Pepernoot Fashion Show

Since I shared my finished hoodless Pepernoot jacket with you, it has become my favorite go to piece. The weather has been rather cool in Chicago, so this version has been perfect. 

You may remember the sew along I did for Sew News. Whenever I wear this jacket, I get sooo many compliments. It really is cute, but the fabric pills, so I may get one more season out of it, but that's it. Really disappointed. But, it opens the door for something new, always a silver lining :) BTW, the fabric came from the home dec department at Joann Fabrics. It may still be available, so stay away! 

I really love the big, bold, flower power jacket. Also a home dec fabric, but it has worn beautifully. Not from Joann's. The hood was lined in velvet and it feels to good when pulled over my head.

The hoodless horseman ;)

So easy to wear. Over the weekend, I paired it with my Ginger jeans. The skirt is my planes, trains and boat fabric. Sadly, I didn't have enough of the lining fabric to make a blouse. But, I think I like a white top better anyway.

When I originally showed you the finished jacket, I mentioned that I did not put the zippers in the pockets. The pockets function well with the zippers and without. So another nice option :)

And my crazy, fun lining.

Be sure to visit the Waffle Patterns website. I think the world of Yuki, the designer. I have been so very pleased with all of her patterns that I have made, and she is super sweet on top of it all.

I have had a number of people ask about the shoes I am wearing. I have fallen in love with Jambu shoes. I purchased a pair of sandals last summer and wore them with just about everything. This was a new this year style and I thought they were so cute. I have gone between the pair I bought last year and this pair all summer long. You would think I only own 2 pairs of shoes!!! They are no longer available on the Jambu website, but you can find them in black leather or suede HERE, and other colors HERE on Amazon. 

Have a wonderful day!
Rhonda

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

Fabulous Free Pattern Friday/Geometric Dream Jacket

It's been 3 1/2 years since I made the Geometric Dreams Jacket! When I initially made it up for the Fabulous Free Pattern Friday post, I always intended to make up another in a nicer fabric. Sadly, that did not happen. But the jacket has been my go to jacket any time I'm a little chilly, and that's most of the time.

 Just to refresh your memory, the jacket begins as a basic shrug.

The bottom portion of the jacket is basically a half circle and a triangle. 

The time has finally come for a new jacket in a much nicer fabric. I decided to do a little experimenting as I wanted to see if the jacket really did need to be made in a knit fabric. It does not! This jacket is made out of a woven fabric with a little Lycra, so basically a stretch woven.The fabric is wool with about 3% Lycra.

The jacket is basically the same as the first except that I allowed more for the collar, and I added a little to the length. My half circle for the lower portion of the jacket is wider than my fabric would allow. In order to have the width I needed, I had to cut 2 half circles that are more like a rectangle with a rounded edge.

Again, since my fabric was not as wide as the fabric I used for the original jacket, so I needed to add cuffs to the sleeves. I cut the cuffs on the bias just to give a little definition. 

In the future, I may give the jacket another go in a less subtle plaid as I think it might be a lot of fun.

If you would like to make a Geometric Dreams Jacket of your own, you can find the instructions HERE.
Have fun!
Rhonda

I Need To Do Something Just For Me

Sometimes we get caught up in doing, doing, doing. Doing for our spouse, doing for commitments, be it work or charitable commitments, doing for friends, and the list can go on and on. Then we come to a point that we just need to do something for ourselves, just for fun.  

A number of years ago, I talked about working through The Artist's Way. A fabulous experience and well worth your time. One of the commitments that you make while working through the book is to take a weekly artist's date. It can be just for an hour, but doing something that you really want to do and doing it alone. It can be something as simple as taking an hour long soaking bath, or something a little more extravagant like taking a horseback riding lesson. For those of us who sew, taking a little time to make something just because we want to can be an artist's date. And that's what I'm about to do :)

I recently saw the Sydney Jacket from Tessuti Fabrics, and loved it.

The line drawing is what will either suck me in or make me turn the other way. The Sydney Jacket sucked me in :) What did it for me was the yoke shaping.

Other than the side seams, the seams are actually overlapped and then stitched, so the fabric needs to be one that will not ravel, like a melton wool, boiled wool, fleece, etc. The jacket also features a pocket with a faux welt, so super easy to do. Also take note that this is an unlined jacket, so you need a fabric that is either double sided, reversible or has a nice back.  

I purchased the fabric pictured below a while back. It was a piece that I ordered online. I wasn't exactly pleased when it arrived. The fabric is fine, just not exactly what it looked like online. The fabric is more blood red than cherry red, and as it turns out, it will work perfectly with the Sydney Jacket pattern, so all is not lost. 

The pattern has been downloaded, printed, taped together and cut out, so now I just need to cut my fabric and get started. I'm so excited as I think this will be a super fun project.

And before I go, I wanted to share with you a fabric that I recently purchased. It's swirly!!!! The fabric is wool. I actually found it in the home dec department. It was marked down, but still expensive, so I purchased just enough for a skirt. I laid it over the red fabric above for the photograph, but I think I might underline it in black. We'll see. When the fabric is held up, the little swirly discs hang down and bounce. I think this is going to be a hoot to wear!

I can't wait to get my jacket together, so stay tuned for the final result. 
Be sure to take a little time for yourself. It really is so important.
Rhonda 

Fabulous Free Pattern Friday/Geometric Dreams Jacket

I feel like it has been such a long time since I've done a FFPF post. But it was only two weeks ago as I missed last Friday due to the fact that I was trying to get my garment finished for the Passion For Fashion contest. I have been wiped out all week, but I'm back with a fun little jacket. Believe it or not, it's just one rectangle, one half circle and one triangle. I'm calling it the 

Geometric Dreams Jacket 

The half circle actually wraps all the way around and stops at the center back neckline. The excess of the circle falls over the back or drapes to the front.

In this picture of the back, you can see the triangle that radiates out of center back.
This piece needs to be made with a knit. It does not need to be a two-way stretch knit, but it should have a nice stretch in the crosswise grain. The first measurement that you will need is the measurement around your arm.

Cut a rectangle from your fabric, I cut mine from one side of the selvedge to the other. The width of your rectangle will be the measurement around your arm. The width of my rectangle was 14". You will need to sew the ends of the rectangle and leave the center area open. This should not be tight under your arm, so you may need to adjust your stitching.

A view of the now tube from the back. This is just a basic shrug at this point.

Measure the center opening of the tube you have just sewn. This will determine the width of your half circle. You will need this measurement plus 6 to 8" for the top portion of the collar. I was able to use the width of my fabric. The length of your half circle will be the desired length from the bottom of the shrug/tube.

With your fabric folded, or if you need more width you will need a double piece of fabric. As you see above, draw in a curve along the edge of your fabric.

If you are able to cut the half circle on the fold, cut your half circle in half.

In order for the jacket to hang well at center back, you will need to add a triangle. The width of the triangle at the widest point should be 3/4 of your hip measurement. So if your hips are 40", your triangle at the widest point will be 30". The length will be the same as the center cut edge of your half circles. Sew together as you see above.  

Now take the half circles and the triangle that you have sewn together and sew to the center opening of your tube as you see above. leave the excess length of the half circle free. This will form the portion of the collar that drapes to the front of the jacket or over the back, your choice.

As I said, the triangle is necessary as the lower portion of the jacket will not hang free without the extra fabric. You can see below the center of the triangle at center back.

The triangle will wrap to the front and give your hips the room that they need.

Finish the edges, hem the sleeves and you are good to go. If you would like, you can taper the sleeves. I chose not to as I would like to wear other pieces under the jacket and I don't want the sleeves to end up being too tight. A super easy jacket and there are only 3 easy pieces!

Happy Friday Everyone!!!!