It’s been gorgeous here lately. Fresh and exhilarating; cool and sunny and clear. Everyone including moi is in high spirits, the days are sparkling and I’m even feeling the urge to clean out kitchen cupboards and wash curtains and eiderdowns, for heaven’s sake. Wooee, spring casts some powerful magic, yeah?!
And I am in the mood to create like mad… I’ve made a lightweight pinkie-wink thing for my light pinkie-wink daughter 🙂 More specifically, a loose over-sized jacket in a boyfriend style that we both reckon is tres chic, oui.
I used a new-to-me pattern Burda 7401, and the jacket is made of a lovely shell-pink hessian silk that I spotted on the $4 table at Fabulous Fabrics about a year ago, put there because it had some faded patches. I looove the faded patches! and I think this soft and pretty colour is just glorious on her 🙂
The jacket fronts are supposed to meet in the centre front and tie closed, but because I made it oversized as opposed to fitting, I made it so she can fold the fronts over each other and wrap herself up in it; tie the long ties together at the back, to look like a more fitted style if she wants that. I did this by leaving a small gap in the right back/side seam, for the tie to pass through to wrap around. At first she preferred it wrapped up like this, but she now informs me she likes it open. So she can shove her hands in those pockets… aah, a daughter after my own heart 😀
The silk hessian frays like billy-o, so I finished all the raw edges inside with HongKong seaming, in a lightweight cotton voile.
She is wearing it with a little denim skirt she made herself. She is a pretty accomplished little seamster herself, and I reckon she should update her own blog one of these days and add in all the cool stuff she has been making for herself.
Details:
Jacket; Burda 7401, pink silk
Top; supre
Skirt (made by Cassie); Butterick 5488, lightweight denim
Pattern
Description:
Description:
Semi-fitted unlined jacket with unusual seaming; long underarm gussets, a short rounded stand-up collar, front pockets that are separate pieces patched together with remainder of the jacket front. View B has longer sleeves, a tie front and peplum.
Pattern
Sizing:
Sizing:
Sizes 36-50 (US 10-24). I made view B in a size 12 for my daughter, aiming for an oversized boyfriend jacket look.
Did
it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished
sewing it?
it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you had finished
sewing it?
Yes. Except that I adapted it so the ties can, if my daughter desires, become a self-belt that wraps it around around the body to cinch in the waist in a blouse-y way; an aesthetic that suits her style.
Were
the instructions easy to follow?
the instructions easy to follow?
Yes: except that steps 4 and 5, inserting the side pieces, is not as simple to do as it makes out in the instructions. You have to clip the heck out of those tight front and back underarm curves in order to sew those seams!
What
did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
For a casual jacket I think it is really chic; with slightly unusual seaming and an edgy style. I love the shape of that softly flared peplum, it looks lovely either with the jacket wrapped or unwrapped. There were no instructions to interface the front facing, which I thought about defying and rebelliously applying interfacing. But I went with no interfacing on the front; which does make the jacket beautifully soft and unstructured, very casual and easy to wear. I did apply interfacing to the back neck facing and to the collar to the foldline.
The jacket is designed to be unlined, but if you wanted to line it it would be pretty easy to do so.
Fabric
Used:
Used:
Hessian silk, and lightweight cotton voile for theHongKong seaming
Pattern
alterations or any design changes you made:
alterations or any design changes you made:
I bound all the raw edges inside with HongKong seaming.
I left a small opening in the right back/side seam to allow the left front tie to pass through, wrap around the back and tie to the right front tie like a skinny self-belt.
Would
you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I made this one for my daughter; and yes, I would very much like to make one for myself sometime… if I’m allowed to 🙂
Conclusion:
I love it and my daughter loves it, so it is a great success! I’m glad I made it oversized, with the long body and the loose unstructured sleeves rolled up it looks like a boyfriend jacket and very “now”. The unusual seaming and pocket construction is a nice exercise for a seamster who is looking for something out of the ordinary.
