An embarrassment of riches

Now that I've finished the red linen outfit, I am on to new things. I have been thinking about this double-sided (two layered) fabric I bought some years ago after I won a gift certificate to spend at Fabricland.

It's a thin layer of denim embroidered to a thin layer of bright pink cotton. In addition, there are frayed flower shapes on the denim, which actually make it less sturdy. My plan is to make a reversible jacket, even though I will probably wear the denim side out most of the time. But making it reversible will allow me to have a bright pink jacket for the times that I want one. Now that I'm doing a fair bit of breast cancer awareness work, I suppose the pink will come in handy, although I bought it years before I even got diagnosed. I'm planning to use the Butterick 4741 pattern I used for the bright yellow twill jacket I wore to France in 2008, but adapt it with plain sleeves (no cuffs or placket) and a one piece front so the jacket can be truly reversible.

While I was hauling the denim out of the stash, I re-discovered all these other fabrics too! Hence the title of this post.

Speaking of France 2008, here are four of the Provencal cottons I got on that trip. I think I will make either shirts or skirts out of them. They are not heavy weight fabric and will probably wear forever as shirts. Delicious looking!

Then there are these lengths of rayon of the soft, challis variety. I bought the two complementary blue ones on the left side and have made a dress out of the larger print already, with accents in the small, geometric print. So now I have to make something with the geometric print. This fabric is actually stiffer than the other rayons and seems to have more dye in it or something. It has a batik look to it. I am thinking I should make dresses out of this fabric, as it is lightweight and drapes well. My only "issue" is that I don't really have much need for dresses - I can get more wear out of shirts. On the other hand, if you build it, they will come. Maybe if I make dresses, I will find places I can wear them!

Anyway, all this to say that I am still sewing up my stash - no new fabric for me! And I write this to help myself resist going and getting this green polka-dot fabric I saw when I was getting the lining for the red outfit. It reminded me of this cute shirt dress I had when I first went to law school, that I wore with a pink jacket. That was 1981 folks. Good times.

White jacket and other things finished

I got bored with sewing the white jacket and violated my Rule and made a navy denim skirt in the meantime. In my defense, I had had the navy denim hanging over the railing since Spring, planning to make the skirt. It was after I finished the white denim skirt and realized what a good job I'd done and how much I was already wearing it, that I caved and interrupted the jacket to make the other skirt.

It's like my navy denim jacket - something I have always wanted but never had until I made it for myself. It has pockets, a "waist"band, front fly and flat felled seams. A classic.

To cut down on bulk, I lined the pockets with some craft cotton I had, just for fun.

Since I was on a roll with finishing projects, I sewed three snaps to the embroidered linen jacket. I didn't cover them because, when I tried putting even the thin silk over the snap, it snagged and made the unsnapping difficult. I will probably always wear this jacket done up anyway. Now I just have to find new buttons.

Next, I pick-stitched the facings to the front of the navy linen blend jacket.

I used navy thread and you really can't see the stitching, which is what I wanted in this case.

Finally, I also finished the white jacket. I really like the accent of the wood buttons. What next!?

White denim jacket

If I can put the sleeve in around the shoulder, before I sew up the underarm seam, I will. It makes the finishing flat fell so much easier. And flatter.

I flat fell the underarm seam as well. Here, I have trimmed off the seam allowance on the back part of that seam, in preparation for ironing it so I can finish it. First I iron the seam open. Then I iron it closed, with the untrimmed seam allowance overlapping the other. Then I turn it right side out and iron it all again with the clapper. Then I turn it back, wrong side out and iron the untrimmed seam allowance folded over the other trimmed seam allowance, and also use the clapper. That's four separate presses of the same seam.

I haven't shown this shot in a while. To sew down the flat fell, you have to have the garment turned right side out, even though you are sewing from the inside (or wrong side). You start at the bottom edge of the jacket and, up to the armpit, the sewing is easy. Then you have to keep sewing the folded-over seam allowance but now you are sewing inside a "tube" which is the arm itself. Once you get to the wrist (which is where I am in the photo), you are done but you are also down in a "well" of fabric that is the inside of the arm. I was quite excited the first time I ever did that!

I like it when a garment starts to look like what it is supposed to be. That usually isn't until after the sleeves go on, with a jacket. The jacket is hanging in front of the first one I made in this pattern. It is all wrinkly from being bunched around under the needle of the sewing machine - but the seams are good and flat! Next - cuffs, the rest of the hem, buttonholes and buttons.

White denim skirt

Working on the skirt. I have made this pattern a few times before.

I always put on the belt loops, even though almost all of my belts date from when they went around the waist itself, and so they are 6 inches too short for going around the below-waist area now. I really need to get over to Winners and get a couple of longer belts. AND I need some more leotards (tights) for the Fall. I know! It is too early to think about putting leotards on! I haven't even worn this white summer skirt yet! But, I DO need leotards, more than pantyhose.

Now that I have discovered how to put a waistband (or collar, etc.) on without hand-sewing the facing to the inside, it is a more straightforward procedure and takes less time. (You sew the band on to the INside of the skirt and then sew the band to the outside with topstitching.)

Then you figure out where you want to place the belt loops.

I tack the loop down about a half an inch onto the body of the skirt, so it won't stick out later. Then you sew the band down, catching in the bottom of the loop.

After that, you fold over the top of the belt loop and get it ready to be sewn down to the band but the line of topstitching at the top of the band.

Voila! A finished band and belt loop.

I was going to blog just about the loops when I realized that all I needed was a button at the top and to hem it, and the skirt would be finished. I am only tucking my shirt in to show the top. I am glad fashion these days does not call for tucking things in because I am so short-waisted that the proportion does look better without the shirt tucked in.
(edit: I just realized that I am wearing a smallish belt and so the skirt is riding higher than if I had on a longer belt.)
Next - keep working on the jacket.

White denim jacket and skirt

So I got some plain wood buttons. There wasn't a huge choice so I settled on some shank buttons because they weren't very dark, or very big or very textured. Sort of like the Baby Bear's middle of the road choices.

I wanted to get them now because it is far easier to put a buttonhole on the pocket flap before you sew it to the jacket.

Here, I've made the holes and set the buttons on the flaps, with the shank in the buttonhole.

The other decision I made was about the skirt pocket facing or lining. I didn't want to use the denim because then the pockets would be too thick and look weird. I had some almost white lining but then I remembered the thinner cotton I used to make the last two white shirts I made so I used that instead. You can't really tell from the photo but the denim is in the middle, the lining on the left and the shirt fabric on the right.

The skirt zipper is a mock fly - a real one is more complicated.

The zipper itself is too long, even at the regular skirt size, 18 cm length, because the waistband is supposed to sit just below the waist. So I sew a zigzag stitch in one spot as a new stop, above the original metal stop at the bottom, and cut off the excess zipper tape.

Here's the fly with just the one side sewed down.

Here's the fly with both sides sewed down. Not too exciting but simple is good too.

White denim jacket and skirt

I decided to use the 3 or more yards of white "ten ounce" denim I have and make it into a jacket and skirt. Not to wear all together of course, lest I look like the Man from Glad. I am calling it "ten ounce" because it is very substantial, like the denim you get in traditional jeans.

I am using Butterick 4741, view D (the red one), the same pattern I used for the yellow cotton jacket I wore to death in France. This time, I am taking up the sleeves by 1/2 inch and the body by a whole inch. The sleeves were really long on the yellow jacket and I ended up rolling the cuffs up almost the whole time I wore the jacket. I didn't notice that the body itself was really long but looking at it in the mirror, I realize it could come up a bit too.

I am using McCall's 3656 in a modified version of the fly-front with pockets skirt. It is way too short for 50 year old knees so I have lengthened it over the years.

That looks lame but it is still just above the knee, even with the extension. When you are 6 feet tall, you can wear a skirt that goes half way down the thigh and it is wearable. But when you are 5'2", the femur just isn't that long and halfway down it can mean disaster for sitting in a short skirt. So I go just above the knee for a casual, cotton skirt.

I've been thinking about what buttons to use. As is my wont, when I can't sleep, I go through my fabric boxes in my head and sometimes, I think about the next project. I have a white corduroy jacket in the "classic" jean jacket pattern and I used silver snaps for that. I didn't want to go with plain white boring buttons on this jacket but couldn't decide until I thought about wooden buttons!

Of course, I shall have to go get some new ones and they won't be very dark wood but what do you think of the concept?