Inspired

My most recent jacket made me realise that this is the type of jacket I like best: fitted, definite waist shaping and special design lines. In my head the next one is getting shape. For the moment that is what it is, I’m not yet drawing the pattern, but hope to do that once the current (smaller) projects are done. I have learned that it best for me to work at one garment at a time, but have broken that “rule” and am working on a pair of trousers, a blouse and a bra. I really have to finish those first.

I’ll leave you with some screenshots of my inspiration.

 

Easy tops

Thank you for your lovely comments on my jacket. Apparently I often say that I’m doing something simple after a complex projects, as one commenter found it funny I always say that. It is the way it works for me, I usually want to do some easy projects before doing something complicated again. Right now I’m thinking about another summer jacket  in a linen/cotton blend and looking for inspiration what to make.

Summer has arrived and it’s too warm to wear the jacket.I wouldn’t dare to complain, it’s been cold so long and I’m happy to have higher temperatures. The jacket will be there when the weather changes again (too soon probably). It is time to add a few summer tops to my wardrobe The top above is not a real summer top but a trial top for the combination of a Ottobre top and the collar of a StyleArc pattern. I like the collar/neckline very much and will use it more often. A thank you to one of my readers who shared the collar draft with me!

Below two cowl neck tops that only took an hour to make each. The first one can also be worn with the jacket, the color in it is the same. Bought it in the same shop so might have been designed that way.

The top on the left is the same I made last year from a very old pattern from a friend. I am a bit dis-organized (those who have seen my sewing room can confirm that) and have apparently not completely written what I had changed or wanted to change or whether the seam allowances were still included after my changes. It was too wide and I have taken in the side seams quite a bit. I loved the amount of drape of this top especially (not too deep, not too high) so I made my own pattern, based on a t-shirt pattern that fits me well and giving it the same drape. I’ve written clearly on the pattern that it does not have seam allowances so I know that when I come back to it next year! I think you can even see on the dressform that it’s a bit more fitted.

Below I’ve tried to show how I did make this cowl neck pattern based on the front of a t-shirt pattern. The resulting pattern has a front facing through the whole front arm hole. In the last drawing the lighter line is the foldline.

Have a wonderful weekend everyone! I’m enjoying some sunshine on my bicycle tomorrow!

PS: thank you also for commenting on the alternatives for google reader. I’m trying the alternatives to bloglovin too and might end up with another reader service.

Google reader is disappearing

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Like many of you I used to follow a lot of blogs with Google reader. I'm not yet completely happy with Bloglovin and will probably use GR till the last day. Especially because I can read a complete post without clicking to go to the blog itself. That's such a great feature. But times are changing so I will (have to) get used to it....

I’m pleased with the result

This is a very picture heavy post. The pictures will tell most of the story anyway. This jacket started with an e-mail from Claudia Sträters shop (sorry if you were expecting a pattern number now). One of the e-mails I will open and almost always follow the link to their website. The style of their clothes often appeal to me and I do have a few pieces in my closet as well.

I loved the lines of this jacket, but it was only sold in yellow and bright pink, not my colors at all.

Time to think about making it to a pattern. I worked on it for one evenening and threw the result in the waste paper bin. Next day I tried again, now using this OOP Vogue 1040 jacket with shoulder princess seams to start with.

Combining it with the center front and lapel from this Burda jacket.

 

This draft made it to a muslin, based on which I decided to alter the roll line of the lapel and the back still had a bit too much flare.

Part of the pattern drafting:

These were only the pieces for the body part, not the sleeves. 

At this point I was very enthousiastic about it and had to leave it alone for going on holiday. Couldn’t wait to continue after I returned.

The finished result. Photo’s show more irregularities than shown in real life. I’m very, very pleased with this jacket. Valerie (a sewing friend) heard it in my voice on the phone yesterday. There were some judgement calls during the process, the seam ripper was used but nothing stopped me of enjoying the process and the result. Next project will be a little less complex I think.

Visit to the UK and a sneak peek of what I’m working on

Hello my dear readers. The winterblues are over, though according to the weather here in the Netherlands it will never be summer. I’m feeling I should be out in my garden now, instead I’m inside and took a cardigan from the closet to keep warm. Well, we can’t change the weather, but as so many people here I’m longing for some sunshine and warmth.

As you may have read in my previous post I’ve been spending a week in the UK, of which the most important event was Pauline’s wedding of course, but before and after that day we made it a short holiday with a lot of walks and beautiful scenery. We were reasonably lucky: it was mostly rather cold, but we only had heavy rain on our last day of walking and travelling home.

An impression: Constable country near Dedham

Bluebell season

 

The South Downs, beautiful views from the hills:

And another meeting, this time we met Clare and her husband for dinner. I’ve met Clare quite a few times now (PR weekends of Paris and Brussels, several meetings after this with the group of seamstresses I blogged about before) and it was a pleasure as always. Nice to meet with the husbands as well. It’s been a week that I have thought several times about what blogging and the internet sewing world has brought me. So many new friends, sometimes meeting in real life, sometimes only contact by e-mail. I am so glad for all this.

Finally, the main topic of my blog is (and will be) sewing. So here’s a sneak peek of the jacket I’m working on. The full story of it will be in another post and it’s quite an elaborate jacket, so it might take a week or so to have it finished.

Not my work

But wanted to share the beautiful dress of Pauline, who married yesterday and I was proud and honored to be invited. Look at Pauline’s blog for more photos. In the past months she made all the bridesmaids dresses and her own dress. Quite an achievement and didn’t she look gorgeous?

 

This next picture was taken by my husband a little prior to the official photographer taking photos. Next to me is Vivien, another sewing friend of both Pauline and me. It was so nice to see her again as well. Mentioning to a few other guests that we were sewing friends brought the subject on the ‘great british sewing bee’  program which a lot of people had seen though they were not sewing themselves. Ann’s achievements in the program got a lot of praise.

My dress was made by me a few years ago. This time I found shoes in the exact color. The photos show the dress in more blue tones than it really is, it’s an emerald green silk.

My husband and I are enjoying another few days in the UK, doing some sight seeing and walks at the south coast of England. After we’re back I’ll be finishing a jacket I’m making so I will hope to be posting more soon again. The winter blues are over.

Blog vacation

Van Burda 02 2013 106

This is the jacket I’ve sewn last week. It’s from BurdaStyle’s February issue.  A full review of it can be found on Pattern Review.

It’s also the last post on this blog for a (little?) while. After almost 6 year of blogging I find it difficult to write something new. Í don’t think it’s interesting to read about the way I construct a jacket for the third, fourth.. time, see yet another bra or t-shirt. Perhaps it’s winter-blues and am I in need of some sunshine and higher temperatures. We’ll see.

Edited to add: Thank you for all your kind words. I’ll be back. Just need a break.

For now happy Easter everyone and till next time.