One Easy Piece

Vogue 8546 - neckline

Easy but not fast.

This is an easy jacket made from out-of-print Vogue 8546. I was inspired to make it when a friend at City Wide Couture showed her version of this jacket during show and tell. 

In a serendipitous moment, I unearthed the pattern from my stash. Serendipitous and a little amazing given the state of my pattern storage.

Color pretty close

The pattern is one of those five easy pieces patterns from Vogue: jacket, a top, a dress, pants and a skirt. The jacket has two-piece raglan sleeves and a cut-on hood (part of the front). There are also in-seam pockets. So simple.

The pockets are in-seam but are a single layer, top-stitched on the wrong side of the fronts. I toyed with the idea of making them of lining fabric, two-layer and loose, but finally followed the instructions. 

The fabric is a light weight wool, from Waechter's in Asheville NC. Color is called tobacco. It was a dream to sew - stable, yet with good drape.

not true color

Because I wanted a single layer jacket, I finished the seams. First I sewed a standard 5/8 inch seam. Then I pressed the seams open. Lastly, I hand-stitched the edges of the seams under about 1/4 inch.

Love a hoodie

I did the same with the pockets which I do not totally love. This technique on a light weight fabric calls attention to the seams. I like that on most of the seams. The jacket has such simple lines that it needs a little something. 

So I added sashiko in a gold silk thread. Hmmm. Still needed something, so I wrapped the gold thread with black pearl cotton thread. 

The hem of the jacket and the sleeve hems are finished with a bias strip from a striped silk - a favorite technique of mine. Stripes are such fun.

This jacket will be worn a lot. It will be a great layer, I think.

In your stash too?

Rainy Day Sewing

Next time I'll do this during the debate. It's best not to watch. That way I cannot clench my fists.

Too bad I can still grind my teeth and bite my lip.

Yet with such a lovely piece of wool, all is zen. It is a rich medium brown with a pretty texture. Waechter's in Ashevill NC calls the color tobacco.

I'm making a single layer coat from an OOP Vogue pattern - Vogue 8546 - one from the five easy pieces line. A 3/4 length jacket - raglan sleeves, hood, in seam pockets. Easy seams to hand  finish.

Hand sewing is a favorite activity when I travel and have a little down time. Tho I brought my featherweight, it's nice to have needle, thread and good fabric in my hands. Portable, soothing, contemplative.

Growing a 6PAC

Vogue 8546, brown pin-striped linen

5PAC: Vogue 8839 jacket in ponte knits, TSW Ann's Tank, TSW eDress, both in ponte knit, TSW mimosa pants and shell in cotton/lycra solid brown

6PAC: V8561 skirt in brown striped linen, TSW eDress, V8546 jacket in linen, TSW mimosa pants and shell in cotton/lycra solid Brown, Christine Jonson shell

In a previous post, I indicated that an evolving approach to the 6PAC would be best for me. It has grown two branches, each starting with TSW mimosa fitted pants and a matching shell in a solid brown cotton/lycra canvas fabric. The shell is a much modified version of Cynthia Guffey's simple princess lined dress.

After making the initial brown column, I made the Marcy Tilton jacket (V8839) in ponte knits. Then I was stuck. So I returned to the column and make a brown striped skirt from another Marcy Tilton pattern - 8561. So then I had two 3PACS and and I was stuck.

Finally I grew the gray and brown PAC to 5 pieces:

• fitted brown pants
• fitted brown shell
• jacket in brown and gray ponte knits
• eDress, also in brown and gray ponte knits
• gray ponte knit shell

And the gray and white PAC grew to 6 pieces:

• fitted brown pants
• fitted brown shell
• brown and white striped skirt
• brown and white jacket
• eDress in coordinating poly knit
• shell in same coordinating poly knit

The final test is this - what just hangs in the closet and what is worn? I have a hunch it will be mostly the set with linen. I just love linen.

Santa Fe Weaving Gallery - Margot Selby

Oh.My.Goodness - such wonderful textiles.

If you are unfamiliar with Santa Fe Weaving Gallery, you may want to sign up for their newsletter. They have divine art-to-wear. Elegant. Wearable.

Right now they have pieces from Margot Selby. I was not familiar with her but I am totally in love with her colors, her shapes, her textures.

Maybe someday, if I am very good, I will get to see these pieces in person, or some of her future pieces.

In the meantime, this is such an inspiration for creative clothing sewers like me.

Fiber Play

Leaving Lubbock, 11x14 (about)

Swatches of unknown fiber - plastic? poly?

A very small challenge from a small group - trying to use some swatches from the home dec store...Added some other fibers - Brussels washer linen-rayon, cotton batik, Thai silk, heavy variegated threads.

Still learning

After a half century of sewing it still happens. Often when I least expect it.

Take vogue 8793 for example. This slightly funky T is almost universally loved on PR. And with good reason:

• Nice fit
• Clever double collar
• Artful opportunities
• Simple clear instructions

Still I found it to be one of those learning opportunities. So what did I learn?

Choose compatible knits - compatible in weight but also value. My collar pieces are too heavy for the body. Even the color values are wrong I think.

I will make it again. It's cute. I like it.

Hot pink zipper detail

PJ's?

6PAC in progress

Artisan's Square has a challenge thread titled 6PAC - six piece autumn collection. Normally I sew whatever makes my heart sing at the moment, so I end up with a lot of this and that in my closet. I decided to try a little discipline.

The first part was the brown (yawn) column posted here. Then I moved on to something fun - Marcy Tilton's knit jacket posted here. Love, love, love that little jacket.

Then I was stumped. What next? Problem solved - I went back to Gail K and bought more of the ponte knits that I used in the jacket. Hooray for retail solutions!

From those ponte knits, I made another eDress and Ann's tank top, also from The Sewing Workshop (TSW). Wow - knits are so fast!

For this eDress, I shortened at the shorten/lengthen line about 5 inches to create what I think is a more flattering length for me. My first eDress is a maxi dress.

I used Louise Cutting's rule of thirds - measure the distance from the crease in the knee to the floor in bare feet. Best lengths are one-third up and two-thirds up. This eDress is 12 inches off the floor on me.

The tank top in TSW's Ann's Cardigan and Tank pattern was almost too easy. I followed their instructions completely, leaving all the edges raw and simply top stitching 3/8 inch from the edge. I did raise the neckline in the front a bit and I'm glad I did.

So the 6PAC is currently a 5PAC:

• Brown cotton-Lycra mimosa pants.
• Brown cotton-Lycra top from sheath pattern.
• Solid gray and solid brown ponte knit Marcy Tilton jacket
• Solid gray and solid brown ponte knit eDress
• Solid gray Ann's tank top

'Course I am not proceeding quite so smoothly as this might indicate. I also went off in another direction, making that classic Marcy Tilton skirt, the one with all the bias bits (future post) from a yummy brown and white linen pin-stripe. 

But it doesn't go with the ponte jacket, so I'll need to make a matching Louise Cutting jeans jacket to accompany it. Eeewwww - maybe too matchy-matchy.

I'm realizing that a 6PAC or any of the sewing-with-a-plan variations require balancing statement pieces with the basics, as well as avoiding boredom and matchy-matchy. And there is a test at the end - how much will I wear these pieces? 

Another learning experience inspired by fellow sewers.