Stretch Denim Jacket

I wear a lot of tunics and never seem to have the right coat or jacket to wear with them.  I previously made a version of Katherine Tilton's B5891 (you can see it on my Coats and Jackets page) and liked it very much.  But it is too short to wear most of the time.

So, I lengthened it by 4 inches and gave it another go.

It looks a bit denim colored in this photo but it's a wonderful black with white threads running through it.  It has just enough stretch, totally bulletproof.

Sorry this photo might be a bit dark.  It's a hanging pocket I learned in a recent class with Sham's.  I love the shape.

This is such an easy  jacket to make.  I encourage you to give it a try.  The collar and shaping are so flattering, too.

Polartec Lined Raincoat

Until about a week ago it's been unusually cold on the central coast of California.  I kept going into my (very stuffed) coat closet to find something warm enough to wear.  There was not one piece I felt like putting on.  All of my choices were lightweight for our usually mild winters.

Last week I finally got time to begin my new winter coat.  Problem was, we were having a heat wave!
And my little studio isn't insulated so the indoor thermometer read 80 degrees!

But I forged on, sweating all the way.

My fitting guru, Jenny, helped me shorten Marcy Tilton's V8934.  I used a Seattle Fabrics DWR Supplex 100% nylon in a grey/black.   I lined it with a very thin Polartec in black.

It doesn't look like much in the photo but I'm going to get a lot of wear out of this coat.  This fabric will travel well.

I vacillated on which front band closure I would use.  View A showed buttons and view B was a fly front with hidden buttons.  I went with View A.  I worried about making buttonholes on that rainwear...in fact, all night one night...stupid, right?

So I went with the idea on the pattern, using little patches of fabric to highlight the buttons.  I used a stretch black and white denim.  Worked great.  It gave a little detail that the coat needed.

I waited on which fabric to use for the collar lining.  I figured I wouldn't want the Supplex against my neck but wasn't sure how the black would look on the inside of the collar.

When I got to that point I auditioned both fabrics and the black looked fine.  So glad.  Feels wonderful.

There's not much to the back of this garment but I had the photo so why not show it?  Those two little white spots are just the sun peaking in from the window, not a design element!

I like this pattern very much.  I'll make it again.  The coat took longer to make than I had figured.  About 20 hours total.  But I'm a slow sewer and I took my time since I hadn't lined a garment in 38 years!  Most of my clothes are knits.

I don't usually count the hours I have into a garment...not the point, right?  But I was curious about this one and so I counted.  20 hours well spent listening to Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch.  They both took around the same amount of time!