Thursday, February 29, 2024

Remnant Fabrics to Coat: Part 2 Finished Look Burda 6845 coat

What is it about making coats that is so satisfying? I think they are my favorite item to make but I'm starting to think I'm getting to coat maximum - or at least my closet is saying so.  But if they are all as nice as this one I will keep doing it.  This blog post is a look at the finished coat, for lots of fitting and construction details see my previous post here.

Remnant coat on bridge
I still can't get over how nicely the colors of these various remnant fabrics go together. In my previous post I have links to the blog posts of the previous projects that resulted in these remnants. 
Photographing this coat has made me crazy, the colors looks different in every image and various times of day, sunny or cloudy etc. These photos in the park on what was an almost rainy day are the most accurate of how it looks in person. 
I lightened the shadows on this one to make the collar more visible. I used Burda 6845 which is an envelope pattern with princess seams and option of the horizontal seam which I used. If I was being really picky I think the lapels are a tiny bit on the narrow side but that's just my style preference. 
remnant coat 2

I wrote about fitting and construction details in the previous post so I don't have much more to say about that. But if I can give some outerwear sewing tips they are 1. plenty of interfacing 2. grade the seams and 3. press (with care).  Also I really like this photo which shows how it is the stitching lines that match on a sleeve, not the edges.  Confession time - I almost never do any gathering of the sleeve cap or press it to shape before I sew the sleeves in. Which is contrary to sewing wisdom but my method seems to work for me!
  
Inside sleeve


Coat on fomr
It took some time and concentration to get that horizontal color block seam to line up precisely when buttoned and I am very satisfied with the result. FYI,  3 buttons, probably sewn on a total of 8 times, on/off, move a tiny fraction of an inch, sew again, etc. The seams all line up as well which also entailed some unpicking and restitching with some tiny adjustments. But that is the point of this coat so it was worth the time. 

coat sleeve and pocket

For the lining I used navy blue bemberg rayon throughout.  I have done a coat with a color block lining to match the outside but as this coat was remnants I thought it was a bit silly to buy more lining fabric when I already had this navy blue. 
remnant coat lining


IMG_1031

So that's about it for my latest coat project, a very satisfying one on many levels. We are in the midst of a big rainstorm but I think spring is right around the corner and I have a couple of new t-shirt patterns that I might try out next.

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Happy almost Spring Sewing,
Beth

Today's garden photo, a camellia that needs a good trim once all the flowers are gone. But I can't do it now while all these beautiful flowers are on it. And the bees are in heaven. 

Camelia 2024 Feb

Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Remnant Fabrics to coat, Part 1: fitting and details

Looking back I see that I haven't made a new coat for myself since April of 2021 so I feel a tiny bit justified in starting a new one. With the caveat that it is not often coat weather here and when cold it is likely rainy too so I will probably be wearing a rain jacket. But I was reorganizing my fabrics and realized that I had some sizable remnant pieces from other projects that gave me an idea to combine them in one coat. I am so glad I did as I just love how this turned out and thought it was time for a detailed blog post with some fitting details.

outer shell finished

Here's a look at the coat in progress (with a very good view of my rolling worktable behind it).  I had the navy blue fabric leftover from this project, the burgundy wool is from this project, and the tweed sleeves are from a blazer that I made myself last year, although I didn't put it on the blog. But the fabric is the same as this one I made for Heather. I liked the fabric so much I bought some at Britex for myself. 
Something about the 3 fabric color ways goes together well and if I were an artist I might understand why, but I just knew they complemented each other. 
Here's the pattern that I used, and envelope pattern Burda 6845 which  has lots of versions online and is a really nice pattern. And it had the two-fabric version already in the pattern. 
IMG_0690IMG_0691

Let's talk about fitting.  This pattern has plenty of seams which I like as it makes adjusting for multi-size a bit easier. I made a muslin in size 38 graded to 42 in the hip and then evaluated that for adjustments. 
One of the reasons I like using Burda patterns is that the neck/shoulders/armhole etc of the size 38 is just right for me and I only need to adjust a bit in the circumferences.

I give a lot of credit to new sewers because if I was starting out and tried on some muslin test garment I might say nope as the test version is always so hideous and you really have to use your imagination to know the final product will be nice. I skip the sleeves (which I do not advise but I know they will fit me already) but I do put in the shoulder pads since that affects the drape and bust location. 
To resolve those drag lines indicated by the blue arrow I split the front horizontally and added more length and width at the princess seam bust area. 

drag lines coat

Here's another look at this adjustment. Actually not the adjustment but cutting across the muslin to create space. I pin fabric in the gap created and then check again. The major change was to add more length across the front princess seam, also to add some width at the back hip.  Keep reading to see the changes on the actual paper pattern pieces. 

fitting on form coat copy

Explanations in paragraph below. 

coat mods pattern copy

Here are the upper pattern pieces for this coat. I added length and a bit of horizontal distance in the front princess seam, using a wedge that tapered to nothing at the armhole. Then I added the similar amount of length to the center front piece. I remade the muslin test version and decided that the front princess seam edge was a bit too long so I pinched out a small wedge noted with the purple arrow. This just removes some length along that area and made it sew to the other edge better. Then I added to the center back princess seam down to the bottom, particularly around the hip area. However when I sewed it up it in the wool was a bit to big and shapeless at the back waist but it was easier to take in that seam in the final garment. Lastly I shortened all the upper pieces shown in the yellow sections above. I think I shortened about 1.5 inches. The seam needs to be below the waist but not too low so think I raised up that seam by the similar amount that I lengthened the front. 

I spoke about a lot of the sewing details on Instagram and have saved the series in an Instagram Highlight called "Remnant Coat" so you can see a lot of the sewing and construction details there. my Instagram is:   beth_sunnygal
This coat has a particular sewing order and the dart under the lapel is incorporated into attaching the collar. Which for some reason I don't like and since I rarely read the instructions I almost missed it. Although it probably would have turned out just fine sewing dart and the attaching collar. But their method is smoother in the sewing so I'm glad I took a quick look at the instructions. 

Collar and dart instruction

collar seam instruc

When it comes to working with coating fabrics I think the trimming and grading seams is the key to a good finish. If there is any spot with more than 2 layers of cloth and it can be trimmed, I trim it. Even tiny corner squares like this one. 

trimming upclose


Interfacing inside coat
Inside before trimming and pressing. I think when you have some seams intersecting in two different wools like this then adding interfacing gives them a bit of structure and helps them to match together well and press similarly. Originally I didn't have any interfacing on either the blue or the burgundy around the horizontal seam but it just looked limp, particularly as compared to the front portion which had interfacing on the entire pieces. I had only machine basted it together just to double check fit so it was easy to detach some seams and add interfacing. Below shows the front with the silk thread tracing in preparation for the bound buttonholes, see how nicely that seam presses where the two colors meet. That was the result I wanted all around the coat so it was worth the extra time to go back and add the interfacing. I use Pro-Weft Supreme Light from Fashion Sewing Supply for almost all coat or jacket projects. 

thread mark for buttonholes

Coat starting to come together at this point and decided to use these buttons which I bought in NY in October at Pacific Trimming. I always make some test buttonholes and play around with size, plus see how the fabric behaves. Note that I sew two layers of interfaced fabrics so that simulates the actual coat front including the seam edge so I can really see how the real buttonholes will turn out. 

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Remnant coat on a sunny day

So that's some detail on the fitting and construction for this coat. And a look at the meyer lemon tree outside my sewing room window. Next up I will post the finished coat. Then it's on to a new project - whatever that might be!  I just was given some really cute vintage patterns from the 60's so I might get started on a summer dress. 

I'm teaching a combo "Learn to use patterns / simple pattern fitting" class this upcoming weekend via HelloStitchStudio but I think it is sold out.  April 27-28 I'm teaching a shirt class using the Kalle Shirt pattern from Closet Core which we just listed so there are spots open. (Location is Bay Quilts in Richmond CA, they have a really nice classroom space).

Of course there is plenty to do outside now with all kinds of weeks popping up and plants needing attention. Plus I just ordered some new plants this morning  - they're like fabric, hard to resist!

Happy almost Spring Sewing,
Beth

Today's garden photo, taken yesterday between the downpours. A cheerful daffodil is so welcome this time of year. 


Daffodils 2024 Feb

Thursday, January 25, 2024

Upcycle Cashmere Sweater

This January I am in a mood to upcycle or at least repurpose a lot of the fabric and garments that I have held onto but not used. I've had an idea to use old cashmere sweaters as fabric and recombine them into new items. Over the the last few years I've put a few of my old sweaters in this category as well as some new to me ones found at thrift shops. However for my first project of this type I actually purchased something and remade it - also using remnants from the stash. 

sweater collar

I was in my local Savers thrift store before Christmas, looking for puzzles and happened to walk by the rack of men's sweater where this blue beauty was hanging on the very end of the rack. That color! how could I resist. So I bought it for $9 and figured I could use it for something. Also being a men's size L it was quite roomy and great for cutting out me-sized pattern pieces.

blue sweater original

The sleeves, sides, shoulder seams and neckband were stitched on so I unpicked all that and was left with a good amount of sweater to work with.  I decided to make it a polo neck sweater and use a Burda pattern which I have successfully used on a summer stripe cotton t-shirt. Burda Feb 2023 # 108.  You can see the pattern and original shirt in that linked blog post. 

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I wasn't quite sure what I was going to use for the collar, at first I thought about a contrasting color harvested from another sweater but rummaging around in my stash I found a small piece of silk charmeuse and the color match was incredible, so it had to be that. 

test sleeve1

I put both lightweight fusible interfacing as well as some silk organza in the collar and collar stand to give them structure. Otherwise I just sewed it as I would with any knit fabric. The sweater held together well when cut so it was easy to sew. 

Blue sweater2


blue sweater back

The sleeve were a bit tricky and I decide to just sew them back on as it, with some minor adjustment at the seam allowance of the armhole. So they are a bit long perhaps but I generally turn back the cuff on all sweaters so they are fine. 

test sleeve2

I hand basted them on first just to make sure they fit the armhole.  All in all I am really satisfied with my first cashmere sweater remake and there will definitely be more in my future. I've collected a few sweaters in plum, lavender, and purple shades so perhaps some kind of color-block combo.

blue sweater front



blue sweater4

Worn with my favorite pair of Ash jeans. That pattern certainly has provided value as I think I have made 10 pairs at least and another corduroy pair is on the to-do list. 

I'm really happy with my slouchy, soft and very blue sweater remake. If you have been following me on Instagram you will know that I am doing another project that is in the reuse-recycle category. I'm making a coat only using remnants of wool from other projects. It started out just a personal challenge but is turning out to be one of my favorites and I will do a blog post soon on that. 

This weekend I'm teaching an in-person 2-day Chore Jacket class for Hello Stitch Studio. After that we are working on what to offer in the spring, any suggestions?

Happy January Sewing,
Beth

As you can see in the image above, the garden is pretty blah this time of year and involves a lot of weeding and raking of the never ending leaves. So here is an image of a summer dahlia to remind me of what's to come. Also I moved all my dahlia tubers to a planter box and I hope to have a nice concentration of blooms there in the summer.

red dahlia 2023

Monday, January 1, 2024

Tatjana Trousers in green wool

Happy New Year!  At the end of 2023 I ended up with 2 different pieces of green wool due to a mixup and the wool crepe has become a dress for Heather (will blog soon). So I had a piece of another green wool that had a nice drape and seemed perfect for some pleated trousers. Which it was!

It's not the first time I have used this pattern and I will probably use it again in the spring as I want some black or blue lightweight shorts. Also I'm teaching an online class starting on Tues. Jan 16 so I thought I would brush up on my trouser making. 

Tatjana trousers front view

The weather was really gloomy last week and so I decided to take some indoor shots, and also to crop my top half which still looked like I had just got out of bed :).  

I did do a few adjustments on this pattern and also I didn't really follow the instructions.
  • Cut size 44 
  • Used the back pattern piece I had previously adjusted, details on this blog post. 
  • Raised the waist height 1"
  • Cut 4 separate waistband pieces and sewed them on the separately so I could adjust center back and side seams all the way up
  • adjusted the front pleats, made the near center pleat less wide and also straightened the angle of the pleat
  • raised the bottom point of the zipper up 1"
Here's a look at the front after I had put in the zipper and pockets. I always use a too long zipper and then just cut it down after attaching the waistband. I also pinned the pleats and decided on the final amount of pleat once I was attaching the waistband. 

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Back view of the trousers.

Tatjana trousers back view

On the hanger, you can see that the back rise has extra length due to the adjustment I linked to above. Also the seam at the side of the waistband.

Tatjana trousers side view

On Instagram I asked what color top would go with these pants and got some good responses. So if I find a nice plaid shirting I will try that, I don't think I have any plaid shirts in my wardrobe now. 

As I mentioned above, I do have an online class coming up in a couple of weeks. Here's a link to register for this class:  Trouser Techniques Class online with Hello Stitch.

Trouser class

I have some in-person classes coming up as well. Hello Stitch Studio has the option to hold some 2-day classes in the bay area so I am teaching a Chore Jacket 
class in late January. Sat 1/27 and Sun. 1/28. I'm really excited to do a 2-day class which will give people opportunity to get near the finish line on their jackets. 
Here is the link to register and see all the details: Chore Jacket Class.

Chore jacket image

One more in-person class on January 12 is a Simple Top class which I will be teaching in Lafayette. This is a great class for people who are new to making garments as I provide the pattern and also samples to try on to help choose your size.  Here's the link to register:   Cotton Patch Simple Top Class Jan 

CP class Jan

So that's the latest on classes. I was all set to sew myself a two-color wool coat, and I had prepared the pattern, made a muslin etc. The beauty of this idea is that it uses some pieces of coat weight wool remaining from other projects. However I don't think we are going to have any coat weather here in N. California this year. It usually is coldest in late Nov and Dec and it was barely coat weather then. So not sure if I will do it. But I might. Although I was sorting through my fabric stash the other day and came across some summer fabrics I never got around to sewing this year. Maybe I should get a jump on spring instead?  Stay tuned. 

Happy New Year sewing,
Beth

Today's garden photo: I am just about to give my roses their big pruning in the next week so here's a picture from last summer. No idea of the variety, it didn't do much the first couple of years but now reliably puts out these bright coral blooms. 

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Monday, November 13, 2023

Summer blazer in Bright Blue: Burda 07/2023 # 122

 Let's see if I remember how to do this blogging thing! Slight joke there but I have certainly been slow in my posting this year. A lot of other stuff going on and actually less sewing than usual. However I have been teaching a lot of classes and private students which has been great. Plus a trip to NY and teaching 2 classes over that weekend at Urban Sewciety in Westfield NJ. It was a great trip and of course I did some shopping so I will write about that soon plus my fall sewing plans.

Meanwhile I did make one more blazer to add to my needless collection of too many blazers. But when I saw this pattern in the Burda magazine I just really wanted to try it as the pocket detail is interesting and different. 

Blazerblue4

Also I had bought this stretch cotton fabric at Stone Mountain because that blue works with my wardrobe and becomes a jacket that you can wear with jeans (instead of a double denim look). It might even be this fabric that they still have but I'm not certain. I really like the result although I had planned to make a different style - more of a longer unlined jacket with patch pockets. Well maybe next spring in a different fabric. 

Here's a better look on the dress form. I think this fabric is just a tiny bit too stiff for this style (despite washing/drying) although it might soften up with wearing.

Blue cotton blazer1

I don't think I took any photos while I was sewing. But I did post a few videos on my IG stories back in September and I took this still image from a video. It shows how the pocket works with the top pattern piece of the jacket extending into the pocket and then it is seamed across to create the edge of the pocket. I love pockets that are designed into seams. Just this morning I downloaded a Patrones pattern for a coat which has the most amazing seaming/pockets. No idea if I will get to it this year but I wanted to see the pattern pieces. 

Burda pocket

Closer look at the pockets.

blue cotton pocket

Here's a look at the line drawing and image from the Burda Magazine. July 2023 Pattern 122. I think I will consider this pattern again if I have a softer jacket fabric sometime, like a wool flannel. 

Blazer 072023

Here it is buttoned up, which is actually something I rarely do.  Wearing my favorite Ash jeans. I made those about 4 years ago? and they have been in constant rotation since. I should do a post on the items that I've made that I wear most frequently, it might be interesting to evaluate what ends up being the most useful items. 

Blazer blue1

Slightly wild print lining. I'm not a fan of the novelty lining and most always prefer a solid color that matches or coordinates. But one not so important casualty of the pandemic is the difficulty in finding nice bemberg rayon lining. In fact they used to have about 4 basic colors at Joanns and I regret not stocking up like crazy but I haven't seen it there is a couple of years. Even at Britex they told me they had to find a new source. So I've been ordering from Mood, their Lucidum Bemberg Lining  which is 60" wide and comes in just about any color. But my stash of lining which used to be well stocked is diminshed now and I will be on the lookout for bargains. This print lining I did order from Mood and it adds a nice pop when the sleeves are rolled up. 

Blue cotton blazer3


Blue cotton back

Back view, you can tell it's a slightly stiff cotton and even with pressing there are a few wrinkles but it probably looks better when worn and lived in. 

Blazerblue3

So that's some end of summer sewing accomplished, I have some other interesting things to blog including a top I copied from RTW and made for my friend Heather which I think you will find very interesting. 

No classes scheduled for the rest of this year - with the holidays I think people are busy with other things. I'm just finishing my online blazer class and in January I will do an online trouser class. And a few in person classes yet to be determined. 

Sewing plans - they change daily although I have a lot of test versions of things in process now so maybe a color blocked coat for me and some new items for Heather. 

Happy November Sewing,
Beth

Here's today's garden photo, they are just finished blooming but these aster plants are real winners and look so pretty at the end of summer when everything else is running out of energy to bloom. Time to divide them soon and make more plants!

Asters 2023