The Call of the Red Suede Wild!

When I last left you, my red suede for the leather version of the Islander Fast and Fabulous Jacket looked like this.

It now looks like this. Not yet completed, but well on its way.

Working with any type of skin, it can take a little finagling on the part of cutting out the pattern. 

I had 3 skins that totaled just about 28 square feet. That would seem like quite a bit, but skins are not rectangular pieces of fabric, and there are imperfections. 
In order to get the jacket out of the skins that I had, some changes needed to be made. I'll walk you through them. 

For shaping over the shoulder, the raglan sleeve has a neckline dart. Rather than sew in a dart, I split the sleeve down the center and turned the dart into a seam. A raglan sleeve is also quite large, so splitting it down the middle made pieces that are much easier to position on the suede. 

1/2" seam allowances were added to the sleeve seams. 

Once the seams were stitched, I then top stitched them  to hold them in place. 

The front jacket pattern was also cut apart to allow for better placement on the suede. I chose to make a diagonal seam from the sleeve notch to center front. 

1/2" seam allowance added. The seam was sewn and then top stitched in place.

The seam was left at center back and a coordinating diagonal line was drawn in to the back jacket.

As with the other pieces, a 1/2" seam allowance was added.

The center back seam as well as the diagonal seams were top stitched.

Once I have top stitched my side seams, I'll be ready to attach my lining and the facings.  

In my next post, I'll show you how I am constructing the lining. You just might be amazed by how easy it is to do!

I need to finish the blue jacket, but the red suede was calling out to me, so I just had to put the other jacket aside and get this one finished :) At least I'll be ready when the cool fall temperatures arrive.

Details Can Really Make a Garment Pop!

I have recently begun to long for a new little dog, a puppy, a little puppy that's brand new to this world. As tempting as a purebred is, it will be a little rescue pup. I've looked at so many rescue sites. While looking last night, there was a little pup that caught my eye, but the angel in my heart whispered, "wait, not yet." The older I get, the more I am learning to listen to that angel who lives in my heart, she always knows best.

A year ago, my Little Bit was beginning to struggle. The stairs were an issue, but she had learned to call for me when she wanted to come down, and of course I would come running to her aide. The tumor in her jaw had also begun to grow. It's still heartbreaking to think about it, but hearts do heal, and mine is mending. It's amazing what time can do :) 

After what has turned out to be a busy summer, things are returning to normal, and I'm getting back to my neglected projects.

Just about a month ago, I shared with you the jacket below that I made using the Islander Fast and Fabulous Jacket pattern. I was very pleased with the finished jacket. 

  

Taking a look at the pattern cover, you can see that I tapered the jacket at the waist. Although I was very pleased with the pattern, I found the sleeves to be a little short and advised to lengthen the sleeve. 

The jacket was designed to be a fast make by serging the seams. While that's great, I wanted do another where a little more time is taken to give the jacket just a bit more pizzazz. 

The jacket below is a linen and denim blend. I purchased a fun coordinating fabric that I used to bind the seams.

I absolutely love how it looks. It's now one of those jackets that I enjoy looking at the inside as much as the outside.

I decided to pipe the outer edge of the jacket. As you can see, I'm not quite finished.

For a little added interest, I included the vent and piped it as well.

I plan to pipe the edge of the welt for the welt pockets, and I think I will also do piped bound buttonholes. Why not, right? :)

I'm going to do one final jacket and this one will be out of suede, and lined. So you'll be able to see just how versatile the pattern is.  

 The Fast and Fabulous Jacket pattern is a great pattern that lends itself to so many fabric possibilities. And...it's perfect whether you want something quick to make, or you want to add a little more detail.

Back to the studio!
Rhonda

New Winners and a New Jacket

Last Monday I announced the winners of the new Islander Fast and Fabulous Jacket Pattern. Sadly, Karen Roop was the only one of the 3 winners to respond :( So one's loss is another's gain!

The 2 new winners of the pattern are:

Kathy Shrank

Kim Caywood

Congratulations ladies!!! Be sure to email me at sewbussted@yahoo.com ASAP with your mailing info. 

I've decided to make 2 more jackets. After I made the first, I decided that I really would like one made in leather. But before I get to that one, I would like another that will be great for summer, especially in air condition. I get so cold sometimes.

I found a lovely piece of denim that actually has a little linen in the fiber content which softens the denim beautifully. I also purchased a light blue woven cotton to pipe the jacket and bind the seams.

The denim has the traditional twill weave, but like I said, softer with the addition of the linen.

The lighter blue cotton has a matching diamond of the blue denim in the weave. I love the first jacket I made, but I wanted to step up the construction a bit by binding the interior seams. Besides that, jackets look so lovely when you take them off and there's something interesting on the inside that catches the eye. 

Once I get started on the jacket, I'll show you a fun stretch cotton I purchased for pants. I think it will work well with the denim. 

Just a reminder that Janet has graciously offered a 20% discount to anyone who comes by the blog. Just use the promo code SEWBUSS at checkout. The discount is good until Saturday, July 22, 2017. You can find the paper pattern HERE, and the PDF pattern HERE.

Happy Sewing!
Rhonda 

Fast Really Can Be Fabulous!

Making a garment that requires many steps, underlining, lining, handstitching, bound buttonholes, etc. can be a wonderful challenge. But there are times when we just want to make something up quickly that will still result in a good looking garment, and of course, something that doesn't look homemade. The Fast and Fabulous Jacket from Islander Sewing really fits the bill. It's super fast to make, and the results are, well, fabulous!

Since this is an unlined jacket, I chose a fabric that basically does not have a right or wrong side. 

 Here's my almost finished jacket. 

The back. As you can see, the fabric is a bit of an abstract stripe/plaid, so it required a bit of matching, but not down center back since there is no center back seam.

Although the garment is unlined, we still want the inside to look polished and finished. The first step has you serge the edges of the front, back, and sleeves. Another option would be to bind the edges, but of course this takes more time. And because of the way the way that the pattern has been designed, lining it would also be a snap. So lots of options.

In the photo below, I turned my jacket wrong side out so you could see the serged seams.

Love the shaped hemline. A nice aspect about a shaped hemline is that it is especially slimming. 

If you look closely, you'll see that I have not hemmed my sleeves. One thing to keep in mind is that I found the sleeves to be short, and I do not have long arms. So in cutting your jacket, you might want to add a few inches to sleeve. Remember, the extra can always be cut off. A bit of a challenge to add it back. For me the fix will be easy as I'll just bind the edge of the sleeve.

  

The facing finishes the jacket in a snap. I sewed my facing together and then pressed back 1/4" prior to sewing the facing to the jacket. Once the facing was attached, I pinned down the facing and stitched it down. Finished!!!

The jacket was designed to either be made with no buttonholes, or just 1 at the neckline. I decided to do a little something different and used a purse clasp.

I like the unexpected touch :)

I did make a slight alteration to the jacket and tapered it in at the waistline. I did find the pattern very true to size, so pay attention to the measurements prior to cutting. 

The jacket is designed with raglan sleeves, so it's easy to fit and even easier to sew. 

I have not sewn in the pockets at this point. I wanted to get the jacket together before adding the pockets. If you've never done a welt pocket, by all means, give it a try on a scrap prior to sewing it into your jacket. But, the instructions really make the process quite simple, so give it a try.

If you didn't catch yesterday's post, Janet is offering the pattern at a 20% discount to all who come by the blog. Just use the code SEWBUSS at checkout. You can find the paper pattern HERE, and the downloadable pattern HERE. The discount is good until July 22, 2017. 

Happy Sewing!
Rhonda

The Fast and Fabulous Jacket Pattern Giveaway and a Treat For All!

Good Morning!
My day begin with a shivering dog panting in my ear at 4:00 a.m. mind you.  We have quite a thunderstorm rolling through Chicago. As much as it upsets my poor dog, I love summer thunderstorms as they make my tomatoes grow. There's nothing like rain water for the garden and the added electricity of a thunderstorm seems to make everything burst with growth. So, always a silver lining :)

Today is the announcement of the winners of the Fast and Fabulous Jacket pattern from Islander Sewing. So without further adieu, the winners are...

Sewlovely

Angela

Karen Roop

Congratulations Ladies!!! Be sure to email me right away at sewbussted@yahoo.com with you mailing instructions so I can pass it along to Janet. I know she would like to get your patterns out to you as soon as possible.

Now for everyone else...

Janet has agreed to give you a 20% discount on the pattern!!! How nice :) To get your discount, just use the code SEWBUSS at checkout.  The discount will be good until July 22, 2017. You can find the paper pattern HERE, and the downloadable pattern HERE.

I made up the jacket last week and was quite happy with the results. So pop back by tomorrow to see what I made :)

Have a  wonderful day!
Rhonda 

Let's Celebrate With A Giveaway!!!

Here in the United States, it's the 4th of July, a day for celebrating. So it's all the more fitting, that I have something wonderful to share and celebrate. Janet Pray of Islander Patterns is just about to launch a brand new pattern, the Fast and Fabulous Jacket. And even better, she has given me the opportunity to give away 3 patterns!!! That's right 3 patterns!

This is a great jacket for pulling a look together. Great for airplane rides that can be a little chilly, and wonderful to pull on over a simple pair of black pants and create an entirely new look, so the perfect addition to a travel wardrobe.

The jacket features raglan sleeves, a u-shaped neckline, and welt pockets. The u-shaped neckline is perfect for pairing with scarves and even a statement piece of jewelry.   

The jacket is made even more flattering with the extended back length. View B features a split tail that would be fun to accent with eyelets and lacing.

The jacket is unlined, so perfect for spring, summer and fall. The design lends itself to everything from fun home dec fabrics, to denim, and even leather. 

So if you would like an opportunity to win 1 of the 3 patterns that I have to give away, just leave a message on this post. Simple!!!

You'll have until midnight CST Sunday June 9, 2017 to enter your name. Names will be drawn and winners announced on Monday, June 10, 2017.

Good Luck!!!

Rhonda