Sunday Update

Well I finished the dress and I will have pics as soon as someone gets home...so more on that later!

Today, I'm working on a UFO.  Now I'm not a believer in UFOs.  I either fix them, finish them or toss them!  I have way too much fabric, patterns and ideas to hold onto things that don't work.  So if a UFO exists in my collection, it's because I've put alot of work into it and don't want to lose it or I've just not given up on the piece yet.

This jacket just has way too much work in it to toss it.  So it sat waiting for me to come back to it...and it took me some time.  I hadn't realized that I started working on this jacket in November 2008.  It's been hanging on my closet door since then...WOW!  Anyway, here are the posts on it.  Of course since the jacket is almost 2 years old, I am now searching through my project notebooks looking for the construction details...*sigh*  I've had three project notebooks since then! *double sigh*

But I've charged ahead...the inital challenge that annoyed me and caused me to ignore the jacket is that the lining is too short. 

I think I've figured out a plan to fix that and after trying the jacket on, I now realize that it's also too big.  Gawd, how did I do that?  So right now I'm taking out the side seams on the jacket body and lining and will attempt to reduce some of the extra space there.  Why there?  Because the other seams are all topstitched down and I'm just not biting that bullet!

Originally I was going to make a dress to go under the jacket but I've fallen in love with the bowtie blouse from Vogue 1127...so much so that I want to make one for my SWAP...yes, I'm still swapping though you wouldn't be able to tell that from what I'm sewing now, right? *LOL*  I believe that I have enough of the painted silk (which started this adventure) to make the trial top from...and there is enough of the red doubleknit to make a straight skirt to wear with the jacket and top.  So that's what I will be working on today.

As far as my SWAP plan...I still have one pair of pants, a vest, and 5 tops to make.  I really think that I can get all of this done by the April 30th deadline.  That's 8 more weekends and I don't think I've picked really complicated tops...I also have another 3 day weekend in there so hopefully that will help me finish it up.

Okay, back to my sewing machine.  I had to take a break to put away the groceries that were delivered and eat some lunch...and I've been listening to my iPod as I've been sewing this weekend...

The soundtrak of the weekend has been, Mary J. Blige's "Stronger with each tear"; Maxwell's "BLACKsummers'night"; Melanie Fiona's, "The Bridge" and Michael Jackson's, "Greatest Hits".

as always...more later!

Vogue 8137 - An Update

Two weekends and still no finished jacket! See that's why suit sewing is soooo hard for me! *LOL* Since the only progress I made in the Christmas sewing was to get everything out and prewashed, I thought I would give you an update on my jacket progress so far...

I made quite a few alterations to the jacket body that I will put into the review of the finished garment...but the main change that I made and that's reflected in my progress report is that the pattern front comes with the front facing attached to the pattern body. I cut this apart and added 5/8" seam allowances to both sides of the pattern pieces. This is just my personal quirk but I like putting a lining in with a sewn in facing versus a cut-on facing.

So picture time...first here is a picture of the lining and the facing on Lulu:

Here is one of where I left the jacket last night:

There is still alot of work to do on the jacket to make it wearable, but I am loving the hand-painted lining against the red fabric:

Now about that button choice...thanks for all of your votes and opinions but I'm going with #4 because I plan on making a dress (yes, a dress!) to go with this jacket and some smaller buttons in the #4 styling will work wonderfully on the dress...and yes, of course I have a master plan...which will be revealed some time in the future!

Vogue 8137 - A Beginning

Today I started working on the red doubleknit - constructing the jacket from Vogue 8137:

I pulled this from Vogue's website...this pattern is now out of print...but I have to tell you that if this was the cover of the pattern envelope I probably wouldn't have bought it! *LOL* My envelope has a totally different colorway and model on it!  ETA:  The website now shows the same picture that I've replaced with a copy of the pattern I have on-hand.

Nevertheless, I got the shell sewn together and the lining all cut out! I'm loving the painted fabric!!!

A pic of the jacket shell on Lulu:


I have plans next weekend so I don't know if I will get back to this anytime soon...hopefully before Christmas...but who knows because I still have Christmas sewing to do!!!

Also I need a little help...below is a picture of the buttons that I'm auditioning...please take a moment and tell me which ones you prefer. Let's call them 1-4, left to right, okay!



Have a great week!