Sunday, June 26, 2016

Summer Jacket in Novelty Pleather & More


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Summer Jacket in Novelty Pleather

Remember last May when I visited Fabric Depot in Portland? I purchased a piece of novelty pleather. Strips of pleather are woven and sewn to a net backing.

I decided that this fabric would make the perfect summer jacket. I started with Burda 7183, a Chanel-style jacket. This pattern is available in size 8-16—the 16 is one size too small for me. I traced off the 16, made some alterations, muslined it, made more alterations, and muslined it again. Two muslins is more than I generally do, but I was very happy with the resulting fit, so it was worth the effort.

Alterations & Modifications

  • added 2" dart in side seam (FBA)
  • made a 3/4" broad back adjustment and removed corresponding excess with back darts in the shoulder seam
  • adjusted shoulder seam forward by 1/2"
  • lengthened back by 3/8"
  • widened bicep by 1-1/4" (The bicep was quite narrow in the original pattern.)
  • straightened front hem
  • narrowed shoulder by 5/8"

I didn't use any facings or a lining, but I wanted to finish the seams and raw edges. I finished the seams with fold-over elastic (FOE).

Attaching the fold-over elastic (FOE)

I combed through my scrap piles and my stash for a fabric to use as binding. I auditioned many fabrics that weren't right. Here are a few of them:

In the end, I chose a stretch bengaline from my stash. I wanted both a binding and a separating zipper, which I ordered from ZipperStop in NYC. (I ordered a custom 20" antique-brass 2-way separating zipper with an antique brass foxtail slider.) It took me a while to noodle out how to do both the binding and the zipper. Stay tuned for a tutorial showing how I did it.

I love the final jacket! I expect to get a lot of wear out of this.

I plan to bring it to NYC this summer!

Burda 7183


Mendocino Getaway

My birthday is in July, but my daughters will be cruising in Europe at that time, so last weekend I took them to Mendocino for an early birthday celebration. Since Mendocino is a 3.5 hour drive north of San Francisco, we spent a couple nights—it's a charming little coastal town that looks very much like Cape Cod. In fact, the television series, Murder She Wrote, was set in Cape Cod but the exteriors were filmed in Mendocino.

My daughters had never been to Mendocino and I hadn't been there in more than 20 years. It was just as beautiful as I remembered, though the food wasn't as good as I remembered. We had breakfast and lunch at Goodlife (meh), dinner at Mendocino Hotel (fine), brunch at MacCallum (fine), and dinner at Frankies (one of the worst meals of my life, though my kids enjoyed their ice cream on another day).

If you've had wonderful (but not necessarily fancy) food in Mendocino, please tell me where!

We stayed in a converted water tower through Airbnb. It had no internet, but I didn't mind. The setting and views were fabulous.

Our converted water tower apartment

Views from the water tower

I treated all three of us to a session in the private hot tub and sauna at Sweetwater Spa, followed by massages. Such luxury!

Sweetwater Spa

A friend of mine lives in the Mendocino area, so we met up. I remember meeting Kathleen when we were four years old—our mothers were best friends. We attended the same grade school, junior high, and high school. My daughters and I enjoyed visiting Kathleen's beautiful home. Later we had brunch with her and her son at MacCallum House.

Kathleen sews, but she's also an amazing artist

MacCallum House

Kathleen and a glimpse of her son, Jade

The massage left my hair oily, so I'm hiding it under my daughter's cap

We enjoyed the amazing views.

I had totally forgotten about this grass from my childhood! We called it rattlesnake grass since the tip looks just like the rattles from a rattlesnake. It even rattles when shaken.

Walking along the coast

The shopping in Mendocino was great! There are a variety of little shops selling all sorts of interesting clothes, accessories, and other goodies. I took only a few photos of the shopping...

You can have custom shoes made an Align. The cobbler makes wearable shoes but his helper was wearing these whimsical-but-well-fitting beauties

I bought this front pack for my daughter as a graduation gift.

I liked the pockets on this jacket

We even hit up the Farmer's Market on Saturday

My favorite bit of the weekend was spent enjoying Friday's stunning sunset. It had rained earlier in the day, so the sky also featured a rainbow.

DD1 and I under a rainbow

I love making shadow pictures and we found an obliging rock formation.

From first to last, what a sunset!

The sunset from our water tower

Farewell, Mendocino!
Next time I just might go there all alone. It was so nice to soak in the ambiance (not to mention the hot tub) and catch up on some reading.


Bill Cunningham, RIP

Bill Cunningham passed away yesterday (and here). I loved watching his video vignettes about what people wore in NYC. There is a wonderful movie about his life and work called Bill Cunningham NYC. It used to be available for streaming on Netflix, but it has been removed. You can buy or rent the DVD to learn more about this remarkable man.

I can't imagine NYC fashion without Bill on his bicycle, documenting it.

Rest in peace, Bill.


I have several more projects in flight, including another summer jacket, a pleated skirt, and a project for Britex.

But first, join me on Patti's Visible Monday.

Have a great week!

P.S. I almost forgot! Today's CBS Sunday Morning had two fashion related pieces you should check out!

There was a piece on Outlander, the STARZ show that I blogged about recently. It includes a brief interview of the costume designer, Terry Dresbach.

There was also a piece about fashion-themed museum exhibits. I certainly love those and, this summer, I will be seeing the two that were mentioned in NYC!

55 comments:

  1. The jacket is absolutely gorgeous! It will be interesting to see it in person. Glad you had a great time in Mendocino!

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    1. Thanks, Carolyn! I look forward to seeing YOU in NYC!

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  2. That jacket is wonderful! and the fit is incredible...all the muslins were definitely worth it. Love the pix of you all in Mendocino...and almost didn't recognize DD1 as a blond!

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    1. Thanks, Margy! Yes, DD1 loves to change her hair color and her hair style. It surprises me, too, at times!

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  3. I love the jacket.

    We have very fond memories of bicycle touring through Mendocino. We loved the town. I wish I could have spent more time in the bookstore, but their resident cat triggers my asthma. We enjoyed many great meals there, but that was 20 years ago.

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    1. We spent some time in the smaller bookstore - no cat there. We didn't go into the larger bookstore. Yes, I also remember great food 20 years ago. But maybe I just didn't hit the right places...

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  4. Perfect jacket for summer. At first glance I thought you had woven and sewn all those strips yourself! Impressive in any case. Loved hearing about your visit in Mendocino with daughters. The shadow pictures are very cool. Unfortunate the meals weren't up to the memories.

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    1. That would have been an impressive feat, Leslie! I bet you've been to Mendocino! I can't believe how long it's been for me.

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  5. What a beautiful place Mendocino is! I can see why you all had a great time but what's a vakay without great food experiences? At least the other features made up for it.

    Love that jacket and you really tamed those edges. CWTS the tutorial.

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    1. I almost didn't mention the food, Bunny, but I really am wondering what happened to the fabulous food that Mendocino was once known for. And thanks!

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  6. Wow, that looks like a fantastic trip. Love the shadow pics.

    Do you know if the jacket was made by Prairie Underground? I have a long black hoodie from them, and the hood and pockets look really familiar. Just curious!

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    1. Thanks, duck bucket! I'm afraid I don't remember who made that jacket and I can't tell from the photo.

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  7. What a brilliant jacket! And wonderful travel pics too - thanks for sharing, xo

    -Patti
    http://notdeadyetstyle.com

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  8. I'm adding Mendocino to my bucket list. Sounds wonderful and the pics are so beautiful! Oh, and as always--you jacket is perfect and so YOU. I so enjoyed this post.

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    1. It's definitely worth the drive, Linda! And thanks!

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  9. Great jacket! Beautiful California---sigh. The Met exhibit was better than expected, and FIT disappointed a bit.

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    1. Thanks, 365 Dresses! I can't wait to see the Met! I'm skipping the uniform exhibit at FIT - it didn't sound that great - and I'd MUCH rather see the Isaac Mizrahi exhibit at the Jewish Museum!

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  10. Very nice jacket, and pictures of your trip. Thank you for sharing.

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  11. Wonderful jacket. Such interesting fabric. Beautiful pictures

    Marciae

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  12. Love your jacket--so original, so you!

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  13. I love your jacket and the fit is spot on. Sometimes muslins are a necessary evil ;-) I was sad to read about Bill C's passing. I always enjoyed reading his columns and loved his photos. RIP!

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    1. Thanks, Mrs K! Yes, they are! That's why I love a TnT, so I can skip the fitting and get to the fashioning!

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  14. Great post, shams. The notes on your finishing of the coco-style jacket with that open-weave are particularly helpful. Thanks.

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    1. Thanks, Martha! I found the fabric pretty easy to sew. I did spend some time lining up the "plaid", especially on the bottom of the jacket and the sleeves. Because I had bust and shoulder darts, I couldn't match it up perfectly.

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  15. Love the textile and especially what you made with it. That jacket is cool!

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  16. Wow, another gorgeous jacket. Your creativity is always inspiring. Loved the pics & info on Mendocino. Looks gorgeous.

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  17. very cool jacket and great use of that unusual fabric. Your trip to Mendocino looks like so much fun. Surprising about the food, as it seems you can't drive 10 minutes here in CA without bumping into a great restaurant. And I love the shadow pictures. Confession - N. CA native here and I have never been to Mendocino (or Yosemite) eek! might have to do something about that as it looks so beautiful in your beachy photos.

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    1. Thanks, Beth! Wow! How did you manage to miss Mendocino? Maybe because it's on the coast so it's not hot enough?!? Yosemite can be pretty hot, though. ;)

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  18. This jacket is amazingly cute on you! I admire your fabric choices and how you make things work. It's inspiring me to try some techniques and fabrics I would normally pass up.

    My husband and I visited Mendocino a couple of times - we were seeing if this would be a good retirement spot. The distance from medical care (other than basics) was a deal breaker, but boy is that a beautiful spot. Your pics are lovely!

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    1. Thanks, Brenda! Yes, I agree, I think that it would be a challenge to live there, amenities-wise. The locals do most of their "regular" shopping either in Fort Bragg (not too far) or Santa Rosa (which is over windy mountain roads).

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  19. I absolutely love that jacket - and again I really like that you tell us all what goes into making a garment that's going to fit perfectly. It's that engineering part that makes me love sewing so much, the problem solving and solutions. It's always so interesting to read your posts and peek into your interesting life. Thanks so much!

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    1. Thanks so much, Kathleen! Yes, the fit is everything, isn't it?! I envy those who can just sew right out of the envelope. That is NOT me! :)

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  20. Vision: a mental image created by the imagination. Another inspiring wearable art piece from your imagination. Very cool jacket--pun intended. Another fun Paris look. YES, and the FIT! Well done. What a nice birthday celebration with DDs.

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  21. The jacket is spectacular! No room for error with fabric like that - no wonder you spent the time on 2 muslins. So worth it.

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    1. Thanks, Irene! That is true - this fabric wouldn't have liked the seam ripper!

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  22. Wow, the new jacket is spectacular! You are a master with the perfect fit, Shams.

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  23. Love this jacket! You picked the perfect pattern. Thank you for the tutorials, they are priceless!
    Fun to see you and the girls whooping it up in Mendocino! Sorry the food didn't match the views!

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    1. Thanks, Gayle! I realized that, before writing a tutorial, I should check to see if the instructions already covered it. ;)

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  24. You stay in the coolest places! And your choice of links is the best ever.
    Rattlesnake grass grows in Glen Canyon, along O'Shaunnessy (park on the bottom of Malta and walk a small way up) It's great in flower arrangements. I've been told it's protected but I'm not really sure.

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    1. Thanks, Susan! Seeing that rattlesnake grass really took me back!

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  25. What a fun weekend! and thanks for sharing all the pictures of your glorious countryside. And that cute cottage!! I love your new jacket too; I think you must be the queen of novelty fabric creations! Just so cool :)

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  26. We moved away from Sea Ranch four years ago, but until then we went regularly to Mendocino. You are right about the food with the exception of Cafe Beaujolais. It used to be excellent. Also, Little River Inn and the little french bistro across the road from it were quite goid. I loved living on the North Coast, but you are right about the remoteness. Seven years of that 2-hour drive for the dentist and Costco finally got to me. Now we live in the desert and how I miss the ocean and the fog. Such a beautiful place!

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    1. Thanks for those recommendations, Janet! Something else to try when I go back. The remoteness would get to me, though Kathleen seems to love it. I don't think I could ever live in the desert - you wear fewer clothes and I love to wear clothes! ;)

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  27. Great summer jacket. Looks like I need to put Mendocino on my bucket list. See you soon.

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    1. Thanks, Mary Glenn! I think you'd love Mendocino!

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  28. Your jacket looks great - I would have shied away from that fabric but you have shown how to handle it. Enjoy NYC.
    Your escape with your girls looked wonderful. What fabulous accommodation! The pictures let me enjoy a place I'm unlikely to be able to visit. Thank you 😃

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