The Linen Jacket

Still stitching the Linen Jacket, last week my tailoring class was cancelled due to the snow. I stayed home and got on, on my own.  I decided to stitch together the jacket lining and then put it into the jacket.  Sewing it in to the jacket by machine would have been easier, but I felt it needed to be hand stitch, as I want to use traditional tailoring methods for this jacket.

The pattern I've been using is not lined, therefore I had to make my own lining pattern first. Then I took the side front lining piece of pattern (left hand pattern piece as you look at the photo below) and designed my own inside  pockets.  Carefully designing it to prevent putting part of the pocket into the front facing piece, which is often seen on a commercially made gent's jacket. My pattern piece is divided into two, the top part extends down into the pocket area and the lower piece extends up and includes an allowance for folding over and down into the pocket area. It worked very effectively.

I spent the time hand finishing some of the hems too, putting in some canvas into the hem line to give the hems support and structure.  This canvas is cut on the bias and stitched down along the fold line of the hem. 

The photo above shows the hem pinned up and ready for stitching. I really enjoy the hand sewing it very relaxing.  I generally save my hand work for the evenings, when I can sit in the arm chair and listen to the TV as I sew.

The new planting season has started, I've planted my Garlic!

On Sunday morning I got the planting season off to an aromatic start by planting my garlic bulbs into modular trays as Carol Klein had suggested on her TV programme on Friday 25th. I generally do this for garlic and onions and I was wondering when the best time was to get started on this.  Then on Friday night, whilst stitching and viewing I saw Carol was doing exactly this, so I knew it was time for me to do it too. 

I really feel I need to get outside and start working in the garden, I plan to plant some seeds next week and give the green house a good clean ready for the start of the sowing year.  I need to put out the seed potatoes into trays for chitting too or they won't be ready to plant when the time comes.

It's time to Quilt

It's been so cold outside, I decided it was best to stay in a sew!
This week I've been putting the front and back sections of the jacket together and cutting out the wadding and lining and basted them ready to stitch.

Jacket back under the sewing machine

 I have used the same yellow thread I used for the patchwork, to quilt the yellow and gold sections and I've found a brown thread for the darker brown areas.  I decided to use the machine and not quilt by hand.  After all it is the Quilters Edition of the Bernina sewing machine I have; I should really use it for one of the purposes it is designed for!  It will be much quicker too. And stop me getting sore fingers. 

Now that the front panels are completed and all the parts joined together, I am really very pleased that I decided to make the pockets to match in with the pattern.  This jacket is so far from the original one I did all those years ago, I hope I like it when its all done now. 

I have used normal polyester dress and jacket lining, the mustard colour was a good match.  I have kept the bobbin thread in the yellow colour for all of the inside stitching.  Here I am sewing in the loose ends, taking them from the front through to the back, tying them off and then hiding them between the layers.

I did say this would be finished before the end of the month, I think I might need an extension to my deadline. 

Progressing well with the Patchwork Jacket

The front panels are now done on my patchwork jacket. Yesterday while it was snowing heavily outside I started on the pockets, I wanted my pockets to match with the front design and I think I have managed it.

The completed front panels

I hope this idea works and it all matches when I put the fronts together.

 Can you see the join?

I did all this whilst the snow was falling outside.  I know where I'd rather be, but could not resist going out with the camera last night to take a few pictures.

It snowed here all day Friday and again all day yesterday.  I was pleased I went out to stock up on sewing supplies at Ashby-de-la-Zouch on Thursday.  Forget the milk and bread, as long as I have sewing provisions that is the priority in this house!!

Problems and Solutions

It's official I passed my City and Guilds in Tailoring. I am so pleased.

About 40 years ago I started a City and Guilds in fashion, but circumstances changed in my personal situation and I never finished the course.

I don't like to start something I can't complete, so last year I enrolled on a course to do a Tailoring City and Guilds, at the  Ashby de la Zouch Sewing School. I enjoyed every minute of the year I spent there learning new skills. Now  I'm 'over the moon' to know I passed. Does this mean I can call myself a Tailoress?

I'm still working on my patchwork jacket, yesterday, I made the pattern for the front yoke; I chose the fabric and cut it out and stitched it.  Usually Crazy Patchwork is stitched to a backing and then hand stitching covers the raw edges.  I was careful to design my piece so I could stitch sections together on the sewing machine.  I chose this method because this patchwork is for a wearable garment and not a quilt or wall hanging.  

I hope the fabric I've just bought, to link all the pieces together on the finished jacket is OK. In the picture below, I've laid the Crazy Patchwork yokes on to my new fabric to have a look at the effect.

Does it work I wonder?  I don't want to use a completely plain fabric, nor do I want a lighter fabric.  But I thought this might just do the trick. 

The troublesome sleeves

Before my next gent's tailoring lesson, I needed to finish the sleeves on the jacket I'm doing, they are giving me grief.  The sleeve heads and the holes in which I need to get them, have a 3 inches (7.5cm) difference in size.  I've been trying to get a huge sleeve head into what seems to be a minute hole.   It's been a challenge.

Using my new sleeve head pressing gadget my nephew Thomas made for me. I used the iron and lots of steam to try to get the linen to shrink a bit.  I had stitched two rows of gathering threads around the sleeve head and I drew up the gathering stitches as I steamed, to help to hold it in place and to keep the shape whilst it dried.  Then I repeated the process once the sleeve head had completely dried. When I pinned it into the jacket using the method my friend Elaine had suggested in her email this weekend, I found it worked.  Now the second sleeve is drying on the pressing gadget after the first steaming process this morning.  One more steam and I can add that to the jacket and I hope it's dry and done before my lesson this week. 

With the shoulder pad and the sleeve role in place this might just have done the trick. 

I shall wear diamonds on my sleeves!

I have finished the yoke of the jacket and started to work on the sleeve designs this week.

I need to find some suitable plain fabric to join the back sections together now.  I was thinking of a nice mid brown colour.

I saw a patchwork jacket sleeve in a book by Judy Murrah 'Jacket Jazz Encour'; where she has used strips of fabric joined together and then re-cut them to create a diamond pattern.  I decided to use the idea, but to work it in my own way to get the effect I wanted.

After drawing out the raglan sleeve pattern for my jacket I drew in all the diamonds to get the proportions right on the pattern.  After cutting the fabric out I laid the small diamonds shapes on the pattern so I could move the individual pieces around and find out where I felt they looked good together. I settled on this layout finally.

I cut out the second sleeve pieces before I started to stitch the first sleeve together, as I wanted to be sure I had enough of the fabrics to complete both sleeves.  Some of this fabric is no longer available, I wanted to be safe rather than sorry. 

From cutting out the patches and piecing together, each sleeve has taken 3 hours to complete.  So far the work,  from playing around with the design ideas, to the actual design, then the cutting out of the pieces and stitching everything back together has taken 19 hours.  I am pleased with what I've done so far, and can't wait until I start on the front tomorrow!

101 Project Ideas, so where shall I start?

I have so many things I want to do this year, but the problem has been where to start!!

My first project is to get going on something I've intended to do for a couple of years now. I've had some yellow and gold patchwork fabric in the cupboard I must make it up.  I want to make another patchwork jacket similar to the one I made about 12 years ago (or was it longer than that!). But this time I intend to personalise it more and use my own patchwork ideas and be more adventurous with the design.

Last time I bought an American pattern in Holland called The Oregon Trail Jacket and I followed the instructions very carefully.  This time I only want to use the pattern idea as inspiration and develop all my own patchwork panels.

I've been looking through my patchwork books for the ideas and inspiration.  The first thing I want to do is the back of the jacket. I have decided to put nine of these small squares together for the central back part of the jacket.  

They are referred to as the Waterwheel Design in the book where I found this idea. The finished patches are beginning to look OK together.

Then for the back yoke I am using a Sun-ray pattern.

I've drawn it out and cut out the paper pattern, I marked all the straight grains of the fabric on each pattern piece before I cut it out. Now its a case of cutting out all the fabric pieces and then stitching them back together. I shall be working on it most of this week, and publishing pictures of my progress. Will I finish it before the end of the month, yes, of course I will !!!!

Happy New Sewing Year

A new year and lots of new projects to start. I have so many ideas buzzing around in my head, I can't wait to get started.  Christmas is over and I can now reveal some of the gifts I made.

I experiments with machine embroidery, something I've not done for about 15 years.  Then I patched and embroidered these book covers, adding applique letters for my nieces names.  I hope they find them useful.  The covers slip off easily, so once they fill up the note books, they can reuse them on another new note book.

This close up give some idea of the detail. I need to do some more of this technique and use it on corsets and jackets.  Which will make them a bit special, a project for 2013.

I made lots of gifts this year, for mum I made a blouse and for one of my nephews I made a Carpenters Apron.   I made cheese and chutney hampers as gifts and marmalade.  It was busy here in December and after a quiet few days I'm ready to start to stitch and plant for the new year.

My lovely friend who lives in Spain made this beautiful machine embroidered mat for my hall.  It is so beautiful I just wanted to share it with you.
Happy 2013 everyone.