Last fall "Thing 3" started school. Usually I'm the parent who puts her on and gets her off the bus. At the beginning of the school year the weather is warm and I don't mind being outside with just a hoodie, and in the winter it gets cold and I have a down coat, snow pants, all the winter gear. But in the fall and spring, I don't really have the appropriate clothing to be comfortable while waiting outside, just standing in the cold-ish temperatures. I bet you can see where this is going...
For my birthday I asked for, and received, Vogue 9136 and some coating fabric. And from the beginning I've been worrying that this was going to be a train-wreck. It started when my mom and I were at the fabric store. I found a coral fabric that I really wanted, but when I took it to the cutting table, there was a black smudge throughout the whole bolt. Then there was the lack of natural fabrics. I ended up with a red "kash-mere" fabric. I wouldn't mind man-made fabrics if there was an advantage to them, but my "kash-mere" was still quite expensive, is not washable, and, as I found out later, melts when ironed.
The next thing that I was uneasy about was the style of the jacket. It's oversized in the shoulders and (comparatively) narrow in the hips. The exact opposite of my body. Think pear wearing an inverted triangle. But I had a similar jacket in my teen years that looked fine on me. So I decided to ignore my logical brain and go with my illogical desire for this jacket.
I had daydreams of waiting for the school bus. I was standing in the fall sunshine, it was cool outside, but I was warm in my wool-like coat. The big collar protected my neck from the cold wind and the big pockets kept my hands and my iPhone 6Plus warm. I told you, they're BIG pockets. And in my daydreams, I was still built like the teenage version of me. She was beautiful. She was tall and thin and had long, lean legs. She looked so chic in my daydream. Hmm... I'm still tall...
So, needless to say, I'm disappointed by this project. The jacket itself is pretty. It turned out just how I imagined it. But it needs an owner with wider shoulders and narrower hips than mine. This jacket needs to be rehomed.
It was fun to make. The pattern is for an unlined jacket. Since I was wanting something for the "in between" weather, I decided to make it exactly as called for. Lining might make it too warm. I added Hong Kong seam finishes and left out all interfacing. This fabric is so thick I don't think it needs the interfacing.
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| Hong Kong seams in Vogue 9136 |
Since I'm not going to keep this jacket, I didn't hem the sleeves. I have little t-rex arms. The recipient of this jacket will probably have longer arms than me. The sleeves are rolled up so you can get an idea of what the length should look like. The blue trim is just another of the Hong Kong finishes. It will be hidden when the sleeves are properly hemmed. And I haven't made any buttonholes or added any buttons. Whoever adopts this jacket should choose their own buttons. I was going to use brown, faux-leather buttons. You know the ones that were on so many coats in the '70s.
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| Vogue 9136, View A |
I love the way the big belt hangs and gently narrows the back instead of cinching everything at the waist.
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| Vogue 9136 |
The Hong Kong seams... *sigh*... My favourite part of this jacket.
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| Vogue 9136 inside out |
Completed projects: 9
Remaining projects: 43
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