Thursday, February 28, 2013

Fearless February- Finished Projects

Whew, I finished in the nick of time! Can you smell the smoke coming from the sewing room?
    At the beginning of the "Fearless February Sewalong",I'd decided to tackle an embellishment project. I wanted to makeover a Chanel type jacket,that I'd made a couple of years ago,into something a bit more embellished. Initially it was too long and bland. I hated it and shoved it to the back of the closets,( I couldn't throw it away because ,a ton of work went into it).
 I restyled it by cutting off some of the length and making a new bottom band with the remaining fabric and lining fabric. My daughter is not available to take pictures of me wearing the jackets,so Claire will model them today.
I used this pattern, Vogue 7975. Originally I did view E but now the length is more like view B.
The next big fear I had was making welt pockets. I would substitute patch pockets or just a flap that looked like a pocket. 
I used the great instructions from the DVD, Jackets For Real People by Palmer/Pletsch. I followed along step by step. For once I didn't just skim over or skip steps,and it really paid off. Here is the welt pocket.
Here is the finished pocket
Here is the finished coat
Yes,I know the pockets are a little low. By the time I realized that it was done. I still really like it and it is so warm. I used coat weight wool,poly blend lining and Mccall's 4598. 
I've used this pattern before so it was already adjusted. It was shortened in the body and sleeves. I always do a FBA.
The welt pocket requires accurate marking,and there a quite a few steps,but I think they look nice. It is nice to not be intimidated by the technique anymore.
 I have enjoyed the Fearless February Sewalong,hosted by the ever motivating Victoria. Thank you Victoria. Though February will be gone in a few hours, I will continue to be fearless in sewing. I have learned to:
  •  Slow it down. There is no race.
  • Follow all the steps until I know the technique.
  • Practice on scrap.
  • If I don't do it right the first time, I can do it again later( but don't wait a year).
  • Have confidence. I repeated,"I can do this" through every step of every project this month.






13 comments:

L said...

Very well done on your fabulous and fearless sewing, Lisa!

Anonymous said...

Great job Lisa! I can appreciate the projects you chose to tackle; Ive had similar challenges with those fears, too. I'm proud of you...and your garments look great. And...er...uhhh...don't you just love Palmer/Plestch?! Your jacket pattern calls to mind a recent P/P pattern, McCalls 5566 with the variations on the collar....

Sarah Liz said...

Lisa, absolutely well done on both projects. The shortened jacket is lovely and will be worn now. The welt pocket is beautifully done - all credit to you - I steer clear of them too - its always "not enough time now". That's okay if it is really the case, but if it's avoidance, that's another matter. And no-one will notice that jacket is shorter, unless you tell - that's your design feature!!! (of course, you can tell us, cos we are not going to be nasty :) ! )

Carolyn said...

Well done on your fantastic fearless sewing! I love how the first Chanel style jacket turned out! Very smart :) I've got this pattern and made it up once too; it's a lovely timeless style.

BConky said...

Both jackets look great. Your pockets look good.

JuliN said...

Both jackets are beautiful. I especially like the welt pocket construction. Hooray for instructional videos!

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

The jackets are beautiful and I'm really impressed with your welt pockets! Well done!

Faye Lewis said...

You have quite a nice jacket wardrobe - I love jackets. Congratulations on these and all your Fearless projects. You did a great job.

Chris Lucas said...

Congratulations Lisa on conquering your Fearless February projects... I can smell the smoke all the way over here in Australia LOL. Claire is modelling your jackets beautifully... and I just love your Chanel version. You've definitely done a great job with the welt pockets too. It sure is a good feeling to conquer our fears and it seems we've both learned some good lessons from the challenge that will definitely make a difference for us both... learning to be patient is definitely one for me and to not give up on a project either. No matter how hard a task may be there is a solution to fix it and see it through. We sure do have some great resources and sources of information available to us. Good to know your DVD came in handy and worked along with it as the outcome on those pockets are fabulous! Well done :)

prttynpnk said...

Wow- you had 'Fearsome February!' Your work is so enviable- Claire makes my Ms Holloway very jealouis!

Nanna said...

both jackets are fantastic, I don't worry much about pockets, high or low my arms are too short to care anyway lol!
Helen

Elise Lin said...

The welt pockets look perfect, great job! I like your Chanel jacket better in view D than view E, I hope you will enjoy wearing it again.

Victoria said...

Lovely jacket and coat Lady!!!! You did a phenomenol job!!! Thanks for participating and being so fearless!!!