Sunday, May 24, 2009

Summer jacket

Here it is, my "quick" summer jacket that I started a month ago. I had some crazy idea that I would finish it in a weekend. I came close, but then I didn't sew for about 3 weeks.


Three pintucks on each sleeve and scalloped trim on either side of the front button band bump up the cuteness factor of this jacket. It also has 2 princess seams on each side of the front and princess seams in the back. The princess seams, sleeve bands, and hem bands are topstitched.




Fabric
The fashion fabric is a yellow cotton with gold metallic threads running across one side that I got at the infamous G Street $2.97 table when I visited Cidell last year. I decided that I didn't actually like the metallic side, so I used the non-metallic side as the outside. The difference is subtle in the picture but it's more noticeable in person.

After I started cutting out the fabric, I realized it was just a little too lightweight on its own, so I fused each piece with Pro-Weft fusible interfacing from Sew Exciting. This was a lot of work and took hours (and hours) to complete (cutting interfacing for all the pattern pieces and then slaving away over a hot iron). Block fusing the fabric first would have been faster, had I known to start out with.

Because of this, I had to add a lining. As usual, I used Connie Long's Easy Guide to Sewing Linings to draft the lining pieces. Also, I followed Ann's tip to make the lining first. I will always do this from now on! Sewing the jacket shell is the fun part, and then the lining is just so tedious to make up. So you get the boring part out of the way first, in addition to checking the fit. Love it. I used Ambience lining from the stash.



Notes on construction/alterations
I made my standard 38 with no alterations, but I am now convinced that I need a forward shoulder adjustment. It's not noticeable in these photos, but it was undeniable when I was checking myself out in the mirror.



Our little secret


Oopsie. One of the sleeve bands should be oriented the other way. By the time I noticed it I had already completed the topstitching and with the finish line in sight I had no desire to rip one out.



Conclusion
I wore this to brunch this morning and I love it already. It's exactly what I need as we transition to warmer weather.

63 comments:

Jenny said...

I love your new jacket! The scallops are very unique. Wish I'd discovered BWOF earlier. :-)

Jenaveve said...

Really great cut - the length (and sleeves) look great on you, so does that wicked color! Great job.

Erica Bunker said...

That is a fabulous jacket! Love the scalloped edges!

Stephanie said...

Oh gosh, I'm swooning over those scallops! Great jacket!

Adriana B. said...

Lovely! The color looks awesome on you!

Sue said...

Cute as... I overlooked that pattern but seeing it made up in the yellow makes it look great!

Shannon said...

The scallops are so cute! Love this jacket on you!

cidell said...

That is so adorable. You look so relaxed and care free! I love the color and I never would have thought I'd go for the scallops, but they are so cute!

gwensews said...

Totally cute! Love the scalloped detail.

JoanneM said...

Gorgeous jacket. Love the oopsie. Consider it the artist's signature!

Patricia said...

Very cute! I love the scallops and the topstitching.

marLou said...

Luv the details on the jacket. Very relaxed looking. Wonderful look!

EmilyKate said...

It is so pretty! I'm another one who overlooked this pattern in the magazine- soon as I saw your jacket I ran over to my burda file and checked to see I had the issue (yay I do!) because you've made me want one of my own!

Sew-4-Fun said...

So cute, love it! Perfect mix of fabric and style. You have made some really nice jackets lately.

Tany said...

I LOVE IT!!! I want one too!!! Just Fabulous!

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

I remember this pattern and remember wishing that it was in a plus size....probably why I don't sew BWOF cause the plus size patterns just aren't as cute as this!

It is an absolutely adorable jacket!

Melinda said...

That is such a cute jacket and I love the colour - it looks great on you and nobody will ever notice those sleevebands.

Rachel said...

That is so gorgeous!!! That color looks great on you. Thank you for commenting on that book about linings. I am going to check it out.

Rachel said...

Christina,
I forgot one thing. On Cidell's blog she commented about your organized BWOF's. Do you mind sharing how you have organized them? Mine are in a stack on my seiwng room floor.

Anonymous said...

why oh why did you have to show us this cute little jacket!!! I absolutely have to have one now...LOL!!! Love the fabric and all the details. Great job!

Little Hunting Creek said...

This is so cute on you! And I love the sleeve "oopsie", or, as we say around here, that's a "designer touch"

AllisonC said...

I completely overlooked this pattern last year, it's gorgeous!

meredithp said...

I too missed this completely adorable jacket. Thanks so much for making it. I must have one! :-) Beautiful execution.

Soph said...

GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS, GORGEOUS!!
FANTASTIC WORK, AS ALWAYS!

Cheers
Sophie, Sydney Australia

Anonymous said...

I love it in yellow. the details make it so special. enjoy wearing it!

Lori said...

This is super cute and all the details are wonderful.

Karen said...

I completely missed this one. Off to dig out my 2008 issues. Yours looks great, I love the color on you - it's a great happy piece for the change of season.

Pam Erny said...

This is one very cute jacket...it looks great on you!

Anonymous said...

That is such a cool design! You did a great job!

Amanda S. said...

Wonderful spring jacket. What a great design! I wish I had that Burda.

Jenny said...

Super cute jacket! I need it! Glad to see you back in the swing of sewing:)

Melissa said...

That is adorable! I don't recall ever noticing that jacket - it's super cute and has neat details. Yellow looks pretty on you too!

redhotpepper said...

Very, very cute. I'd bet big money that no one you know in real life will notice the cuffs!

Annie

Katrin said...

A very cute jacket!
I did not recognize this pattern so lovely at all, but your version is stunning.
I love the fabric.

Regards,
Katrin

Kristy Chan said...

As everyone else has already said, this jacket is just gorgeous and such a great colour on you. I've been meaning to make this for ages, now I definately will!

Kim Hood said...

Sweet jacket. I will be making my own for summer now I have seen how good it looks. Will have to adjust the bust to fit - I agree with Caroline (cmarie12) - Burdas large sizea can be really dull.

Anonymous said...

Such a great combination of fabric and design!! Perfect!

flanthrower said...

This is so cute! I love it!

Leslie said...

Gosh that jacket just says 'spring', doesn't it? Love the color, and the details are fabulous. You should really look into buying an ironing press though. :-)

Andrea said...

That jacket is adorable, and you wear it well. I love the detail. Not too much and not too little. Perfect for the weather we've been having.

C. Dishmont said...

I heart that jacket. It looks adorable on you. Hooray for scalloping!

Amy said...

Very, very cute!

Nancy K said...

What a great little jacket! I do love yellow so this appeals to me even more.

Vicki said...

Great job. Great jacket and love the way you have styled it.

ClaireOKC said...

Great jacket - love the pin tucks in the sleeve and your detailing is great - and I bet no one notices the sleeve unless you point it out to them.

DHB said...

That is one crazy cute jacket! I love the color too.

Johanna Lu said...

Super stylish, love the scallops and the pin tucks. Burda really nailed it with this design and your version is gorgeous.

Jorth said...

Wow - I love it! You've done a fantastic job :)

Stefanie said...

Way cute! Can you imagine what it would look like in leather?

Bunny said...

I love this! Those scallops are awesome.

I have made that exact same cuff booboo. No one will notice!

Anonymous said...

I've been wanting to make this jacket, and I noticed no one had reviewed it on patternreview, so I'm glad to see that you have. It looks fabulous! You even made it in one of my favorite colors.

I'm coming to the Burdastyle club meeting. Would you consider wearing it?

Cherylc

Christina said...

Hi Cheryl, sure I will wear it to the Burdastyle meeting!

Marita said...

Your jacket is soo cute and that yellow goes really well with your coloring, I could swear I just made a skirt to my co-worker from this same fabric, how small is this world, LOL!!!

ambika said...

It's just gorgeous! The scalloped edges are such a great, feminine touch & I adore the fabric & lining.

nikkishell said...

This is wonderful! Oh and i only just came across your blog and think it's ace!

Reethi said...

Hey Christina - this is a 3.5 dot pattern, right? Anything in particular that was difficult or complicated with the instructions? I've eyed this for a while, but I don't think my sewing skills are there yet (although trying to sew the jacket would improve them, of course.)

And the jacket looks great! I love it in the yellow, it looks very summery.

TheLuxuriousVagabond said...

beautiful jacket! I now just have to get my hands on that issue of Burda to create my own!

Christina said...

Reethi - It is a 3 dot pattern. I would say the most challenging parts are (1) topstitching, especially along the scallops where you are trying to keep a constant distance from the edge while following the curves, and (2) stitching the curved princess seams (just be patient and mark the seamlines). This is the first time I did cuffs and waistband like this, but the logic is the same as a collar, in which you sew the outer band to the garment, then sew the inner band to the outer band RST, turn it to the inside, and topstitch to hold it in place. Email me if you have any questions!!

Sigrid said...

Beautiful! I totally missed the sleeve detail in BWOF, Love the result of your jacket.

Cennetta said...

Outstanding! Great jacket.

liz said...

um. that's the cutest jacket ever. ever! great job - great find!

Tara Miller said...

I love it! Where can I get this pattern? It is not on the website.

Christina said...

Tara - It's style 102 from the June 2008 issue of Burda magazine. You may be able to find a back issue on Ebay.