Sunday, November 27, 2016

Holiday Weekend Sewing


I've had this entire weekend without a single plan except a wonderful raucous Thanksgiving dinner with 17 friends.  So what does that mean?  Time to sew-sew-sew...and listen to a book.  Plus, it's raining here on the Central Coast of California, finally, and it feels so good to sit inside and listen to the rain.

I finished Marcy Tilton's Vogue 9230 which I'd started a few weeks ago.  I loved making this jacket.

It's not easy.  And I wonder where Vogue lists the difficulty level now?  Is it the colored symbol?  I couldn't find it on the package.  That doesn't mean it's not there...I know someone will tell me.  I can't find it on their website either.  I think this must be average or maybe somewhat advanced?  It's tricky but fun.

I used a unique fabric that has metal woven into it so it has a strong opinion about where it wants to wrinkle, twist and turn.  It's easy to sew with but feels sort of like wearing armor!  It has every chance of being rain resistant but I don't think it really is, darn it.

The tricky part of the pattern is where the bottom pieces fit onto the top of the jacket.  It's do-able though, and is very unique.  I could see this being flattering on all kinds of figures.

Because of the sticky-outie nature of this fabric the bottom back pieces needed to have the pleats sewn down.  It worked fine and you may want to do that with the fabric you choose since there is quite a bit of volume in the bottom.

I love the collar, plenty of drama here.  I auditioned button after button but maybe I just have button fatigue or something, none of them seemed to work.

I've been wanting to use this snap tape for years now and it worked well on this fabric and shape.  
When I told my husband I'm going to get a lot of wear out of this garment he laughed.  What the...???  I couldn't figure that one out....but yeah, I will wear this often.  It's comfy and stylish, my kinda combo!

OK, here goes with this one.  Yes, this is a Diane Ericson Faultlines Vest, and yes, it's made out of men's slacks.  While I was at DOL last month one of the attendees brought in a big bag of fabrics to give away.  I swooped in and got several wonderful pieces, thank you Lucy!  Her husband's worn out khaki slacks were among them.  
I've had them on the dress form in every angle you could think of.  I knew I wanted them to be upside down.  Finally, the Faultlines pattern came to mind and it worked.  The layout was tricky.  I got almost all of it cut out in the fabric but had to use another fabric for two of the lining pieces.

Boy, men's wear is made so that it will survive any disaster you throw at it.  Just "unmaking" these pants took hours.  

I wanted the vest to be as lightweight as possible so I took out all of the pocket linings.  I also ripped out the clothing designer's symbol and put a bronze stud in it's place.  You can see it just below the upside down pocket.

I think the fly is hysterical.  It will be interesting to wear this and see what people say.  Will they notice?  Will they say something or just walk away...??


You get a glimpse of what's going on in the back here but...


Here's the close up.  There was the hole just below his back pocket.  That's probably why he threw them out.  I didn't feel compelled to cover it.

I just couldn't think of anything that would look right so I left it.  Finally decided to use more studs to bring even more attention to it.

I'll give this puppy it's day out soon and then decide if I really want to wear it.  The process alone was fun though!

I hope your holiday weekend was full of the things that make you the happiest, whatever that might be.