I feel a little floaty with having the coat done. Not sure what to tackle next. Now that I have my whole wardrobe back, it seems like I’ve got jillions of clothes. Make something for the kids? It’s Tyo’s turn, I guess, but she just got two whole big black garbage bags full of hand-me-down clothes from a friend. I could work more on my Lady Grey coat. I’m distinctly behind, but since I can’t buy my fashion fabric yet (and probably not util the very end of October) it’s hard to get too pumped up about that. Not to mention I’m heading off to a conference on the weekend that I need to get ready for (myself, but the family also, house clean, childcare figured out).
So what do you think I should do next? Something frivolous like the 50s petticoat? Be good and work on the Lady Grey (make my muslin wearable? I have a few ideas floating around for knit tops but I haven’t got the fabric at the moment. I want to try knocking off some of the drape-drape ideas I’ve seen, since the odds of me actually getting my hands on one of those actual books are vanishingly small.
August Burda jacket---finished
Anyway, I did manage to motivate myself to stitch up the last of the lining hem on this jacket (first mentioned here), which has been hovering between wadder and UFO status for the last month and a half. It’s my first (and so far only) stab at a Burda magazine pattern; I guess I need to make at least one more thing from this issue to justify buying the magazine, otherwise I might as well have bought the pattern off the website ;). The biggest problem with it is that for some reason I cannot fathom, the shoulder seam is wonky. It sits in the right place at my neck, but angles backwards from there. Which means that when matching the shoulder seam to the top of the sleeve, it hung and pulled very strangely. Basically I had to pretend that the apex of the sleeve-cap matched up with a point about and inch and a half in front of the
August Burda Jacket---Back
actual shoulder seam. And they’re still a bit wonky. A more minor problem is that it’s a petite. I made the 18, which is allegedly the petite equivalent of my regular 36, but somehow when I got the lining in it became really snug. Maybe I should’ve gone up a size… or done an FBA? Seriously, if I need an FBA, it’s pretty silly, folks.
These are, of course, all the reasons why you do a muslin, but when your thick wool fashion fabric came from the thrift store for three bucks… well, I rush in.
Being a petite, it is quite short, but we’ve already discussed the disproportions between my limb-length and body length ad nauseum :). I could’ve added half an inch above the waist, perhaps, but it works. Most importantly, it conceivably gives me something to wear right now when my awesome winter coat is still a wee bit too warm.
Also, I lengthened the sleeves by one inch. Incidentally, this is the sleeve pattern I swapped in to the winter coat—the problem with the armscye/shoulder seam is why I didn’t want to try and use the armscye from this pattern, too (because that, y’know, would’ve saved me about fifty headaches.)
Anyway, here it is.
Open
Another cute back view
Seriously, though, people, what do you think should be my Next Big Thing? 🙂
Tanit-Isis Sews 
Cute, cute! Looks like it will go well with skirts or trousers. I once had a lining grip up on me.I discovered that it was slightly twisted when I sewed it in. I released it, restitched, it was fine. Congrats on a finished project:)
Hey, it looks pretty good in the photos, definitely an interesting shape that I think you can pull off well. Like a more practical version of one of those Balmain jackets. As for the next big thing….any holes in your wardrobe?
Sadly, nothing I can sew from stash (and there ain’t no buying going on for a while :P) Well, I do still want to knock off your black skirt 🙂 But I haven’t got a pattern for that, so it takes a bit more thought.
I’d send you a copy of my copy, but I’m considerably larger than you, so I don’t know that it’d be much help. Lauriana at Petit main sauvage did a self-drafted gored skirt tutorial on her blog some months back… I didn’t use it for my project, but it may be a place to start, and free! I think her plan has all the gores being equal, on my skirt, the front and back panels are wider than the side fronts and side backs.
Simplicity 2451 appears to be close IN THEORY. I had terrible results with this pattern, it was what prompted ripping the old skirt apart, so I can’t exactly recommend it, however, many people on PR had good luck with it. Mine was likely due to user error.
Thanks! You know, I read Lauriana’s blog all the time, but apparently I’ve managed to pay absolutely no attention to tutorials she’s come up with. D’oh!
For me it’s the Lady Grey and then I’m going to tackle a blouse with pintucks. Interested in trying new techniques.
You should look around for something with some new techniques that you’d like to try.
Or you could whip me up some Lydias. 🙂
LOL. I wouldn’t mind a couple more Lydias myself, if I had the fabric. New techniques is a good idea.
petticoat! petticoat!!
LOL! Ok, but it’ll probably have to wait until I get back from Pittsburgh. I don’t think it’s going to happen between now and Saturday 🙂
I suggest you start to work on slacks, dont have to be wool something washable to start
That’s a thought, maybe for after this conference. I doubt I’ll ever make a pair of pants that aren’t washable, though… I can’t imagine an everyday item of clothing that needs regular drycleaning. I’d never wear it.
I feel floaty after finishing a big project, too. The great thing is that for months after finishing a coat, anything I tackle seems excessively straight-forward and finishes itself.
Twiddle around with finishing/fixing things, maybe make the frivolous petticoat and wait for the lightning bolt of inspiration/energy to strike you. I find if I try to force anything, it turns out crap.
Love the jacket and the coat! Hmm, what next? I guess the question is what fabric do you have on hand to make? Maybe try copying one of your favourite RTW items? Or another jacket/coat to solidify your awesome skills? Can’t wait to see what you decide on!
After such a big project, whatever it is should be quick and easy. A bit of instant gratification to cleanse the palate..
I like your jacket. But I wonder about this ‘too small’ thing. First, it’s supposed to be a lined jacket, right? Because add a size for lining if it’s not accounted for up front. Maybe the fabric’s too thick? Add a size for that too. Most importantly, did you measure yourself and pick the size by those hard numbers, rather than pick your usual US size? Because that doesn’t work, Burda’s translation is off by at least a size, if you go by what they say your US size is you’ll be at least one size too small.
No, the size is right (Well, except for the waist, but that’s not really the problem here).I’m a bit obsessive with my measurements, actually, I re-take them almost every time… though I couldn’t tell you my “standard US size” to save my life, I’ve fit everything from a 7 to a 0 over the years so I have no idea what crack they’re smoking), and it’s intended to be lined. You hit the nail on the head with the thick fabric, however—from the photo it looks like a very thin leather, whereas I used a very heavy wool. Live and learn 🙂
look at you knocking out coats and jackets all over the place 😉
i vote for making your lady grey wearable (says she who’s not sewing along!)
gonna have a look for that skirt pattern over the weekend – i thought from your pictures you are way taller than me but turns out its only an inch or so – yay me for feeling tall now!!!
YAY! Nope, not *that* tall 🙂
PS: re the shoulder seam – take a look at the drawing http://www.burdastyle.com/patterns/082010-leather-jacket and see that the shape of that shoulder seam definitely angles to the back. There was probably a marking there of where it should end up on the sleeve that you ignored ;-).
Always look at the drawings, they’re usually much more accurate than the photos and save you much hair-pulling..
Yeah, I noticed that shortly after putting up this post yesterday. >_< Missing markings (whether I'm using a traced pattern or the original) is one of my big weaknesses. Too many years of sewing without patterns or with self-made patterns that don't have those pesky things. /sigh…
I love the shape of your jacket and the material…it looks great on you!
I like that little jacket. As for new projects… the thing I keep putting off is making a new purse. So, uh, you could make me a purse. However, I have enough purse-making items in my stash (if I cannabalize my bedraggled Old Purse) and you might not. Unless you could find some cheap pieces at the thrift store (like old hardware, sturdy fabric, etc).
Yeah. Make me a purse.
lmao. I’ll get on that. Right after I make myself a purse. Have I talked to you about purses? I hate them. I’d been using one my sister-in-law gave me three or four years ago, to the point where I could no longer put my keys in the top zip pocket because there was a key-sized hole in the lining. This summer she gave me a different one so I finally have a purse with no holes in it (yet). Hmm, maybe I should do a purse post… LOL