New Year - New Pattern!

Although I am a slug when it comes to New Year's resolutions, I do think about them. And I do have a little plan - not too strenuous and I'm happy to forget about it. Just a thought, really.

I've been working my way through my fabric stash for a while. Because I keep most of the remnants, the stash never seems to diminish, but that's ok. For a slight twist on that theme, I'm hoping to use my fabric stash to try out new patterns - patterns that I already own.

First up is Vogue 1970, a Marcy Tilton design. There are two views - one with sleeves, one sleeveless. The two views have different collars as well. I started out with this lovely soft pinwhale emerald green corduroy from Five Eight Seams in Charleston, SC. After some careful measuring and pin-fitting of the traced tissue, I made the jacket in a size 12 with no modification.

Unlike heavier corduroys, this piece was delightful to cut and sew. It left behind very little fuzz in the room, though I did need to dust out my sewing machine and serger after finishing. Even pressing was easy - I just pressed from the wrong side, with no bad effects. And I had big fun hand-stitching a little running stitch to highlight some of the design lines.

The sleeves are 3/4 length. I like that. I do wish I had thought through the cuff and rotated it so that the vent would be on the back of my arm, rather than at the underarm seam. I'm sure it's easier to draft with the vent right at the underarm seam, but it's not as pretty, IMO. Next time...

The collar stands away from my neck quite a bit. I'm not quite sure I like that. The sleeveless (vest) version is designed with the intention of layering the (outer) jacket over the (inner) vest. But the necklines are identical. That is, the same front and back pattern pieces are used for both views. They just have different collars.

These wonderful buttons came from the fabulous Common Threads shop in Taos New Mexico.

The lines of the body of the jacket and vest are lovely, I think. The horizontal line on the front, as well as the back, is really just a design detail. It would be easy to overlap them and cut without the horizontal lines. But I do like that detail on the front and the back. 

The side front and side back panels do provide seams for fit, but also add to the design of it. They include a tuck that also adds to the overall look of the jacket. 

This is a favorite piece. Already I have to think about how often I wear it so I don't go overboard. On these cold days we're having, it's great to add a t-shirt underneath or wear it as a stand-alone topper. It is just soooo comfortable.

I note on Marcy Tilton's website that she calls this the Symetrical Jacket. Evidently in early design stages, it was markedly assymetrical. Input from her testers removed some the detail. The result is an easy make and a lovely result.

Next up - the vest version.