More on Butterick 4980

I realized that yesterday's post was all about the construction of the jackets and that there were no photos of the finished jackets. So today's post will rectify that...

Green linen jacket alone:

White silk/linen jacket:

A close-up of the piping and button finish on the white jacket:

The white and green jacket together:

The white jacket and striped skirt together:

There were a few questions...

NancyK asked:

How big is your button stash? I have a very small button stash, because I never can make up my mind about how many to buy. Do you buy for a project or rely on stash buttons? If stash, how do you decide how many to buy?

Somewhere buried deep within three years of postings, *smile* is the fact that for many years I worked in the garment district...switched over to the financial industry when I got divorced. My last gig in the garment district was for a button company...hence the accumulation. I worked there for 2.5 years so I rarely buy buttons now. I rumble through my collection until I find something that works...if by chance I don't have anything...and I can't make a covered button...then and only then do I hit the district looking for a button...but I guarantee you that is an extremely rare incidence and I'm a little annoyed that I have to do it!

Now the question of how many buttons to buy is always an intriguing one. Because technically you should buy for the number of buttons you are going to put on your garment plus one. I always add one because in this instance RTW is correct when they sew an additional button into a garment. However, since many of us buy the fabric and/or pattern before we decide upon its use...this can be tricky! Especially if you are out and about and just see a great button but don't know when or how you will use it. If I find myself in that predicament, I usually buy anywhere between 6-10 buttons.

Since my collection was amassed during my button company gig and there we ordered sample buttons by the gross - I probably have a dozen or two of each style...some more than that. But I think a purchase of 6-10 buttons would make an allowance for any type of garment!

Elizabeth asked:

But you didn't tell us how you resolved the closing issue.

Sorry...when I'm writing up these posts I think I'm being methodical and concise and sometimes it's only in my mind! *LOL* To answer your question though, I resolved the issue by adding an additional 2.5" to the front of the jacket, the yokes overlap better allowing me to add a button and buttonhole. And although the jacket front still swings open, there is less space between the jacket fronts...thus giving me a slimmer silhouette.

Finally, thanks for all of your wonderful compliments and comments on the new pieces...and yes, Claudine, I think I have finally stopped sewing like the wind and am concentrating more on the construction details. I believe it's because I finally have a wardrobe that while it still has a few "holes" in it...it can now stand up to almost any occasion that occurs in my life...especially work related! And Joanne M., in your honor I have renamed my collection from the bulky "Sunshine Yellow Dress and Jacket Collection" to the simpler and more refined "Gelato Collection". Thanks for the inspiration!!!

Tomorrow...Butterick 5347!

Butterick 4980

I made two versions of this jacket back in the spring of 2007. The brown eyelet one only gets worn with the dress that I made to go with it. But the little white one made as my "wearable muslin" saw a lot of wear last summer. So much so that I thought I really should make another one.

After the gelato colored linens arrived...thanks, JoanneM for a great description...I knew that I wanted several more of these little jackets. Now I know that to some this may sound extreme...five of the same jacket just in different colors...but I need a jacket most days at work. And since I commute on public transportation, I ALWAYS need a jacket to keep me from becoming a fudgsicle because the air conditioning is just too high on the bus!

The original little white one worked so wonderfully for me last summer...it was professional when it needed to be...casually cool over a pair of jeans with some heels...and business casual with my 4-gore skirt and a tank top. It was a wonderful piece so three more didn't seem too many when I was planning this wardrobe.

Actually, though there will only be two...the green linen one and a white silk/linen blend. I decided that the yellow one was a little too much color for me!

There aren't many changes from the original one...see this post for the construction details.

*However, I did add one inch to the hem of the garment, and 2.5 inches to the center front for these two jackets. I made this change to both the jacket front piece and the yoke front piece.

*I made a seam in the back yoke piece for added interest...when the original pattern calls for this piece to be cut on the fold.

*I also added an inch to the center back seam and the back yoke piece and for this version I added quite a bit of topstitching to it.

This jacket is unlined and as such it needed some interior finishing. For the green version, I thought it would be kewl to add a Hong Kong finish using bias binding strips cut from the coordinating dress fabric. All of the vertical seams were finished using the Hong Kong finishing technique. For the armhole seams I just folded the binding in half and sewed it down. And I used the flat bias binding as a hem facing on both the jacket hems as well as the sleeve hems.

I love how the interior of the jacket looks with this very colorful bias binding.

These two buttons were pulled from the collection since they coordinated beautifully with the both the jacket and dress fabric.

I only added two buttons to the top because I didn't want to take away from the original design. However, I did resolve the closing issue that I had with the first two jackets that are referenced in the original post.

Here are some shots of the white jacket's interior:

Yes, I made the bias binding for this jacket too using a roll of unfinished bias strips that I've had for several years.

And one of these buttons will grace the front of the jacket:

I also underlined all of the jacket pieces with a fine cotton batiste for this version because I thought the fabric needed a little oomph to it:

The white version still has some finishing to be done to it...hems, buttonholes & buttons added before it can go into the rotation! But it will be ready to wear for the new work week.

I'm really happy with both new versions of this jacket and highly recommend the pattern!

Today I'm off from work and will sew for a little while after watching the Little Prince so his Momma can do some errands. I really want to start work on the Butterick 5347 dress. I have the best yellow cotton/silk paisley print waiting for this dress which when finished will work sooooo well with both jackets!

As always...more later!