Hi, guys. Thank you so much for your kind comments about my grandma. No matter how much time we have with our loved ones, it’s never enough, but it’s nice to share happy memories about them. So thanks for listening and for your sweet words.

This might be a little weird, but when I heard the sad news, I sort of buried myself in this jacket project. It ended up being way more hand-labor-intensive than my sewing projects usually are, but that was really soothing. It was nice to have something absorbing, but not difficult, to keep me occupied.

But I’ll back up and start from the beginning. This is the Ninot Jacket pattern from Pauline Alice. I downloaded it a while ago, thinking it would be easy to fit long-distance (I sew up a muslin and mail it, then my mom or sister texts me photos and I try to identify any fit issues). The relaxed fit made it quick to adjust- I just did a 1/4″ broad shoulder adjustment and that was it (I’d planned to lengthen it, but my mom liked the shorter length and she wears higher-rise jeans than I do, so it works on her). I realized later that I’d used the size I cut for my sister, so if I’d used the proper size for my mom, I wouldn’t have needed any additional width.

muslin!

The pattern came together easily, except for a small problem with the sleeve. The upper and under sleeve pieces didn’t match along the seamlines (the undersleeve was shorter by about 7/8″), so I re-drew it and trued the seams. I alerted Pauline to the problem, so it may be fixed in newer versions, but it’s worth checking before you cut into your fabric. Otherwise, I liked the pattern. It’s a bit more bare bones than most indie patterns, though. For example, I would’ve liked lengthen/shorten lines, and for the pattern pieces to be labeled with which fabric should be used (self, lining, etc.), but it’s not the end of the world at all. It was easy to use and the end results are nice.

The fabric is a Marc Jacobs cotton/linen blend that I ordered online from Mood when it was one of their deal of the day fabrics (it’s still available here if you like it). I ordered it as a backup when I was making my runway-inspired two-piece set back in February, so I’m happy to get it out of my stash! The fabric is loosely woven, so I serged all the edges to keep them from ravelling, even though I knew they would be covered by the lining. This jacket better last a long time!

I used medium-weight woven weft interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply, leftover from my Colette Anise jacket, and it gave just the right amount of stability to the jacket. Even though the fabric pressed well, the seam allowances were a bit thick, so I took my time and catch-stitched all the seams open so they would stay nice and flat. I wouldn’t ordinarily go nuts with something like that, but it was very meditative to do something repetitive and it was just what I needed. Similarly, I installed the lining by hand on my 12-hour car trip back to the Midwest, and while it took about 88,000 stitches, it was nice to have something to occupy my hands on the trip. The lining was a cream-colored acetate from my stash, purchased eons ago from Mood NYC. More stash-busting!

OK, finishing touches: I didn’t do everything the hard way- I took the coat to Jonathan Embroidery and had them do the buttonholes! Call me crazy, but for some reason I don’t really like the look of bound buttonholes, so I had keyhole buttonholes done instead. Since there were only three buttonholes, that only set me back $3- not bad! I used covered buttons (covered by my brother, heeheehee… gotta put ‘em to work!) for a cute and classic look. The buttons and the welt pockets are basically invisible in this busy print, but they’re there, I promise.

I think this looks pretty cute on my mom. She has a fun personality and doesn’t take her wardrobe too seriously, so I knew she would enjoy a pink print. She’s a very casual dresser, but she likes styles that are classic or slightly vintage, so I thought this cropped swing jacket would be just the thing for her. Plus it was nice to be able to give her something happy at a sad time. I think she likes it, don’t you?

I did nothing to prompt this move. Modeling just runs in the family!

OK, what about you? Do you enjoy hand stitching, or are you a speedy machinist? What’s on your sewing table these days?