Three and Four of Sixteen

Today I finished the third and fourth pieces of the sixteen-ish pieces for my winter SWAP.

For the third piece, I made a jacket/cardigan. If you recall, since the fabric that I had selected...a hefty boiled wool...was a touch pricier than I usually use, so I decided to muslin it. Based on my muslin I made a number of changes:

1. lengthened the jacket overall by 2 inches
2. shortened the sleeves by 1 1/2 inches
3. narrowed the sleeves from mid-bicep to wrist
4. tapered the waist
5. widened to the center front to allow for buttons
6. added collar and revers

Here is the final product:


The wool is very thick, and the stitches sink right into it, such as where I topstitched the edge of the collar and the lapel:


I did a couple of samples, and really didn't like the way that overlocking looked on this fabric, so I decided to do a Hong Kong finish on the seams instead:


You can also see the back neck facing that I drafted since I did not line the jacket. The facing was necessary to add the collar as well. I used two fat quarters to make the binding (tutorial here), and selected a mini-zebra-print to coordinate with the black jacket:


The other changes that I made were done by morphing two patterns together. The original jacket was made using McCall's 6041, a Chanel-style jacket with no collar, shoulder princess seams, and a two-piece sleeve. Since one of my inspirations was the Hot Patterns Riviera Boulevard Cardigan Jacket, I decided that I wanted to add lapels and a collar to the final version. This inspiration is the reason that I wanted to make a jacket out of a knit...but the "A-line shape" descriptor gave me pause. I adore Hot Patterns, but the more that I learn about fitting, the more that I am realizing that there are some hard and fast rules for what looks flattering on my particular shape, and an A-line jacket does not fit within those rules.

So, I decided that I would reproduce the spirit of that pattern in a way that would be flattering on my shape. To do this, I added lapels using Butterick 4610 as a guide:

Now you could say, "Michelle, why bother altering the McCall's pattern? Why not just make it using the Butterick pattern?" Well, one reason is a long vertical dart in the center front piece of the Butterick pattern. The thickness of the fabric made me avoid anything that had darts because I was concerned that it would not lie flat. The McCall's pattern, on the other hand, achieved all its shaping through shoulder princess seams:


To draft the lapels, I took my altered front piece (lengthened) and retraced it by lining up the shoulder seam with the front from the Butterick pattern. Using that shoulder seam as a guide, I widened the center front and transferred the markings from the blazer pattern. I also widened the center front piece to allow for an overlap and buttons:


And I finished it just in time, since it would appear that fall is finally here! This weekend I also decided to work on one of the many knits that I have in the stash to make a version of the Hot Patterns Classix Nouveau 3 Graces T-shirt:


I decided that I wanted to do the cross-over version using a purple rayon knit. The videos on the Hot Patterns website are a must in attempting this shirt! I read the instructions 3 times, and still don't get how to assemble that shirt! So I took my laptop into the sewing room and followed along with Trudy. Just as Trudy suggests, pinning the seams for the crossover top ON a dressform is much easier than doing it flat. Here is the finished top:


I cut a 16 based on my bust measurement. I can't even begin to imagine how to alter a shirt like this, so I just forged ahead. Fortunately, all the draping provides plenty of room for a full bust. I made the extra-long sleeves, designed to be pushed up. There is also some nice shaping to the back:


And as complex as the construction appears, the front neckline is the only piece besides the sleeves and the bottom of the shirt that needs hemmed:


I will say that I used significantly less fabric than was recommended. Per the pattern description, "Sizes 6-8-10-12-14-16-18 need around 2 yards/ 1.83 m of fabric; sizes 20-22-24-26 need around 2 1/2 yards/ 2.30 m of fabric for all views...just add ½ yard/ 45 cm if you wish to make any version with the long sleeves." Based on this, I purchased 2 1/2 yards of fabric. However, the pattern used only 1 3/4 yards.

One of the great things about Hot Patterns is that their styles are very current. This shirt, for example, is styled after a Rick Owens shirt:


But, you may notice that it is not as skin-tight as the Owens shirt, a much better option not only for someone larger than a size 6, but also more appropriate for work wear. Also, for those of us not in the market to spend $300.00 on a t-shirt, the ability to make our own version is especially attractive.

I still have lengths of grey, white, and black knit, so chances are this shirt will be made a number of times!