Tag: Butterick pattern

A Coat in Spring Green

Published on by ellegeemakes19 Comments

 

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I finished sewing this wool coat a few weeks ago, and wanted to share it, but the weather hasn’t been great for taking photos outside. The fact is, the sky probably won’t be clear for another month or so, and by then, it will be too warm to wear wool (fingers crossed). So today, I gave up and took photos indoors!

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This coat is Butterick 6292, a pattern that caught my eye when I saw the versatile collar!

 

 

I love coats with a military vibe (i.e.Burberry), and the button placement on this design definitely gives it that look.

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The wool is, well…green, a color I don’t usually gravitate towards, but this wool from Mill End Store was too cozy to resist. It has a very soft hand though, so I decided to underline the front of the jacket to give it a bit of body to hold the shape of the front lapels. I think this was a good move, because even underlined, the wool still retains its character, yet holds its shape. I lined the coat with rayon and used very thin shoulder pads to give the shoulders some definition.

Challenges:

  • This wool is thick – so making buttonholes on a double layer of fabric was a absolute night mare. I thought I’d lose my mind. My machine couldn’t seem to manage moving across the thick nubby wool so I put a thin layer of interfacing over each buttonhole before stitchng it. It worked! Then, when the buttonhole was finished, I trimmed the interfacing away.
  • Lining – – Even though I cut it according to the pattern instructions, it was an inch too long. Not sure if others had this problem, but it added a step because I had to trim it.
  • Back pleat – I eliminated this as I thought my soft wool wouldn’t hold a pleat. The coat still has enough room to accomodate a wide stride without it.
  • Button placement was a bit tedious – -there are alot of them 🙂 But I love the look so the end result made the effort worth it!

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I love my new coat, and, well…(don’t hate me)…I hope the weather doesn’t improve too quickly so that I can wear it!!! The pattern is definitely a keeper, one that I should probably make again, but will I? Hmmm, there are so many coat patterns in my stash that I want to try, so I’m not sure this one will make it into the queue again. Although I can imagine a version from twill or tweed….

Have you put your stash of wool away until next winter, or are you a die-hard like me?

Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by!

 

 

A plaid and leather ‘duster’ for fall

Published on by ellegeemakes24 Comments

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Hi all! Wearing a coat in the fall is a no-brainer, but finding the perfect one can be a bit tricky. There are days when it’s cool but not cold and wool is too much, but a summer jacket isn’t enough. That’s when a duster comes in handy!

‘Duster’ is an odd word for a topper, and a friend questioned me about why I used it, so, I looked it up. The original dusters were full-length, light-colored canvas coats worn by horsemen to protect their clothing from trail dust. Well, since I haven’t been on a horse in years, who knows why duster came to be such a catch-all term for me. I use it pretty liberally for any knee length topper that is more than a blazer, but not quite heavy enough to be called a coat.

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My duster is  made from a plaid cotton blend, that is lined in silk and trimmed with pleather at the collar and cuffs. I’ve had the fabric in my stash for awhile. It languished there, forgotten and unloved because I didn’t quite know what to do with it. I love plaid, but sometimes, it’s a bit too stiff looking for my taste. But a recent sewing room ‘re-org’ brought it to my attention again, and woudn’t you know it? I’d stored it in box with a remnant of textured ‘pleather’ (fake leather). Inspiration!

The pattern I used for my duster is Butterick 6382, a semifitted lined jacket with neckline, pocket, sleeve and length variations. I chose version D, a knee length coat with pockets and a collar.

 

I cut the pattern as designed with a few modifications:

  1. The coat’s front bodices meet at the middle but don’t close. I extended the front bodice pieces by an inch and a half so that they would overlap then added buttonholes and buttons.
  2. Because my fabric is a bit tame I livened it up with some textured ‘pleather’ for contrast. The pocket is trimmed with a 1′ band.img_8608
  3. I added 3″ pleather cuffs to the sleeeves.
  4. I cut the collar from ‘pleather’ and skipped the interfacing.

The pattern was pretty easy to sew, and the instructions were great. Of course, the plaid matching took a bit of effort, but that’s all on me for choosing plaid in the first place! The duster is a-line, and the shaping is accomplished by long bodice darts in the front and back. The most difficult part of the project was the additon of the trim. Since I chose pleather, this was a bit challenging.

What I learned: Pleather does not like to bend. Well, I thought that was okay because I could shape it by pressing it. Ha!  My first attempt at low heat resulted in a MELT DOWN, a mess of damaged plastic that almost ruined my iron. Yes, I did use a pressing cloth, but you have to be really, really careful. I eventually discovered that it could be coaxed into shape by using my fingers and a corner press for the collar. (This required a bit of patience). Also, my pleather remembered every pin prick, so I used fusible seam tape to secure pockets before stitching them in place.

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In case you were wondering, this is not a leaf-raking coat, even though someone I live with probably wishes it was. Ha! Frankly, I’m not sure about this make. Yes, I’m glad I did it because it pushed me to learn more about sewing with ‘pleather’ which was fun. I guess I’m not wild about this look or these colors on me. I do like how the duster feels when you wear it though, probably because of the silk lining. Maybe I should add two more pockets at chest level to give the duster a bit more style?  Or maybe it’s the shape? Belted, or unbelted?

Opinions welcome!

I’d love to know if any of you have experienced a pleather melt down as I did? And any ideas on how you can get the stuff to bend and mold? Yes, it’s a challenging fabric, but I’m dying to use it again, maybe for a skirt or jacket. Tips and advice is welcome!

Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by!

 

Sweater Knits Rule

Published on by ellegeemakes16 Comments

 

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I wear a lot of separates. This fact became obvious to me when I rearranged my closet this week to make room for Spring clothes. There’s nothing wrong with a good separate, and we all need them,  but OMG.  My closet is crammed with mix and match items. It’s a bit overwhelming when it comes time to choose.  I might have to rethink my look a bit as we move into Spring…

Nevertheless, I am posting more separates today, both made from Yummy Sweater Knits. As you all know, I am such a fan. And this layered outfit includes two chunky knits, one from cotton, the other from a wool/poly blend. They are so, so comfortable to wear. Honestly, you just can’t go wrong with them.

The white top is a good basic, made from a chunky cotton knit feels so good against my skin.

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I used Vogue 8925 for this top.

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I cut bias strips of the same cotton knit to embellish the cuffs and neck. To get the gently frayed look, I left the edges unfinished and the raw edge becomes a bit of an embellishment that way.

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IMG_7106The black cardi-wrap is cut from eyelash knit, a chunky fabric with a unique furry texture. I’m not sure you can tell this from the photos, but the fabric is as dense as my cat’s fur.

IMG_7131The pattern for this wrap is Butterick 5789 with a few modifications. I used View E but left off the front bands.

To get the wrapped look, I overlapped the fronts, adding three vintage buttons to keep them together. Buttons make the world go round, don’t you think?

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Because this black knit is super stretchy, I stabilized the front with a bit of interfacing to support the button holes and buttons. Sweater knits are pretty forgiving, but even the heavier weaves don’t seem to be able to support the weight of a button without a bit of help. I used an overlock stitch for the stretchy seams. I finished the edges by turning the fabric under and stitching. It worked well because this knit is so dense, the stitches just disappeared into it :). The bad news with a knit like this is that a mistake is almost impossible to correct. You’ll lose your mind trying to remove those lovely, buried stitches!

Overall, I’d say this cardi-wrap will be a favorite for me. I’ll be able to throw it on over anything!  The downside is that it’s black, a color that doesn’t work well with orange cat fur, but what does?

Have you tried to sew buttons on sweater knits? Any tips to share? Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by.

 

 

Thursday Tee: A season-flexible piece with swirls

Published on by ellegeemakes3 Comments

This week’s tee is another stash buster, a project inspired by a remnant of mystery fabric I found in the (always seductive) remnant section at Fabric Depot. I bought it, not because I needed it (!), but because it’s embroidered with white flowers and swirls that look almost….french. Instant love! Of course, I indulged.

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Because there was only a yard of it, I had to find a piece of coordinating fabric that would look as though it was from the same dye lot, a tall order any day. But a serious case of fabric love had me in a frenzy. In the matter of a couple of hours, I drove from one end of the Portland to the other in search of the perfect, coordinating solid. (BTW, I am spoiled. We have a half a dozen fabric stores in Portland.)
 Luckily, the fabric fairy granted me my one wish, and on the very same day, I stumbled into a cool store in my neighborhood called Bolt. There, I found it, an off-white cotton knit that felt soft and yummy, and (magically) matched my mystery fabric perfectly.  Given my frenzied state, you’d probably  expect that I’d cut that fabric the very same day. But I didn’t. I parked both pieces on a shelf and stared at them. Sometimes, I love a fabric so much, I just have to think about for, well, months.
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Butterick 6134 is the pattern I (finally) used for this off-white tee/top. It’s a fitted top with a raised neckline (which is why I bought it), front princess seams (what’s not to love about those), and a narrow hem. The pattern is designed for lightweight woven and stable knits, perfect given my fabric choices. I made view A, but lengthened the sleeves (Yes, I know it’s Spring, but this is Oregon, after all). To give the top a more polished look, I added cuffs to the sleeves, cut from the same mystery fabric.
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This was an easy, fast sew because the sleeves are raglan style, so you don’t have to set them in. The raised neckline is easy too, as it’s cut as part of the bodice rather than constructed. All told, I made this top in an afternoon – Instant gratification.
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I’m in love with all shades of white these days, so this top will be worn alot. The long sleeves make it perfect, not only for Spring, but for Fall too. And I still love that fabric. But because I have no idea what it’s made of, I’ll have to resist the urge to toss it in the machine. Apparently, hand-washing is the downside of giving in to a mystery.
 Do you give into the lure of mystery fabric or have you been burned?