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I recently attended a gathering where two sewists had made Katherine Tilton's Shacket, Butterick 6491. Some of you know Ann Smith, one of the sewists, and her shacket was great! I had the pattern in my stash, but seeing hers moved it waaaay up in the queue.
It looks great, right?!
My version is more shirt than jacket. I used a beautiful printed linen purchased from Emma One Sock. The only difference between view A and view B is the pattern layout. View B is designed for border prints, so requires more fabric. I made a size large (16-18), which is typical for me. I added an FBA, which gave me a bit more needed width. View A calls for 3-1/2 yards of 45" fabric, or 3 yards of 60". I had 2-1/2 yards of 52" fabric.
Why do I keep doing this to myself? I managed to squeeze mine out of the yardage I had with only small scraps left over. Here are my changes to the pattern:
- Shortened the 3-pc sleeve by 1".
- Cut some parts of the shacket on the cross grain to make the layout work with less fabric.
- Performed a vertical only FBA. (In other words, I added no length to the front, I removed it.)
- Performs a forward shoulder adjustment.
- Performed a 3/8" rounded back adjustment. (My first!!! Oh, the glories of aging.)
I purchased the unique buttons at Britex, on sale for $1 each!
OK, it's done. I can wear it, but I'm not sure that I like it on me. Notice how unbalanced the hem is? I made the pattern as designed, and it's nowhere near that wonky on Ann or anyone else who has made it. I assume that, because my hips are so narrow, they don't hold the hem up as designed. I should have fixed it, but I didn't notice the extreme wonky-ness until I took the pics. I'm not sure I like it well enough to fix the hem.
I decided to experiment, once again, with the width of my pants legs. The next pic shows the shacket with my chiffon/challis pants and was actually the first pic I took. I'm wearing the pants backwards, just for the photo—so you only see challis and no chiffon. I also wore heavier jewelry in this pic. When I saw the resulting image, I decided it might work better with a narrower pant and lighter jewelry.
So... I don't know! I love the collar, I love the linen fabric, the sleeves are good...
I'll wear it a few times and see if it grows on me.
This year Artistry in Fashion (or AIF, as we call it), is on Saturday, September 23rd and the guest speaker is Sandra Betzina. If you are anywhere near Redwood City, CA that day, you should come!!!
Bakelite Party and Other Stuff
I must say that Instagram has opened up a whole new world for me. I've been able to speak directly with designers and fashionistas that I admire. I've commissioned wearable art and jewelry, and I learned about Bakelite parties that happen 10 minutes from my house!
I attended a Bakelite party a week ago. I learned so much from some serious collectors and met some really nice, really passionate people!
I also came away with some fabulous bracelets. :)
One husband watched me struggle getting bracelets on and off my wrist, over my giant knuckles. My hands were becoming more scraped and more sore. He asked why I wasn't using a plastic bag. What?!?! Why?!?! Because I had never heard of that trick! Another husband gave me one of his scented bags for picking up dog poop.
OMG, it worked like a charm!!!
This is a 3-day weekend in the U.S. Stay cool, and stay safe, wherever you may be! (I'm thinking of the folks in the flood zones, and am grateful that my work matches charitable donations.)
