Catching up on 24 and quilting

It sarted during Franklin, a cartoon about a turtle ,at 8:30 and went on through 24, last week's 24, House and about 20 minutes of my husband flicking around, but I got it done. I have the body of the jacket hand quilted!
The rows are about 2 1/2" apart and the stitches are smaller than the ones I used on the edge and seams. I cannot get photos to show it, but will try again later in stronger light.
I am still contemplating trims. No fore runners though.

Jacket Progress

I have the jacket, trimmed and turned and have begun quilting it. I have started stitching it at the edge and joining the lining to the body at the seams. The shoulders are open to make the quilting easier.
I am not sure if my stitching is an appropriate size or not. You can see it in the interior photos.

I love this weighty silk charmeuse from Gorgeous Fabrics.

I have been inspired by the tweed jacket that Ann has begun at Ann's Fashion Studio. I really like her pockets and might add some lower pockets to this one. I am trying to decide how to trim the jacket first.

For Karendee-Thanks, Karen I hope it will be nice when done. I basted the interfacing just inside the seam allowance by hand and catch stitched it along areas that aren't near seams. I am kind of winging it as I usually use fusibles, too. I trimmed it out close to the stitching line once the seams were sewn and removed the basting. I used a method described here LindayT's Blog to cut the interfacing.

Teal Tweed Jacket

I managed to get my new jacket cut out. I used the teal tweed from Emma One Sock and a silk charmeuse from Gorgeous Fabrics . The fabric was surprisingly symmetrical with the slubby additional threads that run through it.

I have decided to use a modified version of Cherie O'Dowd's ( I think) Chanel-ish technique from Threads to make the jacket. I don't have a lot of time right now, so I used the same pattern from the ruffle jacket as the base. I just won't add a ruffle. I lengthened it to be approximately the same length as the completed ruffle jacket and took in the shoulders a bit.

The technique has you sew the shell and lining together, then bag them out, then quilt the jacket. I might hand quilt it still. She doesn't use any interfacing for support in the jacket at all and I planned to do it like that, but couldn't. I ended up using some cotton in the shoulder areas and down the centre front and some bias in the hem.

Some Maisie Updates

This is the outfit she and her brother chose for her birthday party.

Looking cute in a sweater I knit. I spent the Earth on the wools and pattern book, then spent nearly a year knitting it and this is the only time she has worn it. It is in her favourite colours, it is soft and she WILL NOT WEAR IT!

Done with it, thank goodness!

I couldn't get any further back or you would see the mess in the studio.

Oops, I did it again!

I worked on the coat while ill this time as opposed to rushing nd I put the collar on wrong. I brought the collar band right to the fold line instead of to the centre front. I only realized after I had it all graded and top stitched. So, out came the stitch ripper and the collar was removed to the shoulder seam, basted then hand stitched into place. Needs a press and some topstitching, but I am going to leave it alone until tomorrow.
Sleeves are in and hemmed, shoulder pads are in. Needs sleeve lining, hemming and buttons and then it can be put away for six months! I think I can get it done in time for Spring.

Again with the tweed!

Collar and front

Full length with the back flare showing on right.

Button jammed through hole. The puckers are because there isn't a shank on the button card. I found four of these at half price at the local sewing shop. I am very lucky to have a local sewing shop just up the road from me. I walked there for a class in about 3 minutes.

I didn't have enough silk to face the sleeves in it, so I have used lining. It still needs some hand work, some pressing and, oh yeah, a longer lining!

Back to Tweed- sounds fitting for St. Paddy's Day

I am the self proclaimed queen of UFOs. I must have made thousands of them in my life. Whenever I run into a snag, I move on to something else.
This happened with my tweed coat. I did not know how to handle the button at teh neckline with the appliqued band and diamonds, so I ignored it. But it is a bulky tweed and there are a thousand pieces. Today, with a balmy temperature of C. 16 degrees, did not seem like a day for sewing a heavy tweed coat. It seemed like a day for sewing a trenchcoat or a pair of spring trousers, but I needed space to do that. So finishing up the coat is now a priority. The lining has all been cut, collar and welt pockets done, sleeves cut.
Today I sewed on the fly closure on one front and the facing on another, sewed the shoulder seams, side back seams and even got the collar basted on. All pressed, no rushing!
The coat looks good so far and the problem of the top button has been solved. I am going to use a hook and eye.

In love with a jacket

And now there is a "Go to park" meltdown so I will finish later.

Don't do it!

I have been terribly busy here, it IS coming up to St. Patrick's Day don't you know, but managed to sneak in some precious sewing time for myself.

If anyone else gets a chance to do this- I heartily reccommend taking a deep breath and going slowly. Just because you get a short time span to work does not mean it is time to rush. Isn't a big part of they joy sewing the ability to enjoy the process?

I had put the outer part of Vogue 1098 together last week, but I was unhappy with the sleeves. I have a bad habit of deserting a project if I run into a snag but I was determined to complete it before I began anthing else.
Yesterday I managed to take the sleeves down a bit to a more acceptable (to me) width. I basted the seam allowances to one side to determine the look.
Today I removed the lower sleeve section and lined it while flat. I even marked the alteration of the upper sleeves on the pattern pieces. I don't always get to this, which is a fault I am trying to overcome. I sewed the lower sleeve back on the uppers and topstitched.
I had a bit more time so I cut the linings out. Just enough fabric in the vintage acetate satin lining fabric for the body and lower sleeve. I accidentally sewed the sleeve seam rather than the hem seam on both pieces and notched it before I noticed, but that was not even the major faux pas. I managed to correct it, turn, press, understitch, press again.
No one was screaming for me yet, so I sewed them and applied the lining, turned it quickly to admire and try on, then realized I had lengthened the jacket by three inches when I cut it initially and had not added that length to the lining pieces!

I have used up all of the lovely and hard to find acetate satin lining that I had, so will need to use another fabric as an extension to the lining. I don't want to recut in Bemburg because it needs the heavier lining. Had I not rushed initially, I would have underlined the silk with something like a cotton batiste as well and not needed the extra body of the lining satin to make up for the difference.

So my experience makes me send out this bit of advice: when you get a bit of time, estimate what you can get done and do it. Don't let adrenaline or unusual quiet force your gleeful, shaking hands into rushing through the process. It is not all about the finished project.

Another Teal Jacket in the works

I have a thing for teal jackets. They go well with a variety of my dark neutral basic tops and bottoms: black, charcoal, espresso, chocolate, taupe, even sometimes with navy.

I have purchased, but not yet received this fabric from Emma One Sock,

And this one from Fabricmart Fabrics. I hope they work together. I would like to use the crepe to make bands on a Chanel style jacket using Vogue 7975. I will probably make it a V-neck or add a collar though. I don't find a round neckline flattering on me.

I resisted the first one for quite a while because of the poly content and my experience with the pilling of the not-all-wool brown tweed coat. However, upon reading more accurately, I realized that the base is all wool, with synthetic embroidery, which seemed more satisfactory to me. It was $45/yd and I got 1 1/2 yds, but at a roll end discount. This is why I will need to find a coordinate for it.

Vogue 1098 Jacket

The weather has been warming up and I REALLY needed to work on something other than my wool coat, so I began the jacket from Vogue 1098 in a silk tweed. I loved the lines on the envelope and was delighted with the idea of being able to make something with minimal alterations. The a-line jacket follows the lines of my a-line body. I love the jacket, I love the fit, but I hate the lantern sleeves. They balloon out and add pounds to my frame. I don't need more pounds, so I will have to do something to take them in. Pictures soon.

Another closeup

I had to crop it as it was too large to load otherwise.

What the stitching became

There is a bit of distortion at the top of the cuff. I should have used a firmer fusible on the satin.