Simplicity 2810 (jacket) & February Wrap Up

I first attempted this pattern in 2017 and was pretty stoked at my first woven welt pocket application.

 

Unfortunately, the jacket got sent to Area 51 on indefinite time out because of the collar/facing situation. There was so much bulk and twisty foolishness that I could not get this area to work or look anything close to right. Rather than tossing it, I kept it with the hope of returning to it later and trying again.

 

Well, later is here. 😁 I still have some work to do, but it's almost done. I need to hem the bottom/sleeves, hand-stitch the lining to the hem, add buttonholes/buttons.

 

  

Fabric & Notions:

• 2 yards of wool tweed
• 90/14 needle for shell; 70/10 microtex needle for lining
• fusible weft interfacing (collars, facing, all hems)
  
• scrap cotton for back stay
• 11" x 3" bias-cut fleece for sleeve heads
• cotton basting thread to temporarily secure the welt pockets
  
• dye-able buttons from the 1960s 😮 (my favorite part of this jacket!)
  

 

Size:  I cut size 16 in 2017; the first version is a tad small. I used the same pattern pieces, but sewed with smaller seam allowances. I tried it on throughout construction and the jacket is still a bit small. Ah well.

 

Construction:  I sewed almost all of the jacket on my Juki semi-industrial straight stitch machine. Let me tell you:  I never knew I wanted a straight-stitch machine until I had one! I am considering buying a full industrial machine because domestic machines just don't have the same piercing power. I'll still keep my other machine for specialty stitches (zigzag, blind, buttonholes, etc.), but I foresee Juki getting all the attention.

Back to the jacket...

I'll blind hem the jacket on my Babylock and sew the other hems by hand. All jacket edges were finished on the serger. Lining seams were stitched on the sewing machine and finished together on the serger as well.

Light Tailoring:  With all jackets and coats, I usually add a back stay for structure and fuse 2" strips of interfacing to the hems. Instead of sewing gathering stitches along the sleeve cap, I use bias-cut fleece. This serves two purposes:  (1) the bias cut gathers the sleeve cap automatically and (2), the fleece provides cap support and aids in shaping this area.

To reduce bulk in the collar/facing, I cut the interfacing without seam allowances before fusing. I think this helped to not make sewing this part a PITA like it was the first time.

 

 

 

I messed up one side of the collar (pictured above). Because I used a thread that blended TOO well with the fabric, I couldn't see the stitching line when it came to notching the curves. So of course I cut right through the stitching and only noticed it when I turned the collar right side out. There were three nice little holes looking back at me. I had to take a bigger seam allowance here to try and cover the holes. Meh. The fix isn't too visible, but I can tell the difference.

Dye-able buttons: Last year at one of many trips to my happy place, I found a button coloring kit from 1969.

 

Two kits cost maybe $0.50, so I bought them thinking they wouldn't go to waste if dyeing didn't work; I'd find a use for the buttons for sure. Besides, how much expectation can I have from a kit that was over 50 years old?

 

Well you know what? It worked!!

original color on top
dyed color on bottom

I picked the color on the card that came as close to the jacket fabric as possible (blue pencil points to the chosen color). It's kind of hard to see in this image, but the color on the card is in the peach family - just a little lighter.

 

 

Dyeing the buttons was quick and easy. On the back of the package is a series of color strips:   red, blue, and yellow. Based on the color choice from the front, sets of strips corresponding to that color are cut and boiled in 4 ounces (1/2 cup) of water for 10 minutes. The color I selected required 8 blue, 16 yellow, and 10 red strips.

 

 

Once 10 minutes have elapsed, the strips are removed and buttons are boiled in the tinted water for the time listed next to the color. My color required an additional 6 minutes. Lighter and darker shades require less and more boiling time, respectively.

 

 

The match is spot on!! The buttons are 1" and will be perfect for the front. They might be too big for the sleeve, so I'll have to decide what to do there.

 

 

I don't know if button color kits still exist, but if they do, I'm a believer. Hah!

 

***

 

February Wrap Up:

 

I am on track to finishing the second of two garments for this month. Life is still stressful and despite February having 84 days, I only managed to (nearly) complete two garments:

• another Simplicity 9385 in purple Merino wool
• this jacket

For March, I hope to make another Boronia Bowler (gift for a friend) and maybe start working on garments from my Make Nine. I'm trying to resist the urge to start something new before finishing this jacket. I am sooooo close!

 

L



 

Make Nine 2022

I finally settled on some patterns for Make Nine 2022. It took me a while because on some subconscious level, I think I was apprehensive to create a plan for fear of life falling apart again after posting it. Plus there wasn't a pattern or project that was really drawing me in.

After thinking about it for some time and perusing social media and the internet for inspiration, I picked these patterns. All of them (except the handbag) have been in and out of the sewing queue and three have been attempted/muslined. 

Three tops:  New Look 6560, New Look 6698, and Simplicity 8948

 

 

There are so many great versions of of these patterns. I like the versatility and options of NL 6560. I bought a small cut of Ankara fabric specifically for this pattern.

 

I bought NL 6698 for the sleeves, though I don't know if this is a good style for my body type. 

 

Simplicity 8948 is classic and I love the cummerbund for waist-shaping. I have lots of rayon challis in mind for this, so hopefully the fit checks out.

Three dresses:  McCall's 7627, Simplicity 8014, Vogue 9299

 

McCall's 7627

 

I made view B (shirt with dramatic sleeves) a few years ago and still wear it. That same year, I saw view C (dress with cap sleeves) at a fabric store made in the most beautiful floral cotton sateen. I bought some of the fabric with the intention of making the dress that year, but...well...you know how it goes. 😬 Given that the bodice is already prepped, I think this can be a relatively simple and quick sew.

 

Simplicity 8014

 

This is holdover from Make Nine 2021. I tried sewing view D (modeled version) before, but it didn't work out (bad fabric and naughty big honkin' dart). I dug out the pattern pieces for this view and noticed that I converted the front darts to shoulder princess seams. I probably stopped working on it because I didn't want to be disappointed with it not fitting. I'm willing to give it another try.

 

I'd also like to make view B (top row, second image). I've seen lots of versions of this dress on different bodies and they all look good.

 

Vogue 9299

There's a sewer on IG whose versions of this pattern are absolutely gorgeous. She has an eye for pattern-fabric pairing and print placement that is truly inspiring. I don't know what fabric I'll use with this pattern, but I hope to make view B (tiered sleeve bands) at least twice. 

 

Ottobre 5-2010-11

 

This pea coat has been on and off the grid twice. I have the fabric and notions and even made a muslin a couple of years ago! I know what's stopping me:  there's no back neck facing so the coat is lined to the edge. I'm not a fan of this technique - even though I've sewn jackets and coats like this multiple times. I know how to make a back neck facing, I've just been too lazy to do it. I want this coat, so I need to make a decision already!

Oro Rosa Magdalena 

 

image source (not an affiliate link)

 

The one thing that is consistent with my Make Nine plans is the inclusion of a handbag. I really like making them and have given serious thought to bag-making. It's a huge investment that requires a lot of time, skill, and heavy-duty machinery (e.g., industrial walking foot machine). Before I go down that road, I have to see if I like it and can do it well enough.

I've sewn three different Blue Calla patterns and wanted to try other designers. I happened upon Oro Rosa patterns on Instagram and bought the Magdalena. I like small purses and think this would be a nice addition to my wardrobe.

 

Fabric purchased abroad

 

Any time I travel internationally, I try to get at least one cut of fabric to remind me of my visit. I've got fabric from the UK dating as far back as 2008. Uh...yeah. I should probably sew that up.

 

That's all for now. I'm working on a wool tweed jacket (Simplicity 2810) because of course this is the type of project to get the sewjo flowing again (read:  it's totally not). 😏

 

L