Quick & Easy Felt Jacket

I had no intention of buying cloth, or even making something for myself yesterday morning. Honestly! I was going to clean my house! I stopped by Fabric Fix in Manchester to check out wool for my daughter who wants me to make her a jacket and I want to work on it at my Sewing Camp at the end of this month.

But then.....

I saw lovely double sided fleece which would be perfect for this Marcy Tilton Vogue pattern I've had around for a few months. They had a beautiful pink, lime green, red, and taupe, all with black on the other side and for the incredible price of $8 a yard for 60" fabric! So, my plans went out the window. I bought the taupe and ran home to trim the pattern and run it up on the machine. Since it's fleece, it required no hems and no facings. You have to cut the fabric very evenly so I used a rotary cutter. The only seaming was on the shoulder, the side, and the sleeves. The fleece was so forgiving that everything just melted together.

The sleeve has an interesting detail. It's cut very wide at the upper sleeve and tapers as it goes down. To create the taper, you cut a dart out of the cloth, piece the cloth together and close the edges with a zig zag stitch (detail here). I don't really like the fit of the upper sleeve and will have to play with it if I make it again -- there is just too much fabric there. I'll either cut a smaller size, or try to find a way to take some of the excess out of the sleeve without spoiling the lines of the jacket -- suggestions welcome.

There are no buttons or other closures -- the collar folds down a couple of different ways. The sleeves are shortened by simply trimming away until they are the length you want. I trimmed away enough to make it bracelet length. Since the jacket isn't necessarily for very cold weather, I thought the shorter length showed off bracelets while balancing the wide upper sleeve so it didn't overwhelm me and just look too big.

The side also has some interesting detail, with the back cut longer than the front -- side view picture here.



I'd like to experiment with some of the other colors -- perhaps adding a pocket or two that are zig zagged on to carry over the theme from the sleeves. The pattern calls for some artistic needle felting that you can do as well.

Fun look for 2 hours and $13!!

Pure and Simple Coat

Well, the rain jacket is finished!

To refresh, the pattern is Louise Cutting's Pure and Simple coat. The pattern doesn't call for a lining, but since the weather is getting cooler and I was using a fabric that was suitable for a raincoat, I decided to line it. It was a bit tricky -- I don't have a lot of experience with linings (alright -- none!) and Louise is noted for finishing all of her seams and facings in really cool ways so the inside looks perfect. But, it got done, with Anne from Apple Annie pointing me in the right direction. I included a shot of the lining (below), which is a fuchsia silk print and there is a 1/2 inch piping of solid fuchsia. The fabric is a beautiful tightly woven, shiny cotton from Apple Annie Fabric.
One of the things I like about Louise Cutting is her detail. The body of the coat is in 3 sections so you can actually use three separate fabrics if you're brave. There is edgestitching above and below each of the horizontal seams, as well as both edgestitching and topstitching around the body of the coat and collar. The loop buttonholes on the pockets (which are built into one of the section seams) are a cool touch as well. I had to play a bit to make the loop as it called for making a tube, which you then turn right side out with rat tail inserted. But, my cloth was so inflexible that this proved impossible, so I turned under 1/4 inch on each side of the loop, folded in half lengthwise and topstitched. I've included a close up (albeit a bit fuzzy -- sorry!) of the pocket detail and the lining.

It was definitely a fun coat to make and a great way to practice your topstitching! It feels good on. It's boxy, but a bit narrow in the bottom so I think it would really be flattering on most body types, which is a good thing!

Of course I finished it today. Yesterday poured, and today it's sunny and seventy:) I wore it out anyway because I always wear what I make or buy within 24 hours. Some people never grow up!

Too Little Time!

It's been a very busy week, with the Holidays here. I do have a sewing camp on Friday from 10 - 5 so I hope to make some real progress on my coat then. In the meantime, I did finish up Sarah's shirt. This came right from Pattern Review, fabric and all, and I have to thank AmyRose for sharing so generously. I knew as soon as I saw her review that my daughter would really like it -- actually I would really have liked it! The only thing I did differently was to detach lengths of ruffle from some of the fabric pieces and used it over the serged edge at the bottom. It made a perfect hem which was great since she didn't want to lose any more length, even with a very tiny hem. The cloth is definitely the star here -- not sure I'd necessarily use the pattern again for a plainer fabric.

I did splurge on Thursday during an outing at Sawyerbrook with my mother and sister and bought a wonderful black and fuchsia silk novelty for a suit for a wedding next spring and a cool poly/viscose that looks good on either side and fringes nicely. Will make a funky skirt for Sarah with the right pattern. When I knit I am never tempted to shop for another project until I am finished with what I am currently working on. If only I could translate that to sewing!! I have no discipline when it comes to picking out new projects and cloth to sew with...

Strudel - Homage to Bubbe and Grandma

When I married into my husband's family, Bubbe was an institution in her own right. I had Nanas, who were very, very different from Bubbe. Until Bubbe, I had never met an elderly woman who smoked, much less non-filter cigarettes! And, no one in my family would give an opinion if they weren't asked -- it just wasn't done. But Bubbe?!

When you visited Bubbe, no matter how little notice you gave, or how badly she was feeling (Bubbe's health was poor from the day I met her until she passed away years later), she greeted your presence by pulling a never ending stream of food from her freezer. There were fish cakes, Bubbe cookies, and especially strudel. Her strudel was legendary in the family, though since I wasn't a big strudel fan at the time, it didn't mean quite as much to me. I will diverge for just a moment to say that when Bubbe made fish cakes (which were my husband's favorite) she would go to the market and wouldn't dream of buying a filet of fish. She purchased the least expensive cut of fish and took it home where she pulled all the bones out herself with pliers! That was Bubbe....

My mother-in-law tried to get Bubbe's Strudel recipe for years, but Bubbe never wrote things down and never measured. So, one day, they made strudel together with my mother-in-law stopping to measure whenever Bubbe was about to add an ingredient. Interestingly, Bubbe ground her raisins and no one knew why until they made strudel together and Bubbe explained that Auntie Sylvia didn't eat raisins, so they had to be disguised! And, so, strudel passed down to my mother-in-law who made it faithfully for every family occasion. She was very proud of her strudel!

About three years ago, my mother-in-law entered the nursing home. So, there has been no strudel since then, and for some time before. She gave the recipe to my sister-in-law, but we never did what she did with her mother-in-law and actually make the strudel with her, meticulously noting every detail. Rosh Hashanah is next week and I am determined that we will have her strudel. It won't be the same, but I will try for their sake. I, too, will make adjustments for family members, this time for my son who won't eat coconut (I don't think I can disguise it -- he's pretty discerning). Next week, my mother in law will tell me if I've even come close. Here's to you, Bubbe and Grandma...

Sewing Class

I don't know whether to call this new fabric store, sewing classes, or Cutting Lines Raincoat! I started class a week ago at Apple Annie Fabric in Swansea, MA. It's a long drive for me -- over two hours each way -- but when I'm there I stay for 4 hours so it's worth it (I think). I had never been there before and they have beautiful fabric! What a wonderful treat -- you can get some idea when you visit their website. They do lots of project of choice classes and you get lots of individual attention, which is great!

I've been sewing, but really need to bring it up another level. There are a number of things I don't do on a regular basis, including linings, knits, zippers..... So, I've sought out help. My project for class is the Cutting Lines Pure & Simple Coat. I'm doing a single color for all 3 sections and I haven't decided yet if I will insert a matching or contrast piping where each of the sections meet. I am also lining it, though the pattern doesn't call for lining. My fabric is a very tightly woven, shiny graphite color and my lining is a beautiful print silk (both shown below). Along the side of the silk is a solid fuschia border which I will use to pipe the edge where the lining and fashion fabric meet.I will probably do much of the work in class, so it may be a bit before we see a final result. I'll do some smaller projects in between. Off to cut this out -- a bit nervous!

Simply Delectable

Saturday dawned sunny and hot and we had absolutely no plans or obligations. So, with the top down, we set out to drive west on 101 through Peterboro, Keene, and into Brattleboro, Vermont. Whenever we're setting off, one of the first things I do is check out what possibilities there might be for fabric stores in the area. Delectable Mountain Cloth showed up on the internet as a definite possibility for exploring.

What an absolute treat. My words can't do it justice, but their website really does give you some flavor. They are a tiny store right on the main street in Brattleboro. They only carry natural fibers, along with some jewels, buttons, lace panels and scarves. They fit an amazing amount of fabric in a small place. There are no notions, or other mundane distractions -- only lovely things to feast your eyes on -- silks, fine Italian cottons, linens, bridals, velvets, and a large selection of 'whites.' Because their fabrics are only natural fiber, they are so wonderful to the touch.

Their glass counters are topped with pretty dishes holding wonderful buttons of all descriptions -- especially glass. There are no cardboard cards holding buttons -- all are arranged so you can pick each one up and examine its uniqueness.

I was so sorry that I was not organized enough to know exactly what I wanted and how much fabric it would take, but I am so glad that I found this very special place. It's a 2 hour drive for me, but on a lovely day, I would gladly make the drive for a special purchase. If you're a fabric lover and are anywhere in the area, you should check it out. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Stripe Help

I finished my second Liberty Shirt today and, while I like it well enough, it did have its challenges. It was the first time I had worked with stripes and I really wanted to match it well. The stripe is an uneven one and I knew that I had to, or wanted to, have the dominant stripe at center front and have my buttonholes/buttons there. Knowing that, I cut a duplicate front and laid out both pieces with the desired stripe on center front. Although the back was supposed to be cut on the fold, I also made a duplicate back and laid it out with the fabric open and tried to line up the front and back shoulders to match. Again, I wanted that dominant stripe at center back.

No matter what I did, I could not get the shoulders to match and finally decided that, with an uneven stripe, perhaps one needed to sacrifice something in order to get the center fronts to match and that something would have to be the shoulder seams. But, interestingly, one shoulder ended up matching perfectly, while the second was off by about a 1/2 inch or more. When I saw it I almost wished neither matched since it now looks as if I didn't quite try hard enough. If anyone out there has advice, feel free! I'd be happy for the opportunity to figure out if I could have done something differently. The collar I cut horizontally just to make it a bit different and I did like the way the stripes angle at the collar front.

The fabric was a remnant and I've long since lost the information on it. It's shiny, almost like taffeta and all of the stripes are slightly raised, which made construction a bit challenging. I may try a burn test to see what it is. I suspect it's a synthetic of some sort. It wasn't wonderful to work on. For some reason I had trouble with the mitered corners on this as well, even though they were a breeze on my previous Liberty Shirt. I wonder if my eye was trying to follow the stripe rather than the construction of the miter. Bad day?! Oh well, it's finished and I do like it on.

My next project is for my daughter, Sarah. I first saw this fabric when someone reviewed a shirt on Pattern Review. The reviewer was kind enough to give details on where she purchased the cloth since everyone was intrigued and thought perhaps she had made it. It's from Sew It Up under novelty cottons.. If you click on the pictures, you'll get a much better feel for the the fabric which is strips of different cloth serged together, some with ruffles, others with embroidery. I knew Sarah would love it so I ordered it on Monday and had it on Wednesday with a handwritten thank you for purchasing it! Great service! I would definitely order from them again.

The shirt is slightly fitted and since the fabric is so unique and a bit pricey, a muslin is definitely in order. I really hope this one goes well. It should be a really fun, funky shirt if it does.