Jacket V8124 photos... finally!

OK I don't have much to say about this pattern. You can see in the photos I am pretty chuffed about how this jacket has turned out. In case you haven't been following this - I made this jacket in a class with Felicity of For Frock's Sake. This class gave me the confidence I needed to tackle a project like this. The only differences I made to the pattern was to do real double welt pockets with flaps and a bound buttonhole. We also learnt how to do the shoulders properly and how to bag the lining. The pattern itself was well drafted and came together well.

ETA - Review is finally done - here if you wish to read it.

I so enjoyed making this jacket that when Felicity was talking about making a Chanel style jacket I said I would love to do a course in making one. So lo and behold in July a series of classes will be run and I had to run out and get a pattern and some fabric as I was so excited...

Yummy, yummy fabric from Gardams - the most expensive I have ever bought!

I am not sewing heaps at the moment (you can probably tell by the lack of posts) but I am making another version of McCalls 5138.

Tomorrow my best bud and I are heading to the big smoke to go the Stitches & Craft Show, spend the night at a hotel and then another day of shopping - bliss!

Watch out Brisbane - Sue & Caity are hitting the town - Woo Hoo!

McCalls 5138 - shirt

I have finished my Vogue jacket but haven't got around to giving it a final press and take photos. I think I am just tired of looking a it, even though I love it! I will try and get my act together for you soon.

In the meantime I have made McCall's 5138.

This was a nice quick make and as I wore it today I have photos for you. Excuse the wrinkles. It is at the end of a day spent sitting in the office. I wasn't sure if I loved this shirt. I liked it but love...not so sure. However after consulting with my style guru bff and wearing it today I have changed my mind. I do love it. It is really comfortable and I felt smart looking. My concerns were the collar - home-ecky-miss-becky? and the floral fabric which I was concerned may look a bit 'Nana'. (no offences to Nanas - I look forward to having grandchildren one day but do not want to look the image, if you get my drift...)

I made this top straight from the pattern. I did tissue fit and it looked fine. Now that I see a photo of the back I wonder if I should do a sway back adjustment or is that just a bad wrinkle?


The trousers are the Vogue ones I made a while back. I like them, but being linen they do stretch out on wearing (and wrinkle, of course). The stretching out bothers me the most so I am not sure I would use linen again for a pair of trousers.

BTW, the jacket course was done with Felicity Bynge and Felicity's website is now live - For Frock's Sake. Classes are listed there for anyone in SE Qld and she also sells different items. I highly recommend the interfacing's - much better than any you can get in the local shops. There is also a true stretch interfacing. Felicity is lovely to deal with and I recommend you check out her web site, classes and interfacing's.

Burda wof 02-2009-115

I have been in the process of sewing two jackets lately, one through a sewing class - up to the lining & all going well - will post more on that one later. The other jacket I have been working on is Burda wof 02-2009-115.

I am using very similarly coloured fabrics. My fabric is a sage green linen pique purchased from Gorgeous fabrics.

Well - after my Easter visitors have left I have finally found enough time to finish and wear it ...Yay!

Lots of pictures as I don't have a lot to say. It is the sewing course for the month so the instructions were pretty good. I was scratching my head a bit on the collar but slept on it and it came together the next day...
Here are some of the details - turn-up...

pocket...


inside of jacket with hong-kong seam finishes...

Some of these photos were taken after wearing it out to the movies so excuse the creases (it is a linen after all).
Conclusion- I really like this little jacket. It is easy to wear, a good weight for what I need in our climate, goes well with jeans and a great substitute for the cardigan I seem to wear to much! The linen pique fabric is stiff but softening up over time so I think it's wearability will improve with a few more washes and wears!

Happy Easter!

No sewing but other happy things...

I haven't been able to blog (or sew) much lately as I have been quite busy with work and other things. One of the nice things that made our week-end busy was attending my Dad's 75th Birthday dinner. We had a lovely seafood dinner at Morgans Seafood Restaurant with family and friends. Here is a piccie of my parents enjoying themselves. Unfortunately, even though I remembered my camera, I forget to put a card in it so there wasn't many photos... *ahem*. Looking good for 75, Papa!

Not much time to sew but I have been re-learning my love of crochet. I recently bought this book recommended by my BFF and it is great!

It has lovely modern designs and I really like the visual aspect of the patterns - it is something I can really relate to... This book is available from Can Do books in Australia if anyone is interested in their own copy. NAYY but it is great to find a great Australian book service on the Internet (and usually at most craft shows too).

As a learning exercise I made a cuff first to learn the 'visual' aspect of reading the pattern. I am a visual person - I usually get a lot more from pictures and diagrams than I can get from words so I like this method. Here is the cuff I made. ... from the front (ignore my gnarly hand)...

From the inside wrist with button closure...

and the cuff laid out flat...

This is the next item I am going to try from this book.

It was really hard to pick which design I wanted to make next as I liked so many but I love this one, plus it is not a big project and does not require a lot of yarn, so that is why it came up next on the to-do list. My main problem with the book is working out which yarn to buy as the book is American and doesn't describe yarn like I am used to... worsted????.... so anyway I have taken a punt that the yarn I have chosen is correct (another good reason not to make something which takes a lot of yarn!). I chose a lovely 100% bamboo in a Stone colour (49). It feels divine and was well-priced so wish me luck!

Jacket ...cont....

I have finally settled on a button for my Vogue 8124 jacket. So now I could actually make the bound buttonhole. Once again, I made a sample and then made the buttonhole on my jacket. This is the buttonhole in the real jacket pictured with the button I have chosen next to it. (Looks like it needs a good press yet.)

On the week-end I sewed my BWOF 02-2009-115 up to the stage of adding the pockets and finishing the buttonholes. I had to put it aside to work on the Vogue jacket for my sewing class. I got a little stuck at the collar stage but slept on it and that seemed to clear the block. I am really pleased at how it is coming together. Hopefully soon I will have two new jackets to add to my wardrobe!

Next to do is to start assembling the lining for the Vogue jacket. Next lesson is this Thursday and I want to be as well prepared as I can be.

Don't you love a day off...

Now that work has started again, I have not had much time to sew. In fact I have not sewn anything since I last posted last Thursday... shocking!

As well as work sucking up time, I went away last week-end to Brisbane as I had to drop my hubby off so he could fly to Melbourne to attend a Management School for the week. This however did give me the chance to shop. I was supposed to shop for buttons but of course ended up with more fabric! The first two fabrics pictured below are from Sckaf's. The first is a lovely stretch knit in caramels and browns which will coordinate with a plain brown Cavalli jersey I have in my stash. I pan to make the dress from Vogue 8138 from this fabric and use the brown Cavalli for the jacket. The next jersey fabric across will be used to line the dress as the print fabric is too light for a dress. Then the last fabric is one I picked up at Gardams by chance last week - dirt cheap but with a lovely feel, I plan to make a pair of pants - probably the Alice & Olivia pants I have made previously (V1059).

Well, today I did get to sewing. I had a really quiet day at home. Youngest son went to a mate's house, elder went to the Show (it is a Show holiday here for us) and hubby is still in Melbourne (coming back late tonight). So I planned a day sewing. I was going to keep working on my jacket but I am dithering about the choice of button so put it aside for the moment and traced off and cut-out Burda wof 02-2009-115.

This is to be made in a sage green linen pique I bought from Gorgeous Fabrics. My colours shamelessly copy the ones in the magazine. Today I cut it all which took all day and did a sample of a Hong Kong seam as that is how I plan to finish the inside seams as the jacket is unlined. Here is my sample - I used a pretty left-over from my quilting days which matches the green really well. Having never done a Hong Kong seam before I was surprised at how simple it was.

Purdy, ain't it????

Jacket on it's way!

I have done class 3 of my jacket class today. I think they thought I was a bit anal as I did so many samples before I attempted the real thing in my jacket. I am actually relieved that I am finally achieving that level of patience that I can hold out & make the samples rather than just going for it .... I made a sample last week of a double welt. This week I did a sample of a double welt with a pocket flap. Then I repeated the exercise in the fabric I am using for the jacket. When I got home from the class, then I made the made the actual pockets. So now I have a double welt pocket with flaps on each side of the jacket. There isn't actually a pocket bag behind the pocket. It is only about 1/2 inch deep. I will never use it as a pocket as I wouldn't want to spoil the line of the jacket. Plus I am a girl and I always carry a handbag!

I should probably mention that this jacket is Vogue 8124. In the pattern,the pocket is totally faux... just a sewn-on flap. I have made a double-welt with flap and I am so pleased as to my eyes it still looks better to be a 'real' welt pocket.

Next challenge - bound button-hole! I have a button chosen from my button box but as I am heading to the big smoke (Brisbane) on the week-end I will have another look for a suitable button. Then I will make the button-hole when I am certain which button I am using.

Just for your info, we are using the book 'Jackets for Real People' and it has all the the details of how to make these pockets - a real winner!