Envelope of Simplicity pattern 4047
Last September I described the somewhat daunting process of laying out and cutting pattern pieces for a 1950s-style jacket.
In general, the construction went pretty well. My prediction about the fiendish collar was spot-on, and I made a slight mess of the turning-point on the right side. Not a big deal, because it’s hidden by the turned-back collar.
Slightly more embarrassing is the fact that, even after agonising for days about the cutting-out, I managed to place one panel on the wrong side of the embroidered grey fabric.
Yes, one panel of the jacket is actually showing the wrong side of the fabric — but you’d never notice if I hadn’t told you.
The mostly-finished jacket hung on the wardrobe door for several months, waiting for the final bits of hand-stitching — attaching lining to neck, shoulder, side and back seams; turning up the cuff facings and attaching them to the sleeve lining.
1950s jacket, made by me
It finally occurred to me that the best place to do this fiddly work was at Mum and Dad’s place, away from helpful and curious cats. One Sunday dinner and an episode of “Poirot” later, the jacket is finally finished!
(More photos of the jacket at Flickr.)
This sudden spurt of creativity — starting home renovations, making new clothes etc — has been building up for about 18 months now. I’d been feeling a lack of balance for some time, and it took a range of different influences and inspirations to help me work out what was missing.
By way of homage, here are links to a few of those inspirations…
If you want to see truly gorgeous photos of handcrafts, flowers and other small objects, have a look Nora’s lovely Black Dog Knits blog or greenolive’s photos on Flickr. Ms Greenolive has reinvented her professional and creative life over the last couple of years, and it’s been a privilege to observe her progress via her greenolive blog.
My favorite place for pictures of hand-made clothes and sewing-related inspiration is Erin McKean’s A Dress A Day blog. By day, Erin is a dictionary editor. In her spare time she’s a mother and keen advocate of dress-making and dress-wearing. The frocks she makes are full of individuality and spirit.
The Lettered Cottage is a recent discovery, Layla’s beautiful (and educational!) blog about renovating a house in Alabama.
Linnet is a Japanese company that specialises in linen. Gorgeous, gorgeous linens. They deliver world-wide, so keep your credit-card handy when visiting their site. (The navigation and purchasing process on the Linnet site are a bit challenging — stick with it, you’ll soon get the hang of it and you won’t regret the effort.) If you want more visual loveliness, there’s a Flickr group for Linnet fans.
Finally, I had intended to mention A Little Goodness, an Etsy shop where Leslie sells Japanese fabrics, trims and pattern books. However, Leslie and her partner H-Kun are moving to Canada and she’s closing down the shop. I’ll have to find somewhere else to get my regular dose of unusual fabric designs and colors.
Thanks for the mention! It’s nice to “meet” you!
:-)
Layla