Its curtains! (again)

Different ones though. This fabric came from an IKEA curtain panel (Syssan), 55% linen, 45% cotton. A thrift store purchase, naturally. When my husband texted me a photo with a question mark, I responded "buy!".

So the scale of the print is a bit larger and more random than I had gleaned from the photo, but what the heck? I wanted a jean jacket, and that is what I made.

This is the Atenas pattern from Itch to Stitch. It's a classic style, but I think the shape of it is better than the standard boxy jacket. It has a nice amount of waist shaping and comes with cup sizes! So it's quite feminine, considering the style's tough guy roots. 

When I laid the fabric out, I gave no thought at all to trying to match the print. I just placed the many smallish pieces where they seemed to go, and cut them out. So it's interesting that the large leaf shape ended up straddling a seam on my upper chest. Luckily, it's not too "bulls-eye!"

The pattern has all the jean jacket bells and whistles, including chest and welt pockets (both or either of which can be omitted), buttoned chest flaps, two piece sleeves, waistband with (optional) button tabs, potential for flat-felled seams, and miles of topstitching. I made working pockets but omitted the button tabs. The seams in my jacket are faux flat-felled, stitched down with 2 parallel lines of topstitching, which I think is more attractive than a single line.  

It calls for no-sew jeans buttons (10 without the waistband tabs, 14! if you include the tabs). I only installed 9, having omitted the top buttonhole, as there is no way I'd ever do this up all the way to the collar.

This pattern has nice drafting details, like a separate piece for the bias under collar so the upper collar is a smidge bigger and folds over perfectly. The upper front is nicely shaped (cup sizes!). Everything went together really well, and I even followed the instructions. 

The fit is good with a simple shortening of the sleeves (standard adjustment for me) and grading from size 2 (above waist) to 4 at the hip. 

Things I will try to remember if I make this again (a distinct possibility):

I could stand another cm or so in the hip - the waistband is slightly eased so I could just lengthen the pattern piece without any other adjustments. The pattern says to pick the smaller size if you are between sizes, which I did. It could be a bit too snug depending on what I wear under it. Maybe not much, this version (summer camo). But if I did a denim one, I might want to wear it with sweaters. 

The centre front is a folded edge, which feels a little bit insubstantial given all the other hefty seams. It's interfaced of course, but could use more support (maybe some fusible tape?). A seam at CF would add a lot of bulk unless I made a facing piece for the entire front (the yoke seam carries through to the foldover facing as drafted). 

I should really have made faux chest pockets  (there is no way I'll ever use these). However, enjoy this photo of my hand in the lower welt pocket. 

It's curtains!

These colourful PJs are a much nicer product, IMHO, than the extremely badly sewn curtain panels the crazy print used to be. The cotton fabric is courtesy of my husband, the expert thrifter. He texted me a photo and I responded "buy immediately!"

The striped fabric was also originally intended for home dec, but it was unused yardage, also sourced at a thrift store. I loved the combination, which I think works because of the black and white stripes bounding the squares in the print. 

If not, it works because ... they're pajamas! Mostly I'll be wearing them in the dark and under the covers. 

This is the relatively new release Closet Core Fran pattern. I've really liked many of their stand alone patterns and am amassing quite a collection. 

Which reminds me - I still intend to make more Pietra pants. Must shop the stash... 

Anyway, back to Fran. 

This is designed as a pajama pattern, but it would make a perfectly lovely shirt and pants combo for day wear. I think it's very versatile, style-wise. 

The pieces are quite boxy by comparison with the other pajamas from Closet Core, the Carolyn pattern. Carolyn has a shapely top with curved collar, lapels and shirt tail. The pants are low rise, as designed (not as made by me, however) and have front pockets. Fran has a convertible collar, a back yoke and generous box pleat in the shirt, and wide, elastic-waisted, straight legged pants with pockets in the side seams (as designed). It has deep cuffs and hems, and a faced slit at the side seams. As you will know from this blog, I didn't love the Carolyn's collar shape and I drafted a simpler convertible collar for it. The Fran is more to my liking straight out of the envelope. 

Fran comes in "alpha" sizing (XXS, XS, S, M, L etc, up to 4X) rather than numbered sizes. Comparing the size charts, XXS combines sizes 0 and 2, XS combines 4 and 6, S combines 8 and 10 (mostly), etc. I made the top in XS, based on my bust measurement. There's a very generous 21.5 cm (8.5") amount of ease built into the sizing. XXS would have been totally fine.

These pants have a high elastic waist that I think looks really nice due to the topstitching above and below the elastic.

I initially cut the M pants because I'm at the upper end of the hip range for size S, but in construction I decided that they would be WAY too big, so I cut them down. This sacrificed the side seam pockets, but it's not a big hardship because who uses pockets in pajamas anyway. There is a patch pocket in the rear of the pants and another in the shirt if I ever (heaven forfend!) turn into the kind of person who always needs to have a kleenex ready to hand. 

In the result, I am sure I could have cut XS pants and been perfectly happy. In fact, I would cut XXS top and XS bottoms if using this pattern for anything other than PJs. It is a distinct possibility that I'll do just that. 

Upcycling

The Wikipedia definition of "upcycling" is:

also known as creative reuse, ... the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products of better quality and environmental value.

This project qualifies.

Original object

The fabric started its life as a rather lovely pure linen flat bedsheet. I think it was a double bed size. My husband, consummate thrift shopper that he is, spotted it as a good quality item of potential use in the sewing room. The prize feature is the white on white embroidery and deep hem.

It had been used and was not in perfect condition. I spotted a couple of small holes and in one spot the faggoting between the hem and the main body of the sheet was ripped. However there was plenty left for my purposes.

I previously made the Inari Tee Dress pattern as a dress from fabric with a heavily embroidered border and I figured I could do it again, but this time as a top.

There was one thing I did not love about the dress and that is that it tends to ride up and back as I wear it. This means the neck in front feels like it's going to choke me and the whole dress angles towards the front at the hem, instead of staying vertical like it should.

I did a bit of superficial web research and looked in some books and asked on FB forums and everybody said that all I needed to do was take a slice off the front shoulder and add it to the back. This would put the shoulder seams in the "right place". But (thought I) it would not solve my problem which seemed to me to be that the upper back was too short as a result of anatomy and poor posture. As I hunch away at my desk my curved back steals fabric from the front and this is why the thing shifts on my shoulders.

So instead I sliced through the back and added 8mm of length and then I added a little wedge in the sleeve cap to make it a bit longer, as you can see at left.

I'm pleased to say this worked perfectly. I wore the top today and it did not shift around during the day. It feels more comfortable.


The boxy shape is cool and comfy. I cut the top longer than the pattern says. I wanted it to hit me at the hip bone approximately and at 51cm from shoulder point to hem, it is probably about 4-5cm longer than it would have been if I had cut where the pattern directed. 


The embroidery makes this top special, and I didn't have to do a thing to get it! I left a little slit opening at the side seams.


It's a new silhouette for me. I think it looks OK with these wide cropped pants.

I wore it today with very wide linen pants and got a few nice comments.