Sooooooo ExcitedNovember 21, 2025
So classic clothing is always a HUGE turn-on to me. I know I don't have a life, but go with me here. This picture (from last week) has been burning holes in my eyelids and motivating me to get this done cause I could have worn it to about a gazillion
places by now, but it wasn't even cut out!
Even though this was a suede-looking coat, I knew a black coat would be even more wonderful.
And what's even better is that I knew what pattern to use AND I have already altered it to fit me, so it shouldn't take too much to cut out and make this pattern. Actually, this pattern is pretty easy - front, back, lapel, upper collar, under collar
(something that was standard even in simple patterns back when this jacket was first released), back facing (if you want), sleeves, and pockets. I've altered the sleeve from the under seam (which was initially with the pattern), to the back seam, so that I can add a button and it looks more tailored. So that once you have the shoulder seams sewn, sew in the under collar, then the lapel (I like the back facing to make the collar lay better - more on that in a minute), and attach the
collar/lapel to collar/jacket and basically the rest is a piece of cake.
I like to take this collar and I use my horsehair braid interfacing and pad stitch it in to make the roll line on the lapel and collar roll like a dream and have the lapel and collar corners tuck in just slightly. This is really the time consumer in making this jacket. But after I got that much done (the collars and lapels together) sewed up the side seams and I'm having a ball - I can tell this is
going to be so great!
It's hard to tell cause it's black, but the fit is beyond wonderful - and feels so great, and hangs like a dream.
So what better way to procrastinate than with buttons. I decided the buttons I had originally picked out were to boring.
And I needed to go back to my stash of buttons and search for some better ones. At this point in my life, I've garnered most of the great buttons from family and friends who's mothers or grandmothers have died, and they know I sew and can I come by and look
at their stuff and see if I want any and if they should sell, how much and all that stuff. And I'm happy to do that. But the real treasure are the buttons. Have you notice buttons on today's RTW, or buttons sold at the fabric store?
They are really very dull and pretty crummy-looking. As a matter of fact, that's often how you can tell custom made clothing from RTW - by the buttons. No one in their right mind who's working for RTW would go through this....
So I ask you - is this procrastination or actually sorting through buttons. Well, no matter since it's for me, but I did feel like I was procrastinating a little. This coat should have been finished the first of the week.
And then
there's always the: "Oh I could do this!" or "Wouldn't this be fabulous?" While you're in the middle of creating a most excellent garment. The muse was working overtime in my head, but I did do a good job of keeping this classic, however I couldn't resist a few more little tidbits that I knew would make the coat all that better.
Part of making a garment is that when it is new, it has to form to your body a bit. Have you ever taken a garment you've
made and worn a while, and it's stretched and fits you just perfectly, so you get out the pattern to make it again, and when you finish, it's nothing like the garment you had before and have worn so much. That's because that older garment has formed to you a little. You'll also notice this when you try to do a line for line copy of a pattern. Even when you iron it out, the pattern looks a little funky because it has taken on your comfy feel. It hasn't really stretched as
much as it's just become a loved and well-adapted garment.
There are some garments you don't have to do this to. This is what makes the Chanel Jacket so treasured - it has that well-adapted feel to it from the second you wear it for the first time to last time you wore it.
But pad stitching, that stitching that you use to form curves and rolls in the lapel and collar of your tailored garment, can do the same thing. Here's an example of how I like to "help"
the roll around the notch of the lapel and the back neck of the collar.
I believe that pad stitching is one of those things that we can do to garments to make them behave in ways that we could only dream of....or that Disney artists could dream of....
Who doesn't love Maleficent's collar....
And with pad stitching we can do just about anything you can imagine - except defy gravity.
So I finally did finish the jacket with everything that I wanted - the great buttons, the great pad stitching and it looks fabulous
And there's nothing like the final result. Wow! I will wear this for the rest of my life. And of course, now that I've finished this, I'm looking at the original picture (at the top of this newsletter) and thinking I might need a suede one now.
Making these black or classic outfits is incredibly hard for me, because I know it's a clean style, which means there's not much razzle-dazzle, and therefore I tend to think, "Oh well, I can whip that up in nothing flat!" And then it takes longer than I think or longer than an hour, and it's hard to get started again.
But I'm finished and now I get to enjoy the wearing - finally!
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Tracking a fashion trend isn't all that hard after seeing a few of them.
Living from Mid-Century Modern through Twiggy...
It's worth the time to look at these styles, particularly today as
there is a group of that wants to look....
This is the way fashion used to be -- pretty, flattering and I can't wait to make some of...
NOTE: There are some folks who can't get my email, or it's sporadic, or something is hinky. I will always respond to any of you who send a private message, whether it's about the topic of the week or something else. If you don't get anything
from me, it's probably because the support@sewingartistry.com email is blocked, and even a private message can't get through. In that case, I'm on Instagram often, and you can always PM me at @sewingartistry.
As a precaution,
please ensure I'm in your email Address Book and check your spam, junk, and trash folders. Some email clients get extra excited when they see emails coming into the Inbox that go to many other receivers. They automatically think it's trash or spam, and it never makes it to the Inbox. I must constantly check my spam and junk folders to ensure I'm getting the emails I subscribe to.
To view in browser along with past emails, click here. We respect your email privacy. |
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