Orchids In May

I've been a little absent from blogging over the last couple of weeks. It's for all the usual boring reasons, busy work = tired Steph = no sewing. Also I've been feeling a little low on inspiration recently.

But I have a busy few months ahead of me, & I seem to be getting my sewing mojo back. There are heaps of projects that I want to work on in the coming weeks;

- A costume for a fancy dress party in February
- A dress to wear to a couple of weddings this year in April & May
- An outfit that somehow incorporates some feathers for a friend's hens night in April
- A tailored jacket – since reading the tailoring book I got for Christmas, I'm really keen on getting trying out some of the techniques.
- A made to measure body form. My friend & I spent last Saturday fiddling around with different ideas & ways of creating a good body form. More on this later…

I have done a little sewing though. I made myself a coat, completely inappropriate given that it's summer at the moment, but what are you going to do…

Pattern used: Vintage Vogue V1137
Alterations made: Shortened it (quite a bit). I also reduced the 'flare' of the sleeves a little.
Fabric used: Doubled cashmere wool – two pieces felted together – I don't know the correct name here & the explanation I got from the store owner was a little weird with a lot of hand actions because I bought it in Shenzhen & the lady didn't speak much english. I used a synthetic blanket trim for the edges.
Time taken to complete: 6 hours
What I like: It makes me want to go sailing in Autumn – a little specific I know. But this has a really nice vintage wear on a country estate or seaside holiday feel to it. I can't wait for the weather to cool down a little so I can wear it some more. I like this pattern, it produces a good coat for transitional weather.
What I don’t like: I should have increased the seam allowances. All the seams are flat-falled & it was really tricky to do with a standard 15mm allowance & such a thick fabric. There are a couple of spots where it's a bit dodgy. Also because the coat was cut on the bias & the blanket tape with the grain, the wool stretched whilst I was sewing them together & now the ribbon is all wavy (at least I think that's the reason).
What I learned from this project: More seam allowance! Also it was good practice for matching plaids. Pay more attention to matching the grain of the fabric & the trim.

Oh… & by the way I made this one reversible too… I think I'm heading down a dangerous path here.