Bellatrix Blazer (and some not-so-quiet pants).

Oh hi! It's been a while. I've been really sick this winter. Laryngitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, Influenza A and a sinus infection. It's been horrible, including a visit to emergency at hospital when I couldn't breathe properly. Blogging has simply been beyond my head space, but today, on this gorgeous Fathers' Day, I decided it was time. Michael and Little M are doing some sticking and gluing in the back sunroom and I'm taking some time to update you on one of my favourite projects of the year.

This year has all been about jackets and coats. After I finished my French Jacket I decided I wanted to sew a classic blazer. I bought the Bellatrix Blazer by Papercut Patterns as I thought it fitted the aesethetic I was after. Classic, with a bit of funk.

I made it in a very heavy linen from Rathdowne Fabrics, with a remnant of green silk-satin lining from Tessuti.

I made the size small, with two adjustments. One, I did a 'full bicep' adjustment (yay for my gym work paying off, I love a good toned arm). I followed the method in 'Fit for Real People' by Patti Palmer and Marta Alto. An excellent, clearly written book that I would recommend in a heartbeat. My second adjustment was to take in the upper centre back by approximately 2cm. I had some minor gaping.

The pattern calls for pretty much each piece to be interfaced. For this version, I only interfaced the collar and under collar. This linen is really heavy and I wanted it to be able to get all creased and soft like a linen does after some wear.

I added shoulder pads and reinforced the sleeve head (the pattern doesn't call for this). I used very slim shoulder pads from Tessuti - these are the only shoulder pads I will ever use. They are very soft and easy to shape to a coat or jacket.

The button is from my stash.

Check out that green lining! I do love a silk lining. So soft against the skin. I had this dry cleaned before wearing it to bully that collar into submission - I really think it needs it so you don't get a sharp edge on the collar.

I highly recommend this pattern. It is a surprisingly easy make. All the pattern pieces just come together so well. I've actually made two more - one in this style and one with the shorter peplum.

I wore this yesterday to my birthday lunch. We went to Cafe Vue at the Heide Modern Museum. It was excellent. I had a lobster roll. Yum!! I wore it with my new Clover pants. I am still somewhat unsure about these pants. I posted a picture on Instagram asking people whether it would look good as cigarette pants. I got a resounding yes! They are extremely loud pants, but I guess that is the trend at the moment. I've got enough leftover of this fabric to make a simple skirt.

Look at that young girl's pose there. She is in full 'threenager' mode at the moment. Never a dull moment for me - so much negotiation and attitude.

What's next on your sewing list? I need to get sewing the dress I'm wearing to the nurse's ball I'm going to as my sister's date in October - her fiancé has opted out - hehehe.

Anise Jacket (and bonus Papercut Pleated Pants)

About 14 months ago, I started an Anise Jacket. I muslined it, bought the wool/cashmere fabric, silk lining, thread, interfacing etc. I started sewing and trialled bound buttonholes on scraps (my fabric was far too thick for bound buttonholes - at least at my skill level). I decided I'd get do something else with the buttonholes. I basically sewed the jacket to the point of buttonholes and buttons. I put it on my dressmaker's form and admired it for the next 12 months. That's right. I didn't touch it for 12 more months until I decided it was cold, and I needed jackets.

I investigated getting the buttonholes done professionally. There is one person in Melbourne who offers that service that I could find, and I was informed by someone who is 'in the know' that that person has been known to completely ruin garments people have paid them to sew buttonholes in. That meant one thing only.... I would have to sew these buttonholes myself.

Cue a few sleepless nights (joking... sort of), me reading every internet resource available, talking to Kate at Buttonmania (and buying required resources for hand stitched buttonholes), and obsessive reading of Claire Schaeffer's Couture Sewing Techniques. I then started them. Only to absolutely hate my first four attempts. Let me tell you, unpicking silk thread on a very thick wool/cashmere is not fun at all. I may have had a small hissy fit. I left them for about a month. And then picked everything up again, wore a small running head torch on my head (doing fine stitches on that bloody wool/cashmere was really, really hard to focus on) and got them done.

I now have an Anise jacket that has been serving me well on these cold Melbourne days.

The fabrics were purchased from Darn Cheap Fabrics. They actually have a very nice selection of wool coatings. This is a wool cashmere blend and was only $20/m. The colour is lush.

I really like the 60's vibe this jacket gives off.

Awesome silk lining. I am slightly obsessed with silk as a lining.

Back view. If I knew what I did now when sewing this, I would have adjusted that under collar piece to account for turn of cloth. Ah well, you live and learn.

The buttonholes. They're not perfect, but they're okay. Liveable. The buttons came from Clegs.

I did not keep notes around making this jacket. The only adjustment I remember doing was to take some out of the CB. Apart from that, I made a size 8. Other things I would do in the future is to add in a sleeve head piece, maybe use a slim shoulder pad, and investigate why there are odd wrinkles coming down from the top of the sleeve (I have seen this on every Anise made - something weird with the pattern?).

My Anise was an odd make, mostly due to the extremely disjointed sewing process, but I enjoy wearing it now. I receive compliments every time I wear it - I think mostly due to the lovely colour. I don't think I'll make it again though. It is a fun jacket, but not a style I am totally gaga in love with.

Speaking of being gaga in love, meet my new Papercut Pleated Pants. I won't bore you with the details of these, seeing as I have made them before, but I absolutely love these. They're made from a black viscose-blend suiting remnant I got from Tessuti, and they are my perfect pants. Slightly slouchy, they sit at the perfect point on my waist, are very comfortable and look awesome with my patent brogues. I'm so glad I revisited this pattern, and will be making more.

I better get back to the Bellatrix Blazer I'm making for a special event coming up though - what are you making at the moment?

Just an Australian Girl, Up in the Tokyo Streets*

* 5 points if you get my lame attempt at a pop culture reference....

Well, I'm not in the Tokyo streets (unfortunately), but I am rocking around in a Tokyo Jacket by Tessuti. I only became interested in making this recently. I desperately wanted a loose, swingy, casual jacket. The Tokyo fits the bill.

I made this in a medium-weight viscose from Tessuti. A lovely fabric - frays like hell, but drapes in the most amazing way. Didn't slip under the needle either. It has a self-stripe that adds a teeny bit of interest.

I tried on the size extra-small in Tessuti Melbourne one day. It fit, but I perhaps needed a smidge more room across the shoulders. So I made this in the size small. I am thinking for my next one I might revert back to the extra small, but keep a small at the shoulders. This size small feels a tiny bit too big and slips off a tad.

That young girl of mine cracks me up

I left off the pockets. The pattern has you put the pockets on, hem the back section and then join it at the side seams. This means your side seams are not tucked under a hem. That didn't appeal to my anal-retentivness, so I left the pockets off and joined it at the side seams before hemming it. I hand-stitched the hem, and instead of attaching the collar band by stitching-in-the-ditch, I also hand-stitched it. You can sort of see in the picture below.

This jacket is a nice sew. It is rewarding - you get a jacket, but for no where near the effort you have to put into a more tailored jacket. I highly recommend!

What are you sewing this long Easter weekend? I have to sew Miss M a few pairs of pants, and I'm hoping to start sewing a more tailored jacket too.....

Metallic Linen - I Love You - V8721

It has been over a month since I last posted! And I am very behind in commenting on everyone's blogs too - but I have been reading and enjoying everyone's projects. So much has been happening ... Michael has been away a lot, Little M is running around everywhere, I've been working, and I've been sick constantly with chronic sinusitis. Yuck.

I have however completed my metallic linen V8721 jacket. I feel very glam in this jacket. It isn't really suitable to wear in Melbourne at the moment, but I had a girls' weekend at the Sunshine Coast in Queensland two weeks ago with my mum and sisters and I wore it to dinner then.

As I mentioned in my last post, the fabric is a lurex-coated metallic linen that has been enzyme washed from Tessuti Fabrics.

So.... I don't really have anything to add from the Rasberry Linen version of this jacket. I did however taper in the side seams a smidge - effectively taking the jacket in approximately 2cm on each side. I think this fit is better and more flattering than the Rasberry Linen.

Little M was being very naughty and trying to stand up in her swing - too adventurous!  

I taped the roll line on the collar again, and added slim shoulder pads too. I actually had to trim these shoulder pads - they were a little bit too long.

What do you think? Can I 'do' the whole metallic jacket trend?

The only real thing I have to add here is about working with a fabric that is lurex coated. Firstly, when I pre-washed the fabric, I did it by hand, and very gently. Usually I just bung fabric in the washing machine for pre-washing. Second, while this fabric is a linen, I couldn't have my iron on the linen setting in case I melted the metal fibres. So I had the iron on the 'wool' setting and used one of Michael's hankies (clean of course! :-) as an ironing cloth.

This seemed to work well - I was so paranoid about wrecking my lovely fabric. I really recommend this gorgeous fabric - it is a heavy linen, and so easy to stitch together. For the lining I used a coordinating viscose lining -- I forgot to get photos of the lining, but there is nothing new from the last one!

I also made little M a pair of Rae's Big Butt Baby Pants. These pants are designed to fit a nappy underneath - they have an 'insert' in the bum area - sort of like a triangle. I made them from a scrap from my Rasberry Linen jacket and a 0.5m remnant of cotton seersucker from The Fabric Store. It really is too cool to wear them at the moment, so she is wearing some leggings underneath to keep her beautiful chunky little legs warm. I'm really happy with the pants and have a few more pairs planned.

Doesn't she look so sweet?

I'm making another pair of pants for myself at present - what are you all making?

Rasberry Linen Jacket: V8721

Do you all read Erica B's blog? She's pretty inspirational - her sewing is amazing. Recently I saw her version of Vogue 8721 in hot pink linen, and immediately wanted one. But I wanted a metallic-y one... so I took myself of to Tessuti and bought the most amazing lurex-coated linen that has been enzyme washed. 

Before I cut into my precious metallic linen though, I wanted to make the jacket to check the fit and make sure it looked ok with the tailoring changes I made. So I bought some linen from The Fabric Store that was on sale, and made a 'test' version - that I fully intend to wear!

First I cut a medium, then quickly did a calico version with just the main front and back pieces. It was much too big for me, so I cut my fashion fabric as a small, grading to a medium at the shoulders only. I have quite broad shoulders.

The only changes I made - which aren't really changes, more like additions - were to tape the roll line and add slim shoulder pads. My first time using shoulder pads! It was very easy - I used a tutorial found on Casey's blog.

I love this jacket - and it was simple to sew. As Erica B said too, it is a boxy style, so there is no need for millions of muslins.

I don't know why the lining looks so puckery there, it doesn't in real-life. The only part I don't like is that on one side (see the top picture), I've got a bit of a lump where the top of the jacket hits the middle bit. I think I mustn't have trimmed it enough... so I'm going to unpick it and have a look at it tonight.

So.. what do you think? Should I go ahead and make it in my lovely lurex metallic linen?

P.S. - thank you for the b'day wishes on my last post - still can't believe she's one!

P.P.S. - work is going well, though Michael is away overseas - went to America for a week, came back for four days and has now left today for Italy for two weeks. Doing everything by myself while working is verrrry exhausting. I ended up with a stomach bug and mastitis again - which began on the day Michael arrived home last week! Send energy thoughts my way please!!