My New 'Living' Sweatshirt Jacket in 'Christmas' Colors...

I was excited about  completing my new jacket version of the Living™ Talking Pattern™ last week and uploaded a new Album on my business Facebook Page...but now I want to take a minute to repeat those photos here and share more regarding the creative process that I so love.

Inspired totally by the angular button shapes and colors

If you look closely at the set of 3 buttons from Crone Art Fimo Clay Buttons on this jacket - you can see that THEY WERE THE INSPIRATION.  I sell amazingly beautiful buttons of this type only at the Sewing Expos and guild/shop  appearances since they are one of a kind and therefore would take forever to scan, measure, describe and put on my site.  :)  However... you can always contact me with specific color/size/shape needs and 'm most happy to snap a picture of some that qualify and email it over to you!
I especially loved the touch of purple in them - feeling that capitalizing on that color with the 'typical' green and red Christmas color theme would take it beyond solely a 'Christmas' look.

Determining which color to use for binding edges.

Here you can see that even though I had already applied an iridescent hot pink/green silk binding to the jacket's right front edge - at this point I realized I didn't like the 'pink' that was showing in that fabric, AND I really was considering the emphasis on the purple that I ended up with.
Look closely and you can see that yes - I had even mitered those points of the binding.  OFF they came.  Creative sewing definitely includes UN-SEWING!!!
That is...if you are like most creative people - and have to 'try it' before you can see if you 'like it'.  Kudos to you if you can 'see' the result ahead and always KNOW if you're going to like it or not!
After I had committed to the front closing edge shape, decided on how much of the left front's Underlap to let be exposed, and created interfaced facings for both the left and the right front edges, it was time to play wit the hem silhouette.  Here you can see what I came up with.  This is why details like exact hem length and shape are NOT included in my Talking Patterns, but rather my personal explanation and teaching you HOW to determine this for YOUR project IS included.  Much, much more fun - and even educational in the long run!                  

See here the inside of the Left Front.

Look closely here at the inside of the jacket's left front.  Because I wanted the green silk dupioni to 'peek' substantially to the right of the right front edge on the jacket, I set it over further than the cut edge on the jacket's left front.  THAT is why the stitching line is further to the left edge.  I eventually trimmed back the excess green sweatshirt edge closer to the stitching.  '

The black you see here is Pro Woven Fusible Interfacing from Pam Erny that I love.

If you look very closely, you can see that I've serged the right most edge of this interfaced silk Underlap.

  And here is the photo that shows closely how much underlap on the Jacket's left front I had decided to have exposed.  Note the pins marking the points of the closure.  I needed to decide and mark that securely so that the 'fit' didn't constantly change on me.
This decided, THEN I could go back and tweek the side seam fit.  I DID use Fronts, Back and Sleeve patterns as found in my Book 2, or Genesis Too™ Talking Pattern™ or Refined Too™ Talking Pattern™ to create the basic part of this jacket, as I wanted the sleeve up at it's natural location on my shoulder.   You can do the same - even if you do NOT have my bodice pattern.  Just make use of ANY jacket pattern that fits you the way you want it to.  Cut the back, and the sleeves out of the available sweatshirt - which I 'see' as just fabric once the ribbings are cut off.  For the Fronts, obviously leave it cut on the center font fold, and cut neck, shoulder, armscyes, and side seams ONLY.  THEN you your buttons down - and go to work designing a pleasing edge line for the front closure that looks good with YOUR buttons.
   With my stash of fabrics and yarns for this jacket was this silky polyester that had a wonderful selvage.  I thought all along that I would use this fabric as well - and here at the right most side of this photo, you can see where I had wrapped a cable cord with the selvage.  However - durned if the red wasn't objectionably too 'orangey' compared to the blue undertone of the chenille yarn I'd already chosen and attached - centered with a purple chenille yarn.
Below, see the entire hem silhouette I decided on.  The point in the back is centered, but I had also decided that I would do some couching in a non-centered orientation as well...just not sure WHAT.  You have to be OK with NOT making ALL decisions at one time - but rather, one decision at a time that you are feeling good about and just trust that the rest will fall into place.  Just like life - eh? See how valuable SEWING is?!?
  Ahhh - naughty girl!  I really SHOULD close my rotary cutter blade when I lay it down!!!
Anyway...here you see that I've trimmed the sides of the layered and stitched (down the center of) 3/4'' wide bias strips so that the edges are clean and straight 1/4'' from each side of the center stitching.

This is the technique I was honored to be invited to share in the first series of the new PBS Sewing show called It's Sew Easy.  HERE is a link to the written how-to's for my segment of the 2nd show!
AND, I even saved the scraps that you see in the pile.  They were so pretty - I think they'll end up on the front of some stitched Christmas greeting cards.  Stay Tuned...........

After trimming, I ATTACK both edges, both sides of this strip with the Fabric Chenille Brush which is indispensable for this task!  NOTHING works as well!  Find it HERE.  Just $5.99, but for a limited time - get it FREE with purchase of my DVD:  Refined Embellishments for Creative Sewing - just $19.95.
  The sleeves weren't as long as I would like - since I had cut them out of the sweatshirt in order to Re-Cut with a sleeve cap.  Just a 'creative opportunity'... I added interfaced BIAS cuffs as you can see here. And yes - interfaced the outermost layer with Pro Woven Fusible Interfacing.

Back View of my finished jacket.

And here you can see my finished jacket  from the back side.  Be assured the placement of all of the chenille strips and couched yarn was NOT quickly and immediately decided upon!  Not only standing back from a proposed design of those embellishments, but TAKING A PICTURE with my digital camera to view has become my absolute favorite way of 'seeing' if I really like a design proposal or not! I'm surprised not to see that trick yet on Project Runway.
There you have it - the Creative Process for this jacket - and such fun! Approximately 6 Jumbo Clear Plastic Snaps actually close the front of the jacket.  Those were unavailable for a time, but now I have them back again at my site HERE.  YEA! Those snaps are included with the Living Pattern Combo which includes the pattern, snaps, my tissue pattern for the front, back and sleeves, one each of the Fusible Stay Tapes AND makes a $5 donation to my Drill a Well for an African Village project!
Don't  let time get away from you  - send in your entry for my Creative Sweatshirt Jacket contest.  Find all the details HERE - and have a good chance at winning the Grand Prize of $250 at my site or one of the other great prizes.  Deadline for entry:  November 15, 2011.

Still Wearin' It Contest Entries

From Debbie:

I made the white chenille jacket either 11 or 12 years ago and it remains one of my favorite things I've ever sewn. I still love lots of things I sew, but this jacket is just an ongoing favorite even more than 10 years later. I had to get rid of a lot of things I made 10+ years ago because I'm happy to say that I lost a lot of weight and they don't fit anymore - in a good way! I've kept the weight off for about 6 years now. But this jacket is loose fitting and can be worn still. I used four layers (if I remember correctly) of white inexpensive muslin and sewed bias lines every 1/2 inch or so. I chevroned some areas as well. Before sewing I layered colored cotton cutouts for the flowers, stems and leaves on the front and back, stitching through them with the muslin. I then cut through every layer between the stitching lines except the bottom-most layer, leaving that as the anchor base. All seams and edges are covered with bias tape for a finished look. I then washed and dried the jacket and it fluffed up to create the pretty texture and watercolor look of the flowers. I added an unusual button a friend bought me on a trip she took and some twisted rattail cording for the closure. It is warm without being too heavy and gets comments most of the time I wear it. I have since made many other chenilled items, but I just love this jacket the most. I recently (last week) made a new chenille jacket, this time from rayon, and used 3 layers, cutting through two of them. It is drapier and lighter weight. I also left the seams exposed and trimmed them so they fluffed and blend in nicely with the rest of the jacket. The edges of the new jacket are sewn with contrasting bias strips - one on the wrong side and two on the top side, rather than finished with folded bias tape. This way the edges have the fluff as well. It was much easier! I will continue to make bias chenille items but will probably not do so much channel stitching and cutting as in the past, but rather play with the bias strips of fabric instead. It's just faster and easier and has more room for flexiblity and creativity.

Debbie

4:18 PM

STILL Wearin' It Contest-Win $50 Gift Certificate

Do you have some garments you've sewn that just STAY in your wardrobe??? Well...I have!
Left Photo: July 1979 with my newborn son
Right Photo: June 2009 with my #1 Grandson

Not exactly the same top - but made at the same time, from the same fabric - I KNOW the Striped T-Shirt I'm wearing today when we snapped that right photo was worn - has been worn every season since 1979! My hubby won't let me forget it every time I wear it, actually!

Construction Techniques
At the time I made these 2 knit tops - it was a beginning venture into sewing with knits - quite a different experience from the silky long sleeve, cuffed, bow-tied collar blouses and lined wool jackets and skirts I was making clients in my dressmaking business. I also KNOW the knit is a nice cotton/poly interlock from Leiter's Designer Fabrics. Leiter's was top quality fabric that was sold by independent delaers like myself in 'showings' from samples of the fabric that traveled around between us reps.
The seams are constructed WAY pre-serger! (Didn't acquire a serger until 1987 or so!) A very narrow (.5) width zig zag of about 2.0 long stitched the seams, and then I zig zagged the seam allowances together with a zig zag of about 1/5 wide and 2.0 long. 100% metrosene polyester thread - I remember that as well. Not one of the seams has popped either!
The neckline was finished by cutting a cross grain strip of the stripe about 2" wide and stitching it onto the right side of the top - binding the edge towards the inside, then stitching in the ditch - and OH MY GOSH - leaving the raw edge on the inside! THAT was monumental to me at the time - a RAW edge!
It doesn't really appear - nor do I remember, cutting the ribbing any smaller than the neckline - but then the neckline was a pretty deep scoop anyway. Those techniques came later.
Hems are not stabilized in any way - and just turned up and stitched with straight stitching.
For techniques I'd use today, click HERE - a FREE INFO page at my website.
Find more valuable FREE INFO HERE.

Sew it occurred to me this would be a fun sharing/contest topic! If YOU made something long ago - say even 10 years ago - that still resides in your wardrobe and that you occassionally wear, please share about that as an entry!

Here is how the contest will work...

1. Comment on this post below with YOUR story! Include what you made, and why it is still in your wardrobe. Include techniques you used to stitch it, and what you'd change technique-wise if you made it again today of the same type of fabric. Be sure to sign your post with your first name. Please know that I have this Blog set up for me to approve all posts before they show up - so don't expect your comment/entry to show immediately.

2. Send me YOUR photo - to my email at londa@londas-sewing.com. I will copy your comment and add your photo to the CONTEST Blog Post so that all can see/enjoy/learn from your post. I don't expect you to have a photo of when you first made it - but for sure take a photo now - even if it is only of the garment - and not on you.

3. I need a minimum of 10 entries in order for this 'contest' to be operative, so tell your friends!

4. Winner will be decided by vote of my 'Customer Advisory Board' - of 5 people (which includes me!)

PRIZE is $50 Gift Certificate for the winner.
ALL participants will will win some type of prize!

Enjoy the memories!