OOTD and a Sneak Peek

Happy Wednesday All! Well, I have blown my goal of posting everyday this week, sigh. Sometimes, the best we can do, is the best we can do :)

I had a fabulous week last week, such diverse experiences. I was invited to a party that was hosted by a heli-skiing group out of Canada. They gave everyone who attended the chance to virtually experience what what heli-skiing is like. Wow!!! It was so realistic that I had to hold on to the chair that I was sitting in. We flew to the top of a mountain where we got out of the helicopter. As the helicopter began to fly away, I felt a tiny bit of panic and wanted to scream out, "don't leave us here!" One thing I do know is that this level of skiing is truly above my ability!!!

On Sunday, we attended the most wonderful concert. A friend of ours has just been named the new conductor for the Northbrook Symphony. What a delight it was to be there for his inaugural concert. He has worked so very hard for this opportunity. Isn't it wonderful when you see someone's hard work pay off?!!

You've seen all of this before, but to get myself back into the swing of things, I thought I would share with you my outfit of the day...from yesterday. I wore my Ginger Jeans from Closet Case Patterns. The jacket is a free pattern from Sew News. You can find the free pattern HERE. It was a cool, rainy, grey day, so something a little bright just seemed to fit. The fabric that I used for the jacket is a Kantha quilt that I purchased from India. Love it!!!

The only thing I am wearing that I did not make is my scarf. My t-shirt is the Molly Tee from Pattern Union. At this point, I think I have made at least 10 of these babies. And the sweetest part of the picture, Mr. Berkley, my little sidekick :)

I never finished my portion of the challenge that Becky of Trial Balloons and I had back in August, thanks to me coming down with shingles :/ Anyway, our final challenge was to take something and re-create it into something that we will enjoy wearing.

Our first thought was to head to a resale shop and find an old pair of pants that we could redo into something new. Like Becky,the idea of taking apart some old pair of pants that I had no idea of where they had been was a little icky. So, I headed to my closet instead. After all, it's not like my closet is anywhere near empty ;) What I found was the dress you see below. A friend of mine had given me the dress, something she had found in a resale shop. Had never been worn. First issue is that the dress is a little too large. I could take it up, but as I looked at it, I realized that I would never really wear it enough for it to merit continuing to be a dress, especially a long dress. The fabric is a gorgeous silk, and it is underlined in silk. 

There is a lot of fabric in this dress. Below you can see that I have pulled aside the front overlay. The overlay is completely backed with the same silk fabric. So yes, lots of fabric, and plenty for a fun pair of pants, pants that I will actually wear and enjoy. As a dress, I would only enjoy wearing it maybe twice. 

What I actually made is the surprise to come :) 

Be sure to check out the fabulous bag and skirt that Becky made from her overalls. The bag is the perfect shopping tote as she incorporated all the pockets from the overalls. The zipper treatment she did on the skirt is super sweet. In the end, all she had left were minuscule scraps that only a bird who is building a nest could find a use for!!! You can see it all HERE.  

Believe it or not, I actually had to make myself sit down and do a blog post, but I am so happy I did! It's nice to be back :)

Rhonda

The Finished Kantha Quilt

My Kantha Quilt jacket is finished and just in time for the beautiful weather we are having in Chicago. I am so pleased with the jacket, In my last post about the jacket, I said that I might want to trim down the collar. I wore the jacket a few days ago when I met up with some friends. Both of them loved the collar and felt that I should leave it alone. So what do you think? 

My husband and I were out early this morning and had a little fun with the pictures. The pictures were actually taken in an alley!! This is the garage door for the Lill Street Art Art Center. We are really quite fortunate here in Chicago as we have some very interesting art pieces like this that are available to see just as you drive by. Over the summer I hope to make a little more use of some of these in my pictures. 

I added pockets to the jacket, but wasn't able to match the pattern as I had already cut the remainder of my fabric for another project. I decided that since the pattern is quite busy and the binding does serve as a break, then it's not so noticeable that I didn't match the pattern. At least that is what I'm telling myself ;) The jacket is great unbelted.

Here's a view of the back. 

 Now belted.

So weigh in on the collar and let me know what you think. For the time being, I plan to wear it as is and then make a decision. But, it will be interesting to hear what you think as well.
If by chance you missed the info on the pattern, it's a free pattern from Sew News and you can find it HERE. I'm planning to use the pattern one more time for another piece that I think you'll find interesting. So download the pattern before it's gone. I really is a great pattern and it's quite versatile as well.

The Kantha Quilt Jacket Almost Finished and Something to Think About

My Kantha Quilt jacket is just about finished. I could actually wear it at this point, but I would like to add pockets. As much as I sometimes try to convince myself that I don't need pockets, I always end up looking for them ;)  The jacket is completely reversible as you can see below. I was especially please with how the batik print blended with the pattern in the quilt.

I used the batik to finish off all of the seams. Below is the neckline seam.

 The armhole seam.

 And the underarm seam.

 Now, for something to think about if you use the Sew News pattern. The collar is quite large.

I think that what I will do is trim the collar down, following the pins that you see in the picture below. The quilt fabric has more body and so the collar sticks out more than what I would like and it seems rather overwhelming. At least in my opinion.

I rounded off the corners of the jacket because I plan to attach a round pocket and felt that the round edges would work together a little better. I also plan to make a tie belt to wear with the jacket.
I was asked about the size of my quilt Here's a link to a quilt that is the same size that I purchased, https://www.etsy.com/listing/153329073/tiwn-quilt-blue-ikat-kantha-quilt?ref=shop_home_active_3
My quilt measured out to be approximately 2 1/2 yards long by a little less than 60" wide.
I was also asked about the condition of the quilt. The materials that were used for this quilt seem to be new, so the fabric was in good shape. I did not have to worry about holes are worn areas. But remember, this is a handmade item, so there are imperfections. There are areas where the stitching has not been knotted, or the thread ends have not been cut. None of the imperfections were and issue for me as I rather like the fact that it's handmade and not perfect.  

 

I was asked about a schematic of the pattern that I used. There isn't one, but I have laid the pattern out in the picture below so you can get an idea of how it is shaped. Please take a look at this post to see the changes that I made to the sleeve.

I'm planning to wear the jacket next week, so you'll see the completely finished then.

Thrifty Thursday/An Easy Chic Jacket

An Easy Chic Free Jacket Pattern From Sew News

This jacket is actually a Thrifty Thursday pattern repeat. First of all, I really like the pattern and it works so well for what I wanted to do. This jacket was originally in the December/January 2014 issue of Sew News.

You may remember the boiled wool jacket that I made from this pattern. You can find my original post HERE.

A few weeks ago, Shams of www.communing.blogspot.com posted a great jacket that she had made using a Kantha quilt. You can see her jacket HERE. Below is Heidi Klum in an original Kantha jacket. 

I was in love!!!, so I headed directly over to Etsy and found this shop and the quilt that is quickly becoming a jacket which you see below. Shams did a much more tailored version which is incredibly beautiful and artistic, but I liked the voluminous version that you see on Heidi, so I knew where to head for my pattern.  

Since the quilt is backed, the jacket can be reversible. I stitched down my center back seam.

                     
If I want to wear the jacket with the reverse side out, then the collar will have the pattern.

The seams as well as my raw edges will need to be finished. I found the batik print that you see below which I will use to make bias tape and then finish my seams and raw edges.

If you like the jacket pattern that Sew News posted, I recommend downloading it soon as I'm not sure of how much longer it will be available. You can find the pattern HERE. It is a PDF pattern, so you will have to tape it together, but there are only 3 pattern pieces so the taping doesn't take that much time.
I'll post my completed jacket as soon as I 'm finished. The weather is supposed to take a turn toward some warmer temperatures next week, so I want to get it finished in order to enjoy the jacket as well as the warmth!!!
Thanks Shams for the inspiration!!!