I wear a lot of denim. Ha, there’s no denying this fact as it’s well documented in my blog photos! (In fact, one might wonder why I haven’t yet made a pair of jeans…?!) Even though I’m into denim, sometimes I like to dress my look up a bit so that I feel a bit more polished. That’s when I throw on a jacket or coat. And in the Spring, I rely on lightweight toppers to add a bit of shape and style to my outfit.

The fabric I chose is a rayon wool blend that caught my eye because of its graphic print and bright blue accents. I don’t often find myself drawn to fabrics that are blends, but honestly, when I saw the blue in this fabric, there was no stopping me. I found it at Fabric Depot and it was a dream to sew, with just the right amount of ‘body’ to support the structure of this little coat. I lined it with a simple black rayon lining, very lightweight so that the coat won’t be too warm as the temperatures began to soar.

This lightweight coat is a version of one of my tried and true patterns Butterick 5927.

I made it here last spring. It’s a short lined jacket with variations. I made view B, but modified it by adding 8 inches to the length. The pattern is pretty simple, especially view B. The hardest part of this project was getting those graphic designs to line up.

I think I nailed it! I also had to get that blue stripe to travel down both arms :). I was a bit obsessed with getting that right. As I manipulated the pattern pieces, I was so, so glad I bought a bit more fabric than I needed (not my usual behavior.). Let me tell you, that extra half yard was sorely needed as I lined things up.

I’m probably more likely to wear this coat open than closed, but it’s nice to have chance to use these lovely vintage buttons I’ve had in my stash. One thing I do know though. I will not be wearing this coat around my furry beast of a cat. As you can see here though, he can’t take a hint. He insisted on being in this photo, even though I gave him a stern look.

He does look a bit sad though, doesn’t he? Perhaps, my look was a bit too stern.

I think this coat might be the base piece of a capsule wardrobe for me (?). Not sure if I’ll really follow through on the concept as I mentioned in my last post, but I’ve found myself mulling this a bit more this week as I reviewed my sizable stash. If I had a method to my madness, would it be less chaotic? I continue to wonder.

On another note, I was at sewing class recently and was told that thread has a shelf life of only a couple of years. Old thread should be thrown out. I didn’t realize that and purchased a huge box of thread at an estate sale awhile back, a find that I was pretty proud of. But apparently, this is a HUGE no-no!  Did you all know that? Old thread can cause havoc in your machine. There’s so much to learn, so little time.

Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by!