Last month’s Minerva Crafts Bloggers’ Network project was this duster coat in a burgundy cotton drill, that I made for my sister.
Continue reading “Cotton duster coat”
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Category: Jackets
Sew Over It Coco Jacket No. 2
For the first time ever, I made the same pattern twice, literally back to back.
I was so happy with my first Sew Over It Coco Jacket that I went straight on to make another one from a black Linton Tweed wool that I’d been holding onto for exactly this purpose.
SOI Coco Jacket
I tried out the new Sew Over It Coco Jacket pattern. My verdict?: Continue reading “SOI Coco Jacket”
Le Cropped Trench
Schnittchen Coco jacket
Wow, I haven’t done a blog post in forever!! Life has been very hectic of late. I’ve missed this, though, and have been squeezing in little bits of sewing with multiple projects on the go, so it felt sooo good to finally finish one!
Pattern Review
Pattern: Coco Jacket by Scnittchen
Fabric: a medium weight wool, lined with sandwashed silk, both from Goldhawk Road. I got the last 1.4m of the wool and it hurts my soul that there wasn’t any more! The pictures don’t capture it, but it’s a lovely olive green/black combination weave. The silk was actually intended for an Ogden Cami, but it was on top of the wool in my cupboard and when I saw how nice they looked together, I simply had to use it here.
Sizing/Alterations: I sewed a size 36 and was pleasantly surprised by how well the muslin fit. The only alteration was to take a couple of small darts out of the back neckline, which is becoming a standard alteration for me.
Instructions: the instructions were clear enough for me, although this is not my first time making a jacket. It’s not my fiftieth either though, so if you’re a confident beginner it would be a nice one to start with as it’s a relatively simple style. There’s also a photo tutorial which helps if you want to check any steps or just use that instead of the instructions.
Oh, and the pattern is based on a 3/8″ seam allowance, smaller than the usual 5/8″. I had made up a muslin and my wool was stable, so I just went with it, and it was actually fine. But I’m planning a version with a loosely woven Linton fabric so will probably cut wider seam allowances on that one!
I decided to try something new and put a bit of contrast flat piping between the lining and the facing of the jacket, and I LOVE the result! I had read a tutorial ages ago on how to do it, and when it popped into my head to use on this project, I thought, why not?! I wasn’t sure about the colour of the contrast bit when I laid it on the fabric and lining, but I think it works well on the finished product.
Difficulty: you can do it!! It’s less effort than a tailored jacket but still a lovely jacket at the end of it!
Would I recommend, or sew it again?: I’ve already started cutting out another and have a black one with long sleeves in mind too! Definitely recommend.
Sew Over It Francine jacket – part two
Also known as, the big reveal! So, here’s the jacket:
In part one of this post, I reviewed the first two weeks of the Sew Over It Francine jacket class, so this is just a wrap up post and a chance to show you the finished product!
The third and final class was focused on the insides and building up the necessary support before closing out the lining. Julie showed us how to insert a wadding sleeve head to round out the sleeves at the shoulders, and then how to position and insert the shoulder pads.
Next up we attached the lining and did various bits of hand stitching to stabilise the inner seam allowances and secure the lining to the jacket at key points. That’s about as much as we were able to finish in class, so Julie spent the last fifteen minutes taking us through the last bits of hand stitching that would be required to finish the jacket. We did have the printed instructions and picture booklets to refer to, but it was still nerve-wracking finishing the jacket off without Julie’s demonstrations and supervision!
As recommended, I took the jacket along to DM Buttons in Soho, where for 10 minutes of my time and a mere £6 (!), I got four covered buttons and three professional bound keyhole buttons on my jacket!
I managed to resist trying to sew the buttons on on the commute to work, but it was a close call!
Before I knew it, she was all done and I quite happily wore her into work the next time I was due in the office.
I had been worried that she would be too warm since I had to underline the lightweight rayon I used for the lining, but I was super comfortable in my Francine all day long. Our air conditioning is always high so even on a hot summers day outside, the office is a bit chilly, so with a sleeveless cami it was perfect.
I’m already planning another Francine, with pockets and maybe a notched collar. The best thing is that I have a pattern with Julie’s expert fitting adjustments so I will probably be coming back to this pattern again and again as I build out my homemade working wardrobe.
If you’re on the fence about taking this class, buying the pattern (if it has been released!) or taking a similar tailored jacket class, I’d definitely say to go for it. I’ve bought suit jackets that cost more than the class and didn’t fit me half as well, and always ended up giving them away as I simply didn’t like them enough to wear them much. But something tells me they’ll be seeing a lot of my Francine at the office from now on 🙂
– Michelle –
