Friday Night Notes

Happy Friday!

Thanks so much for your feedback on my black jacket. I really appreciate it! I met DD1 for lunch downtown this week and I wore it. This "meet at center front, but doesn't overlap" sort of jacket seems to be very popular right now - I'm seeing it in numerous Fall lines. I think the style is growing on me.

I got a bit of sewing done this week. I made most of another Teagarden T in one evening. (Shown above.) The rayon lycra "trendy" knit was from FabricMart, though fabric.com also carried it. I also finished up a pair of charcoal stretch no-wale corduroy Linda pants from Style Arc. I am not sure what the difference is between no-wale corduroy and cotton velveteen, but they seem pretty much the same to me.

Charcoal No-wale Corduroy Linda Pants

Also, the buckles have been coming in. I now have some nice options, so thanks, again for your collective help. I was prepared to go to Goodwill to see what I could harvest, but I no longer need to. (It's too bad that the Goodwill just blocks from me is a Boutique and the clothing is too nice, and too expensive, to cut up. The nearest true thrift store isn't nearly as convenient.) I'm still collecting the more mundane hardware and supplies for the purse, and I haven't even selected the fabric for sure, so I'm not ready to start it yet.

You know what? Shopping for the buckles remind me how much I love hardware. I think many sewists do. I love hardware stores - always a pleasurable errand. I love using hardware in my garments: zippers, grommets, toggles, cord pulls, buckles, you name it. The only thing I don't like is when I don't have the right hardware for a project and it slows me down. :)

Autumn 6-Pack

So glad it is Friday! Unless something comes up, I plan to have a productive weekend. I have decided to join the Autumn 6-Pack on Stitcher's Guild. This is where you sew a coordinated set of clothing for a season. I have alluded to it, but not really talked about it. I have a plan, which I hesitate to share because it will, undoubtedly, change. But I have a pile of coordinating fabrics in charcoal, cream, and blue (including navy and some other shades of blue). I plan to mostly use TNT patterns. You will see at least one more Teagarden T - maybe two. :)

I will modify the suggested 6-pack somewhat. I've been reading the blogs of other folks who are also participating and this seems to be the norm - modify to make it work for you. The charcoal Linda pants (pictured above) are intended for my 6-pack.

Even though I rarely sew with a plan, I don't usually have clothing orphans because most things I sew go with black and I have a variety of black bottoms in different styles and shapes. But this will be an interesting experiment. I have intentionally not used black in my plan, but most everything should go with black. We shall see how it goes. :)

Not sure what to work on this weekend. There are three patterns that I want to sew and I can't find any of them. I guess it's time for a cleanup.

Have a great weekend!

McCalls 6294 - Black Jacket

More pics

I've been needing (and wanting) a black jacket for years. (A black coat too, for that matter, but it must wait for another day.) But I keep making outerwear that is more "visually interesting." I love my unique jackets and coats, but sometimes you just need black.

In fact, I wanted to use this pattern for my fall 6-pack but before I cut into my special Emma One Sock fabric, I tested it out in this black, novelty J.N.Y. (Jones New York) fabric from FabricMart. (As of this writing, they have another 10 yards.)

This novelty fabric, an acrylic wool blend, is very unusual. The right side is almost a textural plaid, where the plaid is formed by smooth and fuzzy areas. The reverse side is shiny. I am not a fan of shiny, so I used the right side. When you cut it, it sheds fluff. It looks something like a boucle, but it is not. It behaves as if it is primarily a metallic fiber. It is not a particularly soft fabric, especially the shiny side, so it's a good candidate for a lined garment. It's weird, but I like weird.

The fabric is somewhat sheer. Because I did not want the polka dot lining to show through, I fused the entire jacket with black Angel Weft interfacing from Apple Annie's. I really love Angel Weft and must thank Kathryn of I Made This! for the recommendation. Angel Weft retains the hand of the fabric - it does not make the fabric stiff when fused. (If you don't know Kathryn's blog, you should. Everything she makes is utterly impeccable.)

Materials:

• J.N.Y. Novelty weave, wool blend from FabricMart: 32% Acrylic, 32% wool, 37% nylon, 9% polyester. (812735)
• Lining: Black and white, rayon twill polka dot border print from Gorgeous Fabrics. A more wiggly, ravelly fabric has not been known to man. But it was polka dots!
• Angel Weft interfacing, in black, from Apple Annie's.
• Hook closure from Britex.

Alterations and Modifications:

• 3" Princess seam FBA in the side front.
• Narrowed the shoulder by 3/4".
• Removed the hip shaping making it more rectangular - more like me.
• Nipped the side seams and front princess seams in 1/4" at the waist to give it a tiny bit of shaping. This little tweak created a more flattering, less boxy, silhouette.
• Shortened the sleeve by 3/4". (I first shortened the sleevy by 1-1/2", but it was too short and I had to back it off by 3/4".)

Construction Notes:

• When I did the FBA, I goofed. When performing an FBA, after altering the side front pattern piece, it becomes longer. You then have to lengthen the center front pattern piece by the same amount so the pieces will fit together. I accidentally lengthened the side front instead - so the side fronts were too long and the center fronts were too short. I had cut out the entire body of the jacket and fused each piece with interfacing before I realized my mistake. Because I had enough leftover fabric, I re-cut the front pieces to the correct length, and I cut the pockets out of the former front pieces. I also shortened the side fronts to the proper length. Rather than re-cut the front facings, I pieced them to the correct length. It was merely an annoying mistake and not a disastrous one.
• As directed, the pockets are not lined. I lined them.
  

  

  Lined pockets. These pockets are sewn into the front princess seam, so the inner edges are left raw.

• The collar was too wide. I narrowed it at the points by approx 1.5".
  

  

  Amount I cut away from the collar points

• This pattern is designed not to close. I believe this jacket is inspired by a very popular Givenchy jacket from 2008. The Givenchy jacket uses a hook closure at the bust and I also used a single closure at the bust line.
  

  

  Auditioning closures



Final closure

Conclusions

I was considering this jacket for my Fall 6-pack. Now that I've tested it out in this fabric, I think I will find another pattern for that project. It's fine and I will use it, but it's not quite what I had in mind. Also, this jacket is a bit snug through the back. I started with my usual size 18, and tried on the pattern tissue and the in-process jacket many times, but once I put the sleeves on, it was too snug. If I use this pattern again, I need to do a narrow back adjustment, which is unusual for me.

Pictures

Worn closed

Worn open

Polka-dot lining peeping out

I lightened the photo a tad so you can see the interesting seaming at the back.

Sunday Notes

Thanks for your suggestions on buckles! I also had two very gracious readers who volunteered to send me buckles from their personal stash. I ordered from two of the places you recommended, and was particularly liking some I found on the M&J Trimming site, so something is bound to work out. I was surprised how hard it is to find good buckles. Almost as hard as finding good zippers!

It's almost midnight, but I did finish my jacket. No pictures yet, and I'm not sure how practical it will be, but at least I now have a black jacket. I hope to get some pics in the next couple of days.

That's two lined jackets in two weeks. I think a break from jackets!

I hope you have a nice week!

Saturday Notes

I hope all of you are enjoying your collective weekends. I have been making good progress on my jacket. Tweaking the fit always slows me down but I don't skimp on this part of the process. The shell is almost done, sans sleeves. Maybe, just maybe, I can finish it this weekend.

Marcy's free shipping sale is in full swing. I decided against buying any fabric this time around, but I made a sizable order this morning of some notions and a couple of silk screens. And then I remembered something I hadn't mentioned when I reviewed the Style Arc Safari Jane jacket.

This jacket closes with a zipper that extends into the collar. My favorite technique for applying separating zippers is one Marcy demonstrates in her Inspiration Paris CD. Whenever I need to insert a zipper of that type, I quickly pop in her CD and review the technique.

I have a question for you. I want to make a purse that requires a buckle. The buckle will be something of a focal point. I have been searching in vain - mostly on Etsy at this point. I'd like it to have the appearance of antique brass or something along those lines. It needs to have the little piece of metal that inserts into a hole (not sure what that is called). It can be either a circular type, or the d-shaped type, so long as it has the little metal pokey thing. I need the bar to be about 1.5" long (where the fabric attaches).

When I google buckles, I tend to find sites that sell men's buckles with charming thoughts, such as "Got Beer?" or charming images, such as the mud flap girl.

Please let me know if you have any good resources to recommend!

Happy Thursday! Marcy Fabric Sale Goodness

First, thanks to all of you for your kind comments on my Style Arc garments! They are so well drafted that they are a pleasure to sew. I told myself that I need to sew quite a few of them up in order to justify ordering more. I plan to order another three in August. ;)

My kids return from Europe today. That will affect my productivity. I'm not sure why, but having people around just tends to do that.

I cut out another Style Arc project two evenings ago, but I do not have the right color thread (slate blue) to sew it. Until I get to the store, I will be working on a McCalls jacket. I altered the jacket pattern last night and plan to cut it out this evening. I am making the first version in a test fabric and, if it works out, I plan to use a special Emma One Sock fabric to make a version for my Fall 6-pack.

It's easy to do fall sewing here. I look outside my window and my street is thick with low-lying fog and it's 50 degrees F. It feels like fall to me! In fact, I am feeling distinctly Halloween-ish.

Big news at work. A project I have been working on for FOUR YEARS is published today. This project involves many people and it feels great to say that it's done!

But the reason for this post... did you hear that Marcy Tilton is having a free shipping sale? It begins tomorrow, Friday, and goes through Sunday. She announces these sales in her newsletter and if you don't already subscribe, you should. (The link takes you to her newsletter which has instructions for taking advantage of the sale.) It's always a great read! I am eyeing three fabrics and trying to decide if I can justify buying them.

Style Arc - The Laura Legging

Jegging goodness!
More pics

Here's a nice quick pattern! Style Arc's Laura Legging is a one-piece pattern. There is no side seam and no waistband, though I added one. I like a waistband. :)

As usual, I ordered a size 10, based on my hip measurement. I have made two other Style Arc pants and both pretty much fit out of the envelope. (In the case of the Alexi pant, I made zero alterations. In the case of the Linda pant, I substituted my own waistband but made no other changes. I love that one so much, I've made it twice already.)

Let me point out that this pattern has serious negative ease. Let me share some measurements for the size 10. If you look at the Style Arc size chart, a size 10 (remember, this is Australian sizing, not U.S. or European sizing), is a 38.6" hip. When I measure the pattern, the finished hip is 29.5". The upper thigh (at the notches) measures 16.5" and the ankle measures 9.25". That is approximately 9" of negative ease at the hip, so you either need to use a nice stretchy fabric with lycra, size up, or both.

For my version, I used a knit that is designed to look like charcoal-colored denim. Perfect for jeggings. I think I bought it from Emma One Sock, but I know it's been in the stash for about a year. I made zero alterations, other than adding a waistband, cause that's how I swing.

The fabric, up close. The right side is on the left, the wrong side on the right.

This pattern uses 1/4" seam allowances. It sews up in no time at all. When finished, I did not think I could get it on my body because the pants were so narrow-looking. I forged ahead and they did fit, though I will only wear this with a longer top.

'Cause let's just say if I had moles on my rear, you could connect the dots. ;)

The legs are long and puddle at the ankle. I love this look, so I did not shorten them. I also did not hem them. I will definitely wear these! They are sooo comfortable. I just might also buy the pattern in a larger size, so I have options.

More Pictures

Ankle puddling

StyleArc - The Safari Jane Jacket

More pics

I have finally made my first Style Arc pattern for the upper body - the Safari Jane jacket. I've been wanting to make an anorak-style jacket for awhile and have been studying various patterns, both in print and out of print, and this pattern won out. This pattern features:

• A fairly fitted silhouette.
• A shoulder yoke that ends at the shoulder seam. It does not extend to the back.
• An optional, removable hood. Included are instructions on how to add a fur trim to the hood. A fur trim is overkill for my climate.
• The jacket features a waist seam. Stitching in the ditch of the waist seam, and then above the waist seam, creates the channel for the elastic.
• The jacket is fully lined. There are separate front and back pattern pieces for the lining, as well as separate hood and sleeve pattern pieces. The lining does not have the shoulder yoke or the waist seam - those pieces are cut on.

I had an interesting fabric I wanted to use. This Georgio Armani fabric, no longer available from FabricMart, is very unusual - it is very textured. It is blue, but where the texture has little "valleys" or "dips", the color is black. The back of the fabric is black and so shiny it's almost metallic. I don't recall the fiber content, but it ravels like crazy. I suspect it contains rayon and plenty of synthetic.

Fusing the Angel Weft to the sleeve hem. You can see the shiny black reverse side of the fabric.

This fabric irons beautifully and I had no trouble fusing interfacing to it, despite the texture. The selvedge of the fabric is hand stamped with the words "Giorgio Armani." The order form from Fabric Mart states: "891546 Giorgio Armani Navy abstract Cloqué design 56" Wide." I have never heard of a cloqué fabric, but I gather it's a puckered, or blistered, weave.

Anyway, I loved this fabric, but it is "fancy" and I don't really wear fancy clothes. I decided to dress it down by sewing it into a casual style that I can wear everyday.

I usually plan ahead for a project, but not in this case. I decided on Friday night that it would be my weekend project. I did not have a suitable lining fabric, so I ran to Britex on Saturday morning - I wanted to start on the project as soon as I got home. I immediately ruled out silk because the silks at Britex suitable for lining are $40 per yard. (I sure wished I'd picked some up from Thai Silks the last time I was there.)

Britex had no remnants that would work, so I bought Bemberg lining. At $12 per yard, even this was not cheap and two of the employees urged me to spring for the silk for this special fabric, but that would have meant that the lining cost more than twice than the Armani fabric. Not going to happen. This was the first time I'd used Bemberg lining, but I can see why it has so many fans. It's delicious to wear and it won't be my last time using it.

Materials:

• Blue Armani cloqué fabric (891546) from FabricMart. I cut the jacket on the cross grain of the fabric, because I liked the texture better.
  
• Black tricot fusible interfacing for collar.
  
• Black Angel weft interfacing from Apple Annie's for the hem and sleeve hems.
  
• 26" Antique Brass Separating Zipper in black by YKK (purchased at Britex over a year ago for another project).
  
• Blue Bemberg lining from Britex.
  
• A soft oval-shaped "velvet"-coated black elastic from Britex - approx 1/8" - for the waist.
  
• Two black grommets for the elastic. These are inserted into the lining and are not seen from the outside.
  
• Two toggles for the ends of the elastic. I purchased these either from Fabrix a year ago for my Au Bonheurs raincoat.
  
• Round cord elastic for the button loops (very thin, to attach the hood to the jacket).
  
• 5 1/2" La Petite buttons (from JoAnns) to attach hood.
  

Toggles

Alterations and Modifications:

• I started with a size 16, which is designed for a 42" bust, my high bust measurement. The finished measurement at the bustline was about 45", so I had to alter quite a bit as my full bust is closer to 50".
• A 3" Y-shaped FBA. (See Fit for Real People.)
• A 1" wide back adjustment - adding a total of 2". I removed the excess shoulder seam length by taking a dart in the back shoulder seam.
• Lowered the waist seam (front and back) 1-1/2".
• The finished hip measurement was about 51". I narrowed it to 46".
• The upper sleeve was narrow. I added 1" to the upper sleeve and also 1" to the upper side seams.
• Shortened the sleeve by 2".
  

Construction Notes: The pattern required a fair amount of tweaking to fit. I do not blame the pattern for this, as I typically have to extensively alter garments to fit my torso.

• The first thing you do is sew the collar. The instructions say to "bag" the collar, which is an unusual use of the term. On my first try, I sewed around the three edges of the collar, and turned it inside out, without thinking. You don't want to do this because the zipper extends into the collar. I then re-cut the collar, re-interfaced it, and only sewed the outer top edge of the collar - the side edges are sewn as the zipper is inserted.
• I found that the shoulder was too square. This is an unusual alteration for me, but I removed about 5/8" from the shoulder seam at the armscye, tapered to nothing at the neck.
• There were 4 darts in the outer garment: 2 for the shoulder, and 2 for the bust. On the lining, I treated all of these as pleats.
• I shorted the jacket several inches. It was for this reason I used a 26" zipper, because that gave me leeway for shortening.
• I found that the waist seam was not the ideal location for the elastic channel. I tweaked it by diverging from the seam when I stitched the channel. I didn't like doing this, but I got away with it because of the texture of the fabric.
• When I sewed the second seam to create the channel for the elastic, I sewed it below the first seam, rather than above it.
• The Armani fabric was hand stamped on the selvedge with the words "Georgio Armani". I cut this bit of the selvedge off and sewed it to the jacket lining.
• The instructions suggest that you bag the jacket lining. I prefer a hand sewn lining, so there was much hand sewing.

Conclusion

I love this jacket! The lining makes it so yummy to wear. It is perfect for my climate. Today, for example, is July 25th - mid summer - in San Francisco. The high in my neighborhood today was 62˚F and it's foggy and windy. This jacket was the perfect layer.

Some folks are having questions about Style Arc sizing. I am finding that the pants are perfect, for me, when purchased by the hip. But I know of one woman who carries her weight in her thighs and finds that this is not accurate for her.

I purchased this jacket based on my high bust measurement of 42". A sewist on Pattern Review says that for her that she needs to purchase a jacket pattern based on her upper back measurement, not her high bust. I am not sure what is best for me. I did have to add 2" through the upper back and 6" to the front via the FBA. I had to remove about 5/8" from the shoulder seam (even after removing the 2" from the back shoulder seam via darts). I also had to add to the upper sleeve and the upper side seam to correspond. But I removed several inches through the hips. So I am not sure if I should go up a size for a top. At any rate, these patterns are beautifully drafted.

I already have my August order planned. ;)

More Pics

Worn open

With hood.

Hood buttoned to collar