McCall's 7818 and the Arielle skirt

 

 

I can't believe it is a month since I last blogged.  I guess I'm still trying to get used to my new routine.  I'm enjoying my new job, challenging and a real opportunity to make a difference.  Some lovely people and I'm glad to be back at work.  It makes the days when you don't work more special.  I guess I'm not ready to retire.

Though I haven't been blogging, I have been sewing.  Mostly slower projects, and, as it seems, a lot of jackets. 

 

This one is  is McCall's 7818, one of their new winter patterns.  It's a Unisex Unlined Jacket with a notched collar and back slits.  An oversized, checked jacket ticks two of the current fashion trends.  It is meant to be oversized and so there isn't a lot of fitting.  It is unisex.  I did a tissue fit and settled on a medium, but made some reductions to make sure it isn't too big.  I took 1 2/8" from the shoulder width, and almost 3" from the length and also removed a little from the seams.  This is a Palmer Pletsch pattern, and for those of you who are wanting patterns to help you improve your fitting, I would really recommend these.  There is a lot of advise about adjustments and also some great tips for improving your sewing.  You can really learn a lot from these.

Having doing a practice, I chickened out on the welt pockets.  In the main this was because of the thickness of the fabrics and it is a double welt, flapped pocket..  As the welt goes across the dart you end up with more than 8 layers of the fabric, all interfaced and I just couldn't see how it would lay well.  So I used some finer plain wool and added two patch pockets.  These look fine, though not as nice as welts would be.  I also didn't add a breast pocket.

The collar went in well, though the instructions were a little vague about where to put the seam fabric.  You have to either hand-stitch or stitch in the ditch at the collar seams to keep the two together.  I used a tiny stab stitch for better control.

The instructions were pretty clear, except for how to mitre the corners on the flaps, but I managed to work something out.  The lining is some proper silk fabric used for the back of waistcoats, which I picked up for £10 for 7 metres!  It's great.

The fabric is a gorgeous, fairly heavy wool from Fabworks.
  They don't seem to have it on-line but they have a fabulous selection of other wools.  I bought 2 metres and had loads left, enough to make …. 
The Ariel skirt from Tilly and the buttons.  This is my first time with this pattern and I really like it.

 
I think it's a pattern which benefits from fairly firm fabric, to keep the waistband high.    I love the shape.  I lined it and I really like the way the lining works with the facing, very neat.  Like all Tilly's patterns the instructions are very clear, and this is a skirt most beginners could manage.  I'm not sure I will wear the skirt and jacket together, but I like both and I am pretty happy with the pattern matching on both.

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November BurdaStyle challenge; catching up

This is the longest gap I've had in blogging, sorry to my regular readers.  As I said in my last blog I was made redundant and this has thrown me a bit.  I have been sewing a bit, though not as much as you might imagine and I just didn't get round to blogging.  Anyway finally I'm back.  I've had a couple of months of not working and thinking about life and what I want to do with it.  I'm feeling pretty positive and have been lucky enough to get some really interesting work at another college and my ideal 3 days a week, which starts tomorrow.

On the sewing front I've been on a jacket binge and I have 4 to tell you about!  I'm starting with what was my November 2018   BurdaStyle 2018 challenge. .  I ummed and ahhed whether to make this one.  I had had almost an exact match for the fabric in my stash for at least two years, and that was the decider.  The photos aren't great I'm afraid, sorry.

There are a lot of cute features, jacket tabs and a half belt at the back, plus I decided to add a little fur from my stash to the hood, and cut the inside hood facing in fur. I took about an inch from the width of the hood, but it is still a little big.

I had a problem with the collar, which is supposed to be able to button up, and mine just didn't meet.  Not sure what I did wrong here, but as I would never want something buttoned round my neck so high it will do.   I was pretty pleased with the finished jacket and mostly because I feel that if I can make a jacket like this from a Burda magazine, I could make any of their patterns.  Considering where I was at the beginning of the year, not even sure about tracing the simplest pattern I feel I've learnt a lot this year.  This is definitely not a pattern for the beginner.

I cut a size 36 which is 1 1/2" less than my actual bust size, but even so it was on the big side and I took a little width from the sides.  Is it just me or do BurdaStyle patterns come up rather big.  Although it is a cute jacket the wool fabric is really itchy on the facing and I know I wouldn't wear it, so this one has gone to Gemma.  Hopefully I'm back on track now, I have lots of ideas for 2019.