Final June Sewing

Sorry - no make up.

A hat. Yes, a hat. It looks quite silly on me but works for my daily walks. And I like that it's washable.

This is the Sorrento Bucket Hat. I admired it on fadanista for quite a while and finally purchased it.

It's a PDF download and almost free. I printed it right away. Then I let it sit around in my sewing room for a month or so. Yesterday, I finally traced the pattern pieces and made one.

There are 3 sizes contained in the pattern. I chose the middle size and love the fit.

It was so satisfying to make. Everything fits perfectly together like a quality puzzle. I did a lot more stay-stitching than the instructions indicated. There are two critical seams where the pieces need to be clipped and spread. I'm much more secure with lots of stay-stitching for any seam that requires slash and spread.

The fabric is kind of funny I think. I bought it from Louise Cutting at a Sewing Expo. I'm not sure what possessed me. It is travel themed with writing and pictures of old-fashioned satchels (grips, as my great uncle used to call them). The writing said *Go away.* Seriously.

Cut up and assembled as a hat, I like the fabric just fine. The pattern recommends sturdy fabric like denim. This is a cotton canvas and just right for a hat, I think.

The hat can be reversible but I put a label inside mine and used the same fabric for both the main fabric and the lining.

And now I see so many possibilities.

More June Sewing: the Nikko Jacket

If you're a Sewing Workshop groupie like I am, you may recognize this vintage pattern. It is called the Nikko jacket.

About 8 years ago, I made a muslin for it and decided not to make it. I guess that's one of the few times I've made a muslin and really used it to make a decision.

But I kept the pattern and found myself returning to it from time to time.

A while back, BSF found and purchased for me black cashmere from Gail K. I kept it for a while. It's gorgeous but I could not decide on the best pattern for it. And I have to be in a very patient mood to sew with such a deep dark black. It's like a black hole. Everything disappears into it.

I'm glad I decided on the Nikko jacket. Even though the temperatures have been topping up in the 90's (and it's humid), I know I'm going to love wearing this come winter.

The fabric was wonderful for this pattern, though, of course, I did not have enough. As usual, that was a good thing. I created a separate lapel and made that with black silk dupioni. I also used the silk for the back neck piece and all facings.

This fabric is so yummy and does not fray at all. I used this feature to make some of the seams overlapping and I did not hem the sleeves, instead just cutting the hem off carefully.

I could have left the body hem raw edged too, but I love the mitered corners on the side slits.

I have not yet added the patch pocket, but I may.

I had to fiddle a bit to get the welt pocket to be acceptable. Initially I tried it with the silk dupioni but it was too wimpy. The welt collapsed in an unattractive way. So I pains-takingly unstitched it and made it in the cashmere.

It is unlike any welt pocket I've ever made. In order to properly control it, I sewed much of it by hand. I'm rather fond of those little pick stitches that show.

I inserted the pocket backwards. Shhh. Don't tell anyone.

June Sewing: the Archer Popover

Here it is the last day of June and I realize that I have not blogged in over a month. I'm not sure why. I've definitely had some enjoyable time sewing on various projects.

Inspired by Grainline's Archer Sewalong, I decided to make another Archer, this one as a *popover.* I did not actually follow along with her but I did enjoy sewing it.

The *popover* version is a purchased add-on that changed the front from a classic buttoned shirt front to a placket that only extends about 3/4 of the way down the front. So it slips over my head.

I found it to be completely satisfactory to make with one issue. Without the buttons all the way down the front, I found that my belly needed more space. Embarrassed to admit it, but I had already cut it out when I realized this might be an issue. Darned belly.

I finished it as planned and decided to work on the need for extra girth later. After all, I could not uncut it.

It was such fun to make 3 (!) plackets - one on each sleeve and the third down the front. I do enjoy making plackets when I'm able to pay attention and relax. I was so pleased that each was completed without any trouble at all.

I mostly ignored Grainline's instructions for plackets, but did use the pattern pieces included in the popover add-on. I find the placket instructions Louise Cutting wrote for her Blouse Perfected to be irresistible. If I am careful, they are fail-proof.

As I learned from previous makes of the Archer, I needed to shorten the sleeves about 2 inches. This still surprises me as my arms are proportionally long. But I do notice that the owner of Grainline wears her shirts with the cuffs extending well past her wrist bone where I prefer a cuff. She looks casual and I look sloppy with that look.

I also omitted the collar as I prefer a collar band, especially if there's a chance of wearing this during the warm summer months.

The fabric is a beautiful painterly light weight linen I purchased from Elfriede's in Colorado some years ago. A friend visited Elfriede's and brought her purchases to show at our neighborhood group meeting. Well, I just had to have that linen, and was delighted to realize I could order it online. I really like it made up as a classic shirt.

I finished and tried it on. My eyes went directly to the pulling at the belly. I thought, well, that's OK and hung it up in the closet. The longer it stayed in the closet, the more I knew I'd have to fix that. The fix was pretty easy in the end.

I unstitched both side seams, and inserted a long triangular bias panel of matching fabric. I really don't think it's visible and I know I'll enjoy wearing it now.