockets pattern matched perfectly.  Only then I decided to move them to a more flattering position.  I did not muslin the pockets, but I would recommend including them in the muslin if you are going to trim them with a contrasting trim, as the trim gives a very strong horizontal line.

I trimmed the seam allowance and a bit more off the collar and sandwiched the selvedge fringe of the fabric between the upper and lower collar.  I wish that it had occurred to me to account for turn of cloth in this bulky fabric, because the collar does not sit as flat as it should.  I don't think it matters much on a frilly, fluffy jacket.  

I did not have enough fringe to trim the pockets, so I wove a few strands together to make a trim.  Nothing too fancy because I did not have many threads available.

I caught the collar between the jacket and the lining as I bagged the two together.  I quilted the jacket after it was constructed, as outlined in a Threads magazine article.  After reading the "Go Chanel or Go Home" blog I now know that typically the panels are quilted before construction.   If you look closely at my inside-out photos, you will see that I quilted in shapes to suit the pattern pieces, rather than vertical lines.  I used a walking foot for the quilting.

You can see that I have not trimmed and bound the armhole seam.  That is because I have enough fabric to make a matching blouse or dress or tank plus skirt.  I want to cut these out before I cut the bias strips necessary to complete the armhole.  That could be sometime off as they are not at the top of my sewing queue, and besides, it feels as though the winter weather is over here.

I love the lining fabric.  I have had the boucle a couple of years and was patiently waiting for the right colour silk charmeuse to present itself.  A cut length of this pink print fabric went on sale at EmmaOneSock.  I had admired a skirt and blouse made up in this same fabric on net-a-porter and had been stalking it for a while. It wasn't until it went on sale that I realised that it would be a perfect match for this jacket.  Nothing like a sale to get the creative juices flowing.  I'm not sure what this silk fabric is called, but it does not have the sheen of charmeuse and is more of a habotai weight.

A few quick photos on me.  I made the muslin one weekend, the jacket the next and put the finishing touches on today.  No time to dress up for a photo shoot though, so you get my spent-almost-all weekend gardening hairdo.  I wanted to blog tonight though, as I am anticipating a busy month with little or no sewing and blogging.  No front-on photos though, because the boucle is hardly slimming.  I have bought a length of white denim (on sale, again) which I will hopefully make up into slim jeans to match, with a top in the pink lining fabric to complete the outfit.  One day.

The sum of the parts

This is one of those projects made up using a pattern that I wasn't sure I liked, in combination with a fabric that I was not sure whether or not I liked.  And guess what?  I've ended up with a  shirt that I'm not sure whether or not I like.

I bought the pattern because I wanted to see the construction, as I am thinking of making a bikini with a twist front.  The pattern is Butterick 4789.

I should qualify that I did like the fabric, but the print repeat was  not placed as I wanted for the original project.  That is one of the pitfalls of buying on-line.  If you were in the store, you could say, actually, add on 50 cm so I can include that bit of the repeat.

I didn't read the reviews at PR (all 35 of them!) before I made the top (because I cut it out the day the fabric arrived, whilst watching the Ita Buttrose Australian Story).  I later saw that there was quite a bit of discussion regarding the fit and the "wad" of fabric below the twist.  My two cents is that bustier women look good with a close fit, but flat chested gals, like myself, look better with a looser fit, allowing the fabric to drape, as a feature (given that there is no cleavage to feature!).  Each to their own, of course.  I remember similar grumbles about the fit of another Butterick twist top I made.

I cut a Sz 14, instead of my usual 12, because I was being lazy about the cutting and thought that I could make adjustments later.  Well, I didn't make any adjustments, not even my almost-always-required forward shoulder adjustments, so I am wondering if, being a designer pattern, the standard sloper was not used and a forward shoulder had already been included in the design?.

Bookweek as a measure of progress

I found having 3 small children tough going.  And I must have made it look tough, because people that I haven't seen for a while usually ask me how we are getting on now.  Well, life must be getting easier, because this year I sewed 2 out of 3 book week costumes.   Not that there is anything wrong with PVA glue and crepe paper.  I'm not one for competitive parenting.  I think that most of us just do what we can. 

This is what I could do this year.

Did you guess who they were?   The Grand Old Duke of York, Madeline and Tikki Tikki Tembo.

The Duke's jacket was based on an old Top Kid's pattern.  It is a raglan sleeve, but it had the collar that I wanted, so no epaulettes for this duke.  I went to Vinnies for the buttons.  I could not find any clothing with gold buttons so I asked the ladies behind the counter if they could recall any garments with gold buttons on them.  They went and looked at the clothes out the back and then dug through their sewing tin and came up with the perfect buttons.  What lovely, helpful ladies!  The Duke is so proud of his costume that he has been wearing it out and about all week.

Madeline was self drafted from a basic Burda bodice.  There were several other Madelines there today, but I think mine was the most adorable.

The third child did not get a hand sewn costume because he declared that he hated book week and hated dressing up.  No point wasting sewing time there!  Must be the age, because nearly every boy in his class came as a football player.

Hello Yellow

I think that I've mentioned before that I need a few yellow clothes to wear to my children's sports days, which is why I nabbed this Milly knit from EmmaOneSock.  I started with a pattern for a raglan t-shirt, cut off from RTW (shown in this post).  I used the scraps to make that thingy bit on the front.

I'm loving the white trousers, but I've really had to work to wear them.  They were a bit tricky to sew in the first place.  Then the buckle broke and I redesigned the top closure to do away with a buckle.  After that they shrunk almost 4 inches in the wash.  I kid you not.  I had pre-washed the fabric before sewing and I had even put them through the wash previously without shrinkage.  I suspect that in my climate, the drying time affects the shrinkage.  On really humid days, when the washing doesn't ever seem to dry properly, I don't get as much shrinkage as windy, dry days when the washing is dry in an hour or two.  The fabric wasn't labelled when I bought it, so now I am wondering if it had some tencel in it, as that is my only other experience of such drastic shrinkage.  Luckily for me, I made the originals with a really deep hem.  I have let all of that out and just have the tiniest turn-up now.  If they shrink again, I'll have to wear them as capris.


The clutch is one I adapted from Nicole Mallalieu's new book "you sew, girl!".  I was going to do a review of this book, as it is rather interesting and I have picked up a few tips from it, but that will have to wait, as I lent the messenger bag I made to a friend who is going overseas and won't get it back for about 6 weeks.  I  borrowed the book from my library but I am thinking of buying a copy for myself.  The book includes patterns for bags, belts, children's clothing and directions for patternless clothing for women.

Pattern Launch

I don't remember "pattern maker" being on the list of career options when I was at school.  I guess I wasn't living in one of the fashion capitals at the time.  Not that I am now.  I think it is something I would like to do.  For the last couple of years "give pattern making a good, proper go" has been on my list of New Years' Resolutions.  Still, I've been a bit cautious, just dipping my toe in the water, never quite finishing what I start.  Well, a few weeks ago, I decided to do what I could do, rather than reach for the stars.

Today I am launching my first pattern.  It is not an Oscar-worthy gown.  It will not put you on any of the best-dressed lists.  But it is streamlined and chic, in its own way.  It is practical.  It doesn't take much fabric; "scrap bustin'" even comes to mind.  It can be completed in less than half an hour.  So go on.  Try my Boys Trunks Pattern.  Although, around here, we don't like to call them Boys' Trunks.  Oh no, we like to call them "Man-Jocks".

I am pretty excited by this pattern launch.  Sure, humble beginnings and all, but who knows where it could lead?  In the meantime, though, I still want this blog to be all about me, me, me.  So I have decided to start a new blog for my patterns.  You will have to go to the Strawberry Milk Run to get my pattern.

There are 3 posts over there, all ready for you.  Sometimes we don't want to drag these things out over days and days, do we?  So here are the different links;

For the Boys Trunks Pattern
For the tutorial to go with the pattern
For fitting changes (because even though the pattern is pretty fabulous, how you like to wear your undies is personal)

So go on, 'ave a go!  And if you do, I'd love some feedback, either here or over there.

From the back of the wardrobe

This Vogue 2797 dress was made for me by my mother, about 8 years ago.  I had bought the fabric and pattern, thinking it would be perfect if I ever needed to go on a boat cruise.  Not that I frequently went on boat cruises.  Then I was given a last-minute invitation to the local tourism awards, which started with a boat cruise.  I was working at the time, and with my first bubba in tow, I didn't have the time to stitch it up.  Luckily for me, my mother was visiting, and she spent the day stitching it up for me.  Though I do remember being just a teeny bit jealous that she was home sewing a dress whilst I had to go to work.  Thanks Mum!

I have not worn it often, but I pulled it out to go to the school ball on the weekend.

It is the same pattern that was used to make this dress.  I love getting 2 completely different garments from the same pattern.