Vogue 9035, the foiled top from Marcy Tilton

Lame smile, hubby making me laugh! While I think this looks like a maternity top out of Mad Men, I like it. It's comfy and out of my "style zone". I definitely favor more hour glass emphasizing designs , but for a casual work top, this is perfect. I wore it to work Friday and to a party after work with slim black pants. There were many compliments but more than that, this top just felt good. I wish you could see how the foiling sparkles. I did make my buttonholes a tad too big and they shift, therefore the wonkiness. I am going to tighten them up and then all should fall evenly as it does when I pay more attention to such things.

As with most Marcy Tilton designs, the collar sort of does its own thing, flopping this way or that and that's OK. I like an interesting collar. The pockets add a LOT of volume to the garment. I was able to bring them under control with some pressing. This is ideal for someone choosing to hide a tummy or waistline. My fingers are pointing to the actual seam line for the dropped shoulders. I am pleased with how that turned out. Here are more details.

I foiled an irregular rectangle on the back. I think it adds to the Japanese vibe this top sort of has. The collar is cut on. The back has some interesting details at the lower level.

There is sort of a pocket effect going on but actually its a tuck with zigzagged topstitching separating the sections, Marcy's idea, not mine. I like it.

Here you can see the pocket. The pattern piece has a very unusual shape to pull this off. I found the pocket really billowed out front but with some pressing came under control. The one thing I don't like about the design/pattern is the sleeve cuff. I love that there is an option for a fold back cuff with a slit as I really detest long sleeves. BUT, that slit is on the underseam of the sleeve and barely visible. You can see it here, almost. I would have preferred more effort put into the sleeve design so the slit would be on the outside of the sleeve, the norm. But I will live with it. By having the slit of the cuff tied into the underarm seam, it is easier to pull off. A split cuff would definitely take more thought and pattern pieces, probably a facing, to pull off. But I would have liked that better.

There is a definite "swing" shape to this garment which you can see above. Heck, that's what makes it so comfy. I've always liked me a good swing top or jacket so I am comfortable with this.

Pattern: 
This pattern is Vogue 9035, a Marcy Tilton design. It has a dropped shoulder, a cut on collar, interesting back detail and a very unusual bodice front that incorporates the bodice into the pocket, if that makes sense. It has a definite "swing" silhouette to it. I found it comfortable, stylish enough to get many compliments and a very interesting design. Tilton's patterns have not often worked for me fit-wise but this one was perfect. I have narrow shoulders and full biceps and a C cup. I made this in a size 6 with absolutely no alterations. FWIW, length alterations could be difficult on this pattern due to the unusual shape of the front bodice.

Fabric:
Fabric was a linen/cotton blend made by Kaufman that I purchased from Fabric.com.  It is 55% linen and 45% cotton. I have used this blend before and really like it. It has been washed and does that non wrinkling linen thing that comes from washing. I love that it had the linen look but not the wrinkles.

I did Hong Kong seams as you can see. They are made with bias strips of poly charmeuse. I love how this looks on the inside. It makes me feel good. When I wore it to work I wore a black negative ease tee underneath, mostly because it was cold out. I didn't hesitate to take the top off and show my friends the inside. As my twenty something workmate said "I would wear that inside out". I bound the sleeves exactly the way it is shown in the latest issue of Threads, where the bias binding is attached using the same seamline as the sleeve, folding it over and ditch stitching in the well of the seam. Then the fabric was cut back to the seam line underneath.

Construction:

This is a pattern where you MUST follow the directions on the instruction sheet very closely. Marking all notches, circles and squares is critical here. The bodice/pocket construction is very unusual. I think I paid more attention to the directions on this pattern than I have on any other in a long time. One of the challenges were the Hong Kong seams. I decided I want to do this from the get go, but when it came to the pocket area I was stumped. I ended up doing them "after the fact" only finishing the pockets around the top three edges after they were installed. It was hard to figure out what I could HK seam before it was all constructed but you can do the most of it before seaming if you pay  close attention, particularly in the pocket area.

I did "foiling" on the pocket facings and the collar facings and the rectangle in the back bodice before any construction started. This pattern, like most Marcy patterns, is ripe for embellishment. Have fun with that!

In conclusion:

I really like this top. It's a bit "jacket-y" but that's OK in my cold climate. I love the linen blend fabric, the foiling and the uniqueness of the design. Being comfortable adds to my enjoyment as well. It was a fun challenge to sew and I really enjoyed that aspect. Will I make it again? Probably not as it is rather unique, but I really like the way the shoulders and upper bodice fit. That makes it a winner in my book.

********************************

Last night we were able to get some fresh dug Maine clams up here in the boonies and I made us a dish of Clams and Linguine Rosa from Mario Batalli. What a feast!..............Bunny

Simp 2153, the No Grain, No Pain jean jacket upcycle!

This has been a fun, no rules  project every step of the way. I am pleased with the outcome and as soon as the weather cools a bit I'll have a great throw on  jacket for going to the town dump or a run for groceries. I really didn't follow the pattern or a lot of rules you would normally follow when sewing but that was the whole point. Girls just wanna have fun! Let me share all the fun deets with you.

Pattern:
This is Simplicity 2153 and my third iteration. The first was my winner for the Threads Fall Jacket Challenge. Then I couldn't resist using it for the Ikat Jacket you can see here.  Have you figured out  I love this pattern yet? I wear these two jackets A LOT. I think every sewist needs a good anorak pattern in her stash of TNTs (Tried and True patterns). It is such a versatile style and I think you would agree that the three variations are each quite different. And, I've yet to make it in rain gear or a woolen winter version! I will let the two links tell you about the pattern. I wanna get on to the fun!;)

For this design I did not follow the pattern at all. The collar is my own design and the rest, well, it is whatever landed where I put it!

Fabric:
For this garment I went to our local St. Vinnie's, a weekly Friday habit I have before I go to work, and for one dollar got a XXL sized man's acid washed jean jacket that looked like it had never been worn. Score! It had to have enough fabric for a jacket for five foot tall me, or so I hoped. I pulled out my trusty box cutter and started to take apart every seam. I've seen a lot of jean upcycles and the tutorials usually have you just hacking out the pieces with your scissors. In the case of this jacket I wanted to preserve the very dark seam allowances hiding under all those acid washed flat felled seams. So, I ran the edge of the box cutter blade along the felled seam while the garment was flat on the table. One evening to do that and a bit of TV and every section was apart and preserved. I did not take apart the smaller details, like tabs, waistbands, pockets, etc. I did take those and re-place them in non traditional spots on the bodice and sleeves, very unlike the "normal" jean jacket. I used them to bring balance around the jacket. As a matter of fact, all the pieces of the original jacket were reused but in different ways from the original.

The jacket is not lined. What jean jackets are? But I  did do a Hong Kong finish on the side and sleeve seams. I also faced the hem as well as bound the neck seam and for those tasks I used some quilting cotton in the stash. This was all part of my effort to deal with the bulk and keep it down.

Construction:
The first decision for making this jacket is I broke all the rules, really. After all the pieces were cut out from the original I decided on a three prong plan of attack, first piecing it back together, then painting what I had pieced, and then final embellishment from additional stitching.

The closure is a center front heavy aluminum jacket zipper from Zipper Shipper.  One one side of the zip is the original button band. On the other is the waistband from the original jacket.  One bodice front was used for a sleeve, Tabs were placed wherever I needed a bit of balance. No rules, remember! All of this had to fill each piece of the Simplicity pattern and it took a bit of ingenuity to make that work. Pieces were added from scraps here and there and for the collar I used a bit of old denim from some of hubby's discarded jeans. I like the contrast it gives on the collar.
Speaking of that collar:

  I love it. This was the one area I didn't have a clue how to make work. In the end I pieced what I had left in scraps to make a collar about 175% the size of the original pattern collar. It was at least 12 inches longer and 2-3 inches wider. I then connected it to the jacket with lots of lapped zigzagging. Tucks were made at the neckline sides to make the big long collar fit into the much shorter neck. I left one side longer to get that asymmetrical thing happening and closed it all with a rivet button and thread loop. I love how it turned out, the contrast from hubby's jeans and how the point falls right between the two buttons. A bias strip covers the zigzagging.

Sleeves were sewn on using a mock flat fell. First I serged the edge of the sleeve. Then I stitched it into the armscye. I trimmed back the non serged layer and pressed the serged layer over it. I then double topstitched from the outside. The sleeve seams were bound HK style. I did all this topstitching and edge stitching without the aid of my edge stitching foot. Talk about withdrawal, but my Pfaff was in the spa and my Kenmore, a bit of a monster, was better at dealing with heavy bulk anyway. So all top and edge stitching are eyeballed. 

With piecing done it was time to switch gears to painting. I used Lumiere paints and just brushed them on in the direction of the twill. It filled in better that way.  I used a hard stencil brush to get the paint down into the fabric.  I also used a smaller stiff brush to paint into a lot of the flat felled seams to give them a bit more dimension.This was totally hit and miss and really took no time other than drying and getting heat set with the iron. Easy peasy!

 Finally it was time for Phase Three, the stitching embellishment. This was simply back and forth straight stitching.  and some odd zigzags here and there like you can see above. This also went rather quickly . In areas where a lot of bulk happened I literally cut out some of the layers and pieced in a single layer of denim. On these areas I topstitched with big zigzags to cover up the cut away areas. You really can't see them at all. This was very necessary where the above pocket and its flap went into the armscye seam allowance. I also banged a lot of the bulk out with a hammer and the cement basement floor. If you give yourself permission to sew rough and ready, it all works out in the end, at least if it is a conscious decision. Accidentally, not so much. 

When I installed the zip I really didn't have room for a second line of topstitching. So I decided to do some more of the embellishment zigzagging in the zip seam allowance to further secure it. This is a heavy jacket and it definitely needed more than one line of  stitching to keep the zip from being pulled out. In this pic you can see where I did that in the SA left and right of the zip with the red arrows.  That band left of the zip is the bottom band of the original jean jacket. 

Conclusion:

I REALLY enjoyed throwing out the rules, getting all asymmetrical and painterly, and just having fun making this version of anorak pattern Simp 2153. Just for the creative joy of it all, I would suggest this type of project, with any pattern. First, find your garment and a simple pattern. Then do the piecing, painting and stitching in that order. Don't get all couture-y and just enjoy the creative flow of it all. 

******************************

 It did take forever to get this jacket done, didn't it? We are now done with all construction and landscaping and are really happy with those results. We have had loads of guests as well as travelled out twice this month  to New Hampshire and Mass. for long weekends with family. Hubby has been having extended health issues that hopefully will be relieved soon. Then there was dealing with the whole excaped prisoner debacle right in our neighborhood and at work and everywhere else we travel in the area.  IT'S BEEN A BUSY SUMMER! But I am now ready to get back to sewing and our usual quiet lifestyle. I am looking forward to all sorts of projects and can't wait to share them with you. Next up is a Marcy Tilton top. It's flat pattern measured, cut out and ready for interfacing. More to come. It feels good to be back and I hope you all had a wonderful summer. Happy Labor Day!...Bunny

The No grain jean jacket continues.

I thought I would share a peak of the progress. I have not touched this project or anything else for nearly three weeks, and trust me, it is killing me. I did manage to do a Hong Kong finish on the side seams to day and will do the same to the sleeve seams. I could have flat felled them but just wanted a bit of whimsy and finesse for the inside.  I took this jacket apart with a razor blade. Most of the recycle jean projects I have found specify just hacking the sucker with the scissors. The blade took very little time and I did it while watching TV. By doing that I gained the dark seam allowances to work with. I cut off all the details and repositioned them on other parts of the jacket, which made no logical sense whatsoever but is fun aesthetically.  For me, this design is all about the fun and nothing here is being taken too seriously.

This gives you a peak at some of the "painting" if you can call it that. I wanted just blotches of color, much like my original inspiration. I used Lumiere textile paints and once heat set they softened up nicely.  Next time I will mix them with fabric medium to soften them up. Every project there is something to learn, right? I did get some really cool iridescent textile medium, made by Liquitex, that I am anxious to try but this project is pretty much painted out at this point. I am chomping to use my new Inktense pencils and the irridescent medium.

Here you can see my Honk Kong seams , made without the benefit of an edge stitching foot, but on a galloping horse, it will be fine. As the side seam curves out for the hip there is a flat felled seam. Not easy to nicely wrap the binding around. I may redo that, we''ll see. Where is my all time favorite presser foot, the edge stitcher? Well, I am using my workhorse Kenmore which doesn't have such a foot while my Pfaff is at the spa in New Hampshire. I will pick it up in two weeks when we go down to visit. There is NO ONE around here that can fix a computerized machine within  50-60 miles. I think that alone is good reason to move, right?

We are still in fix up mode with the house and our hard work is starting to show. We are going for big curb appeal with landscaping changes, new front doors and other goodies. I think I've watched too many HGTV real estate shows.  We hope to have the house on the market March 1, although it's looking so  much better it's tempting to stay put. Realistically, however, we need to be closer to our children for several reasons and that's what we will do. This was our downsize home. We sold the big house on the lake some years back, still to the chagrin of our children, but we've all come to love this little beige box on the river and all it's wildlife and quiet. Our goal with this revitalization is to try and give this box some character and I think we have. In going over our papers on the house the other night, I found the original real estate photos. It was new construction and wow, I'm amazed we even bought it. The layout inside and location on the water sold us. We've always lived on the water and it was definitely the right choice. By Labor Day we will be done with a slew of August visitors and all the construction and hopefully it will be back to our usual quiet, laid back, creative lifestyle. I can't wait to seriously hit the sewing machine, yes!.......................Bunny

The No Grain Jean Jacket Recycle

I think this may turn out to be another epic project and that's OK. I have learned I absolutely love the challenge of a unique cutting layout and this will certainly provide that.

I started with a man's extra large acid washed jean jacket from St. Vinnie's, our local thrift. It had no wear or soil whatsoever and for two dollars, it came home with me. I put it in the washer and dryer to get rid of any strangers and then proceeded to cut each piece apart with my box cutter razor. That took about an hour or so of TV time. Then a good pressing and I was ready to figure out the layout.
I love the intense contrast between the blue and white.  I want to incorporate those dark blue seam allowances in the design so they are pressed open and will somehow be topstitched so they show.

 I spent this afternoon playing with all sorts of layout options to make sure I had enough fabric in this big jacket to pull off my plan. Fingers crossed but I think I do.

Once I decided to actually cut I needed to help my pattern lay flat. This is a tried and true pattern, Simp 2153, the anorak jacket I have made twice already. I cut big Xs where the buttons were and a slit around the pocket. Then it laid flat. I pinned the center front stitching line along the edge of the placket and drew a line around the pattern. Then the pattern was removed and I cut. (For newbies, the red circle with a star inside is the bust point. It is normally printed on the pattern but sometimes needs to be moved like mine. It's a major frame of reference for fitting.) While playing I thought the pocket was too close to the armscye. Then I looked straight down at the retail  denim shirt I happened to have on and the pocket edge was right on the side seam line so I let this one be.

I definitely added pieces of fabric here and there to get what I needed for each pattern piece. It was quite a challenge! I ironed them together with Steam a Seam for now but the additions will all be stitched down. There will be raw edges and felled edges. As I built each section, it was then marked with an outline of the pattern. I used a crayola marker as that washes out really well. Once pieced and outlined, the pattern was cut out. 

If this all looks a bit odd to you, I am using the existing edge of the button placket as center front on one side. On the other side, I will attach the waistband to the center front edge. (Wha?) There are assorted riveted buttons on these facings and waistband but they will not overlap like a traditional placket. I will be running a zipper up the center front instead, with the edges of the "old" button plackets being the edge the zipper is sewn to. Should be fun!

Remember, this is made for a huge man. You cannot imagine how big and deep the pockets were. They were ready for baby kangaroos! The long pocket intruded on the hem edge. So I cut them way shorter to eliminate bulk and will stitch them across where you see the green dotted line, just right for smaller feminine hands.

Above, on the green dashed line is where the zip will go.

This is where I am now. Don't judge till I am done as much will happen to this further up the road, paint, thread play, and color. This will be a very fluid, evolving, fun, artsy project that I hope I get miles of wear from. It should be a lot of fun. It will either be an epic fail or a pretty good win/win between me and the thrift store. Love me a challenge.

*************************************************

If your husband/partner is like mine he has a small box that he keeps some personal treasures in. My husband's has dog tags (military), military ID cards, a St. Christopher medal his late father gave him and other sorts of very personal items. I never look in this box, well, may three or four times in all of our marriage. It's his and I respect that. I have my own treasure box. We were both searching the house for some foolish thing and he yelled across the house, "look in my little box" and I did. I haven't looked in this thing in years despite it always being on the dresser in the open. There were the expected trinkets but then in the bottom I found this picture that was taken forever ago. It really surprised me. I truly don't remember ever looking like this but I guess I did.  I love knowing he found me beautiful and special enough to keep this in his treasure box all these many years. I felt like a treasure myself. I hope and pray you all have had someone at sometime in your life who thinks you are a treasure because you are. It's a lovely feeling...........Bunny

More play!

Today I played with stitches. On this jacket I will have no interfacing, facings or linings. But I do feel I need something to add some stability to the edges. This is felted wool, which when felted enough, should not unravel. This allows an edge to be raw but not look raw. I use a rotary cutter to trim the edges to a nice sharp finish.  I tried a variety of stitches down a strip of felted wool along the garment's edge. Some were down the middle and some sat on the edge. I will keep you in suspense, at least for the moment, on my final decision.

I was also concerned about how I would handle the darts circulating the shoulders and played with that for a bit as well.  What you see above is not my final decision but just one of several samples. I have come to a final decision for the seams and edge treatments and am close on the additional embellishment. This has really been fun so I hope it all works out in the end. Fingers crossed here!............Bunny

Smitten and have bitten!

I  stumbled upon this top on the internet and have fallen in love. This jacket would be perfect for my work but obviously not out of the  metallic linen shown here. I would like that, though, as well! And as my luck would have it, it's an OOP (out of print) with a big price tag through Etsy shops. Then I found it on Amazon, did the Prime click, and it will be here by Tuesday! I am not sure about fabric yet. I may do a trial run with some linen or chambray and then on to a wool or such. I have always loved swing jackets and the cut of theses sleeves is spectacular. So more Vogue Designer fun coming! Check out the yoke lines and the curve of the sleeve hems, beautiful.

More to come!........Bunny

Vogue 1385, a Felted Wool Jacket begins

The muslin is cut and marked and ready for me to give it attention. I will be using Vogue 1385, a Sandra Betzina pattern. I found it critical to muslin this design. Some years back I had a bad experience with the fit of the SB patterns and have not used them since. This is despite my liking many of the designs. Betzina's patterns are based on her own sloper, not the one used by the Big Four. My understanding is that it is geared toward a more mature body, whatever that means. Either way, I wanted to know what I needed to do to make her designs work for me as I like quite a few of them. So I cut the pattern out exactly as drawn for what she calls a size C. Her sizing uses letter designations . The waists seem bigger in proportion to the hips and bust of the Big Four. My previous issue was with the upper chest and sleeves so we will see what happens. Do I petite the pattern? Do an FBA? We'll see and that is why this muslin is really important  and cut exactly to the pattern size. I want to know how her sizing works for me so that hopefully I can do the same alterations each time I use one of her designs.

I love this blouse/jacket. The neckline is very flattering and the versions I have seen on the web are awesome, particularly the one made by Shams  and this beauty  from Margy. I will use the darted version for a bit more shape But I do like the way Shams's hangs without the darts. My goal is to have a soft sweatery jacket to wear at work. The fabric is wool gabardine that I have felted which gave it a really nice hand. 

IRL, the fabric is not so heathery looking, more of a jewel tone. Felted wool can be cut and it won't ravel. This has major impact on facings, seams, etc. There will be no facings on this jacket. I have a specific idea for how I will handle all the darts. I think seams may be lapped. Haven't worked that out yet. Felted wool is usually a quick sew as it requires nearly no traditional finishing. But it does require some thought put into how you will dart and seam and face so this should be fun. I love a challenge. I am going to reference some of the ideas I used in the jacket that was published in Threads. 

My grey rayon knit top is completely done and I like it. I added a flounce on each side of the garment which I like. Pics to come probably over the weekend. This is a hectic week with work responsibilities so your patience is appreciated......Bunny  

The Ikat Jacket, Simp 2153, again!

This really is meant to be a lightweight summer jacket but Mother Nature and my constant recent delays made for some Autumnal modeling shots today. I really like  this jacket and will get a lot of use out of it. Our summers are generally in the fifties at night so a lightweight jacket is a must. Factor in a lot of jeans wear and I think this will become a staple in the closet. Here's the 411:

Pattern: 
This is Simplicity 2153. It is the same jacket I used for the Threads Fall Jacket Challenge last year. A good anorak pattern is a great thing to have in the stash and this may not be the last time I make this. I can see me making it in some rainwear as well.

The pattern itself is fairly easy but I made quite a few changes and because of those changes did not follow the sequence in the pattern. More on that..........

Fabric:
This is 100% cotton home dec fabric, maybe, just maybe from Fabric.com. I do know the selvedge says it is a Raymond Waites design called "Tincia" (?), can't tell. It's hard to read. It also says it was made for Mill Creek Fabrics. I love the texture. It is like a heavy textured linen which you can see better here.

I prewashed this fabric removing the "soil and stain repellant finish" listed on the selvedge but it got a really nice soft hand to work with after that, more like clothing. I love to sew with home dec fabrics. I can't remember one, even tapestries, that I didn't throw in the washer and dryer. It softens them up and makes them much more wearable and sewable. Don't hesitate to look at home dec fabrics next time you are shopping. 

The lining is rayon Bemberg lining. Interfacing is a woven from Fashion Sewing Supply. Have to get more of their product as I am close to out!

Construction:

I made quite a few changes. The pattern does not specify a lining. I did a bound lining (formerly named flat lining) that you can see how to do here. It gives a really nice finish to a more casual garment like this. This fabric was quite ravelly and I am glad the seam edges were bound from the beginning.  The bodice pieces were all flat lined before starting construction. The sleeves were lined using the Nancy Zieman method which can be found in the tutorials. The armscye edges were bound with Bemberg lining. 

This pattern does not have a facing that goes around the neckline. I made one and much prefer how that finished up with the bound edges compared to a partical facing and lining run up to the neckline. I've never been a fan of that technique. 

I dropped the casing down a half inch as I felt it was a touch too high in the first iteration. 

Pockets were cut on the bias simply to add a bit of interest and to help the fabric move away from the home dec vibe. The hip pockets were cut at a slant with cuff. Rivets were used to secure the pocket corners and were intentionally put in upside down as I liked the back of the rivets better than the front. Pockets were topstitched with a triple stitch. 

I used simple drapery cord for the cording which I may change if I find something better. I am not 100% happy with that and am still looking. There is a pony bead at the end of each cord, simple, and cord locks at the waistline . 

I added two inches to the length which I find kind of interesting as I am only five feet tall. So watch the length if you make this. I faced the hem instead of folding it up. 

Split cuffs were added to the sleeves with a deep facing. The sleeves on this run huge. I took a good inch out of the width. Usually I am adding width to accommodate those late in life accumulations under my arms but this pattern actually had to be made smaller, so beware. 

It took extra effort and fabric at the cutting stage to insure that all the prints matched and were symmetrical throughout. 

Conclusion:

I am pleased with the pattern, once again, and the outcome. I love Ikat designs and this project let me express that choice. I highly recommend the pattern but suggest lining it one method or another and making a full facing that goes around the neckline. If I find the right rainwear fabric I may give this a go one more time!

*****************************************

I've had some questions regarding the iron I just purchased. I used it throughout this project and knocked down my ironing pile today as well. I am very pleased with it. It pushes out more steam than any iron I have ever had,no drips. It is a Rowenta "Steamforce" which I got through Amazon. My favorite feature, however, is that skinny little point with the steam holes in it. It is wonderful for ironing seams open effortlessly. No burned fingers! And those are all steam holes, not dimples, unlike my last Rowenta. 

******************************

I often get asked about my little bunny labels. I picked up this roll, half of which has been given away, quite some time ago. I got it at the much missed "Fabric Fix" store for one dollar for the entire roll. I would love to think that one day I will actual run out of little bunny labels. Now that's a sewing fantasy!...................Bunny

I love Ikats!

I have always loved ikat patterns with their bold geometrics and dry brushed paint appeal. You can see lots here: Ikat images . These designs have been around for ages and while I haven't done any research lately other than shop for them, I remember something about them originally being hand woven by maybe Guatemalans or Bolivians. I have to look into that.

For some time I have wanted to make a summer jacket. Around here you still get 40-50 degree nights and 80-90 degree days so a good light jacket is necessary. I was really needy in that department. Last fall I entered the Threads Fall Jacket Challenge and the jacket that I  made for the contest is the same design I will be using for this jacket. It is Simplicity 2153.  It's a classic anorak and a very versatile.

 One of the really wonderful things about blogging is having a journal of your work. I knew I also wanted to flatline this jacket as I did on the original. This pattern also has all sorts of details like grommets and casings, yokes, etc. and it is great to have the resource of the previous post to refer back to.

Since I am still getting over my recent pattern matching fail I paid particular attention to what was going on with this design. The first thing I did was establish my bust point so I wouldn't have the ikats landing on my real estate in an awkward fashion. Then I set about cutting the first piece, the front bodice. All pieces were cut in singular layers. 

Once the first piece was cut, I laid it on top of the fabric, matching the design. Then I cut the second piece out using the first bodice as my pattern.

Now to match the side seams, NO! I got them perfectly matched and realized that I paid no attention to where the design laid out on the back bodice. It was then I realized that with a large motif like this you need to establish the lay of design on any pattern piece before attempting to match. In other words, I took the back bodice pattern piece and laid it out so the hemline area lined up with the front and the ikat was centered on my back, not off balance. Then the side seams were matched on the vertical as a perfect match on the horizontal would leave the motifs off balance on the back bodice. You have to make decisions with each piece on how to match. It's not always black and white, at least at first glance. When I got to the sleeves it was the same. I needed to establish the center of the column of ikats in line with the center of the sleeve where it starts at the shoulder seam. After that I proceeded to match the sleeve with the bodice. Whew, lots of words, lots of concentration but  think I did it ok this time. At this point all is cut out and ready to go.

A word about the fabric. It is a definite home dec print and I absolutely love it. I was looking for something with a blue jean coloration and when it arrived it looked even more so than it did online. I got it from Fabric.com, 22.99 a yard so not one of their bargains. It is really nice quality, for sure. I did serge the edges and machine wash and line dried it. The fabric softened nicely but still has that heavy linen look. I think with the flat lining it will work up to just the right weight.

I am going to "unit sew" this garment as much as I can. I like sewing that way, particularly on garments with varying details like this one.

I am still working on my friend's gown. I did a second muslin, which I think will be good and she will try that on this week. I sure hope this comes out nice.  My beading is continuing as well and I am such a feeble beginner, but I am determined. When I have something to show I will....Bunny