My Favorite Things Coat

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen jackets...
Fabrics that press with a nice shot of steam,
These are a few of my favorite things!

Well, there is nothing like not blogging in a really long time, only to come back with a wool coat in July.  In full disclosure, I have been sewing a lot of pink things lately, and am keeping my hypocrisy and shame to myself.

But THIS coat, I am in love with.

I love it.  LOVE it.

This is my second go-around with this pattern.  The last version was a couple/6 years ago, not blogged, but worn a lot.  It's a good length for errand running--I don't sit on it in the car, it doesn't choke me, and the sleeves are short enough I can keep it on in stores without overheating or knocking crap off shelves.  (This is beginning to sound like I have a terrible life; not true!)  It's kind of cape-y, but not!




Pattern: Simplicity 5415 (copyright 1964)
Fabric: green/gray wool coating, gray bemberg for lining
Notions: interfacing from fashion sewing supply, two different weights
buttons salvaged from retired coat

In anycase, the old version was getting pill-y, and the wool blend was never really great to feel along my neck, and well, it was Catholic school uniform plaid.  Or at least, my Catholic school uniform plaid. So it's literally a step up when I say this new version reminds me of my high school coat.

The green/gray wool is something I purchased at Fabric Recycles, along with the gray bemberg lining, but not together.  I had originnally planned to reuse the navy lining from my old coat, but that was a bitch to take out, and I realized I had enough of this, so that was that.




I did a couple of things differently this time:

1.  I added single welt pockets at the front.  A jacket without pockets is not a good time.  Last time I added patch pockets smaller than illustrated, and they were very useful.
2.  I used bound button holes, using the spacing from the longer version.
3.  I added a hanging loop.  Which is really cool, but very underwhelming when typed out like that.

Cool change #1

Cool change #2

Cool change #3

And might I add, I've figured out how to do the bound button holes with a lining without teaching my children eight new inappropriate words.  Ignore the next part if you don't care, this is a note me for next time.

Dear future Joanne: 
Cut and press the windows on the lapel facing, but don't slip stitch  the sandwich closed.  Bag the lining.  THEN finish slip stitching the button holes. It's okay to have flappy windows in the facing till you get back to them.  Also, you actually did the top button hole all the way, and it was okay.  : )

PS.  Interfacing the window hole didn't work--it was too bulky.  
PPS..Whack the crap out of finished button holes to make them lay flat.  Like really.  People should come running to see what the noise is.  And steam.  Lots.

Pockets are lined with leftover polka dot scraps. (Secret polka dots)

And two more pictures just because:

Hands in pockets...

...and blurry back.

My oldest son took pictures for me, and you have to hand it to a kid who doesn't ask why Mom's wearing a coat and long-sleeved shirt with shorts when it's 110 degrees outside.

Mandarin Red is Orange!

Mandarin Red is Orange!

Soylent Green is people!

Okay, yeah, that's all I've got there.

I ordered this fabric labeled "Mandarin Red" expecting red, with a bit of orange.

What arrived was orange, with a bit of red.

This may be why people order swatches instead of going all willy-nilly with yardage.

I THINK I'm brave enough for this fabric. 

 I THINK I'm brave, I THINK I'm brave, I THINK I'm brave...

Aside from color shock, this fabric is amazing.  It's soft, and drapey, and soft, and light-weight, and soft.  I hope you get there that it's soft. Really soft.

Which comes to why I'm so on the fence about this dress.

The fabric is great, the color is well, bold, but the fit just isn't there yet.

Pattern: Sewaholic Davie Dress, the short view

Fabric: "Mandarin Red" rayon ponte from Mood

Notions: single fold bias tape for neckline and sleeves, 

knit interfacing for shoulder seams

I've had this finished for a couple of weeks, and today is the second time I've worn it, and I'm still on the fence.  First off, the fabric seems to grow with wear, as though the weight of it stretches it out.  I *think* that's what's going on with the bodice--it seems too long through the upper chest and back, then ends up hanging on my waist and hips where the seam shaping comes in.

I actually did mess around with those seams.  I cut a size 10 as usual, and constructed the front and back and neckline before basting the side seams, which ended up coming in an extra 3/4" on each side.  I also created a dart in the center back seam to bring in excess at the small of my back.  The center back seam, as drafted, is pretty straight.

I didn't raise the shoulder seams, even though it was suggested in the directions, because the neck would've ended up too small.  I may yet pick things out and redo that, though, because I'm just not sold. I mean, it's comfortable...I just don't know that it's really flattering.

Loose up top, and snug down low?  Um, that's a middle school nightmare.

See?  Even on the dress form it seems to hang funny from the bodice.
The skirt looks weird here, too, but that's because my dress form may have a dislocated hip.
(She has shoulder problems, too; it happens to all of us with age.)

The back does look a lot better here, but she has less butt than I do.

And I still see extra length through the shoulders.

All in all, I really think the pattern is good, although I honestly would've expected more shaping from the center back seam.  I think my fabric worked against me here.  And I might've been better off cutting a smaller size (like pretty much every pattern reviewer says). And waiting to finish the neck until after the shoulders were good.

So, I have a little more tinkering to do.

Because if I'm going to wear a bright orange dress, it's got to be a great orange dress.

Alice In Wonderland at Sea

First, it was the legs.

Then the arms wanted to come out, too.

 Pattern: Simplicy 1801

Fabric: seafoam green cotton batiste, underlined with ivory cotton

Notions: invisible zip, light interfacing

Notes:

Well, I really didn't derivate from the last time I made this pattern.  This time I chose a crisper fabric, and both seem to work well. This time I also left off the sleeves.  I kept the raised neckline and altered waist pieces, so it was a pretty straight forward project.  It's nice sewing with well-behaved fabric.  

Especially when it's so fun to look at!

I purchased this from Mood on a whim, and while it was really out of what I'd normally wear, I really liked all the random bright colors together.  They described it as an Alice-in-Wonderland print, which I didn't really get, but it is wild and crazy and fun, and kept me constantly amused.  Maybe if Alice went through the looking glass and under the sea?  Maybe more Little Mermaid-y? I don't know.

Don't those look like ocean-y blooms?  And tentacles?

Said the woman who lives about as far away from an ocean as you can get...

 Anyway, I was careful with the print placement so I wouldn't end up with one of those explosive coral things anywhere titillating, but that was about as stressful as it got.

(Which is to say not at all.)

And the back view.

The photo above is probably the closest to true colors.  Crazy and bright, and just what I need after a long, gray winter.  You can tell these were taken pretty late in the day!

Just like last time, I underlined the bodice for a bit more stability.  This time, though, I lined the skirt portion, too.  Mostly because I try to avoid students seeing my underwear.

Both are lined with cotton lawn remants--not quite a yard left of the skirt fabric, and only large scraps for the bodice.

All in all, yay for warmer weather, yay for summer colors, yay for sandals, and yay for lighter-later evenings.

Bitter Buttons

This dress has the worst-tasting buttons known to man.

Just thought you should know.

Dress: Simplicity 2246, Lisette Traveler (OOP)

Fabric: Kaufman chambray, I think

Notions: 12 buttons, light interfacing

So, I made this dress in January and have worn it with tights a couple of times since, but finally decided to grab a picture.  The last time I made this, circa 2012?, I made a smaller size that ended up feeling too short to leave the house in.  And it needed something.  

Something to break up all the light blue.

This time I added sleeve tabs and contrast facing on the button plackets.  The sleeve tabs were a design choice; I liked them so much on the Pauline Alice shirt that I may have gone through a phase of thinking every garment needed sleeve tabs.  The constrast facing was just because I ran out of fabric.  But it looks great, so we're calling it a design feature.

Did someone already take a bite out of this one?

I honestly don't know what the deal was with the buttons.  
They were from Grandma's stash, on a card from the Ben Franklin store, 
and may have cost her all of 15 cents.

 I know I can't be the only person who uses her mouth as a third hand, so when I got frustrated with how little and slippery and tricky these were to pick up and place under the button foot, I threw a couple in my mouth for efficiency's sake, and OMG. I almost lost it right then and there.

I don't know if it was a finish, or if they're made of something bitter, but blech. It was like some horrible combination of dandelion greens and black walnuts.

I immediately ran up and asked my husband for a second opinion, who, if you know him, immediately and vehemently responded with,  "I'm NOT licking your buttons." Then he went right back to watching tv or checking email, or whatever he was doing, closing it down for good.

Disappointed, but undeterred, I may have tasted more to see if they all tasted bad.  

They did. I also hypothesized a run through the washing machine might help.

And for the sake of science, I tasted one after sending the dress through the wash.

Still bad.

And here's where this gets weird. (Weirder?) I'm afraid that's the first thing I thought of  when I got dressed in the morning, and throughout the day, it randomly came to mind.   And I wondered.

I'm seriously afraid someday, someone's going to come into my room during plan time, and discover me. Secretly licking a button. 

 You know, for science.