Haiku Two

The Haiku Two jacket pattern was a remake of their original Haiku pattern. And now it too is out-of-print. What a shame. It has that Japanese, Miyake-like cut and shape that was the signature of the Sewing Workshop, early on.

I made the original Haiku a looooonnnnngggg time ago out of black and white herringbone silk. I remember wearing it while sitting in a meeting one time right after I became department chair. Maybe it was Valentine's Day.

It's probably good I cannot find a picture or any evidence of this original Haiku as I think it wore me. It was ginormous. It had these glorious deep patch pockets. I wore a thick red heart brooch with it.

When the Haiku Two came out, with its less voluminous lines, I intended to make it too. Finally I did and here it is.

The fabric is wool men's suiting, very light weight with great drape. It was a cut piece from Gail K in Atlanta. It was a dream to cut, press, sew. A truly lovely piece of cloth. The pattern does not call for lining which is fine by me. Living in the southeastern U.S.A., I get a long better mileage with an unlined light-weight wool coat.

I'm not sure why the Haiku Two is OOP. I think it is such a pretty style.

I love the lapels in the front. One can never have too many vertical lines.

I love that the sleeves are raglan in the front and cut-on in the back. The pattern pieces are crazy shapes!

And I love all the top-stitching.

Finally I love that it still has the glorious deep patch pockets.

So far I've worn it once. I think I'm going to have to shorten it. It is still too voluminous in this longer version. That means sacrificing the wonderful pockets but I can probably add smaller ones. Or maybe hidden ones.

Or maybe I should leave it alone!

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Same song, second verse

Left is the new Jacket; Right is the old full-length coat!

I checked. And just now I double-checked. I made this jacket for my granddaughter almost 5 years ago. My daughter recently told me she had out-grown it. Well, yes, it had become a jacket instead of a coat and it had 3/4 length sleeves, almost elbow length. Sweet, sweet girl, she wore it way too long.

This time, I opted for assymetrical closure, rather than a double-breasted closure.

So here is a replacement. I now see that the original one was a full length coat when I made it. Over the years, as she kept wearing it, I thought it was a jacket. So this time I made the jacket length. This makes the proportions look a bit odd in the comparison, but I think she's really more of a jacket girl than a coat girl.

Kwik Sew 3818

Kwik Sew 3818 is not a quick make. It has a hood, an empire waist line, a sweet belt at the back, and it's double-breasted. The fabric is wool and I chose to line it with a silk-cotton blend called Radiance. Radiance has a satin side and a flat side. I love the weight of it and find it nicer in a coat than my go-to lining, Bemberg Ambiance.

The pattern does not include a lining so I simply made two coats - one from wool and one from Radiance. I followed the instructions which are quite thorough. I used my trusty Pam Howard jacket-lining techniques from our class, Jacket-making Boot Camp. I confused myself while attaching the sleeve lining but pushed through and finally got it right.

The pattern calls for a lined hood even though the jacket itself is not to be lined. The lined hood is sewn to the jacket and then the front and back facings are attached and enclose the raw edges on the neckline and hood. This required much grading and pressing, something else that I learned from my time in Pam's class. What a game-changer that class was!

Fingers crossed that this second coat is as well-loved, or maybe just half as well-loved, as the first one. I look forward to seeing her in it after Christmas. Like I said, fingers crossed. She's 11 and almost 12 now.

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red pants

Some days I need red pants. Literally and metaphorically.

The shirt here is a Very Easy Vogue, I think, and the fabric is two pieces of Thai silk from Linda Lee (TSW)

So I made these - Cutting Line Designs one-seam pants in medium weight wool, lined with rayon Ambiance. Just right for our recent return to winter.

The shirt is a pattern from Cutting Line Designs. Looking at this picture, I'm thinking of taking some length off the back. The fabric is a lovely Japanese cotton in a very interesting weave.

Wool is a great fabric, can be almost a 4 season fabric. These are not though. They are thick enough to feel good when there is a cold wind. And there is.

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The one-seam elastic waistline is always fun to finish. After stitching, you hit it with some steam and watch it relax into folds.

So are you in need of some red pants? You might be.

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Chateau Blanc

Today I finally had time to finish my first version of the Chateau Jacket from the Sewing Workshop. Ever since they started posting preview pictures on Instagram, I have been anxious to make one. And now I am certain I'll make it again. It is a simple wrap over-coat with elbow-length sleeves.

The line drawing does not make it look terribly interesting.

Fabric: This yummy fabric came from Gail K in Atlanta, a place where I find lots of interesting fabrics. It is 80% wool and 20% angora, quite spongie and does not ravel much at all. It was delightful to sew, both hand and machine stitching. The Chateau is designed for non-raveling fabrics with directions for lapped seams and raw edges. So while winter white is not the best color for me, I just could not resist.

happy on the inside, really

Cutting: Due to the thickness of the fabric, and the need to keep raw edges smooth, I cut it out single layer. So as to avoid serious mistakes, I carefully marked the right side of each piece with a pin. I discovered that the fabric was slightly damaged but it did not present a problem. Who knew winter white could fade? It was ever-so-slightly whiter at the fold line.

Construction:

I changed some aspects of construction. The pattern calls for either patch pockets or slit pockets with a separate lining piece. I wanted to try out the slit pockets with this non-raveling fabric but decided against using the pocket lining. This would have created 3 layers of my fabric near my high hip fluff (ahem). I felt the pockets might flop around making it even less flattering. So I used the pocket pieces, but not the pocket facing pieces. This required that the top-stitched pockets show, but I kind-of like that.

Finished inside of jacket

Finished outside of jacket

I also adjusted the method for creating lapped seams. The pattern is designed for standard 5/8 inch seams so the first step is to cut off the seam allowance on one side of each seam. Then the cut piece is lapped over the uncut piece, aligning the raw edge at 5/8 inch. The trick is aligning the raw edge. The directions suggest the use of tape to hold the lap in place until it is top-stitched. I found that by machine-basting right at the seam line, I could lap it accurately. The basting was easy to remove after top-stitching.

Lastly I added some top-stitching. The pattern does not call for any finish to the raw edge of the front collar, or on the lower hem or the sleeve hem. I wanted a little insurance and stability, so I top-stitched 1/4 inch from each raw edge. I was especially concerned about the bias edges on the front collar. Plus I like the extra detail.

back facing from the right side, before should seams are sewn

The back neck edge is reinforced with a deep facing that is simply sewn on wrong-sides-together. I like the top-stitching on that too.

I really like the back neckline!

Sizing:

I have seen some notes about this being over-sized. It is. But there is no place where fit is relevant, in my opinion. I am 5'5" and happy with the proportions as designed. The fabric is very stable and so stands away from my body. This did not surprise me. I do want to try it again in a drapey fabric, perhaps using standard seam construction. I'm glad they included standard seam allowances. It might be interesting to lengthen the body or the sleeves in another version.

lots of room for extra layers!

Conclusion:

I am quite enamored of this shape and the overall simplicity of it. And the winter white is lovely. My only concern is that it may spend more time at the dry cleaners than on my body. I must stay away from tomato sauce and red wine!

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Simple Zen Vest

Yet another piece from my current favorite pattern, the Now and Zen from the Sewing Workshop:

Fabric: a remnant I purchased at Gail K, 1 3/8 yd (60 w) for $17. It is a wonderful medium weight wool - soft to the touch, easy to sew, even nice next to my neck, and a beautiful rich navy blue. It's so dark that it does not photograph well.

Changes I made:

• omitted sleeves and used silk dupioni to bind the raw edges.
• added patch pockets on lower fronts.
• stitched to back pleat together for about an inch at the waist line.
• reshaped the front facing so that it does not fold twice; rather it folds once, creating a wider front facing.

This was a fairly easy make as it is unlined. I did hand-finish the raw edges on all the seams but otherwise it came together quickly. 

Things I like a lot:

• the back pleat
• the collar that can be worn folded back or up to keep my neck warm
• the overall simplicity of it
• the color and weight of the fine wool

Now I'm trying to decide if it needs buttons. I don't think I'd really button it but maybe that would give it a little more pizzazz. It's plain but I like that it will go with so many things I wear.

This is a fun collar. It is a tube with the ends (at the front) open. I suppose you could slip a scarf through it. The raw edges of the collar are easily tucked away with the top-stitching. You can just barely see the top-stitching above.

I thought about using the collar from the Now shirt. It is a double collar where the inside collar is more narrow than the outside collar. But it does lead to 4 layers of collar - too much for this wool. Overall, I call this a success!

Hope your sewing is going smoothly in January.

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Madrid, black and blue

Madrid is a beautiful city, clean, open, modern. And it contains some of the best examples of Picaso's later work. So inspiring and even disturbing during his blue period.

the two sides, black on top of blue

The fabric I used to make this Madrid shirt (The Sewing Workshop) is black on one side, deep navy on the other side. I purchased it at The Sewing Workshop in Topeka KS about 18 months ago. The navy side is so dark that it looks black until you compare it to the black side. It is 100% wool, something I questioned until I steam-pressed it. It is a fine double-weave, so fine that it has a glimmer like silk. And it is crinkly. It was mostly fun to sew and I love how it feels.

Initially I thought I'd make up the Madrid in a window-pane black and white plaid. In the process of planning that I realized that the curved seams in the front and in the back are design-only. So if I do make it up in something requiring matching, I'll just overlap the curved back pieces and cut as one. I'll do the same for the right front pieces. That way, I'll have no need to unnecessarily match plaid on the curves.

Since this is a solid colored piece, I followed the pattern closely. The curved seam in the front does create a stable base for the buttons. And it adds pretty lines to the garment, I think.

I like almost everything about this pattern. The uneven hems are attractive and they float over my belly. The sleeves are quite tapered which I think is a pretty shape. I am rather enamored of the curved band that contains the buttonholes.

But. I am not crazy about those dropped shoulders. With this puffy fabric, the sleeve cap is not as smooth as I like, though it contains no bubbles in the sewing. I guess I just prefer a sleeve cap that sits directly on my rather square shoulders.

Next time I may add some fabric to the hems. The pattern assumes that you will finish the raw edges of the fabric with a serger, I think. But I chose to use French seams throughout and did not want to use the serger on the hem where it might even show. There is only a 5/8 inch hem which becomes a 3/8 hem when you fold the raw edge under. This led to some tiny miters, not quite as pretty as deep miters.

This was a fun make. I almost always have a great time following a pattern for the first time, especially with patterns from The Sewing Workshop. And I see more potential for the Madrid shirt. I probably will not make the pants, a re-issue of the Zigzag pants. These pants are meant to fit like jeans with tight crotch and low waistline, so not my cup of tea.

I am checking my mailbox daily for their re-issue of the San Diego jacket.

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