Okay, I'm hereby admitting that I have a weakness for the brown and turquoise color combination. This floral has been in my stash for at least a year, if not more. I
love it, but didn't have much of it, so I decided to make it into a skirt and needed a top or jacket to match. Vogue 8461 is what I came up with. It's simple and fitted with a fun
oversized collar. Here's the back:
If I had to make this again, I would use a thicker fabric. But that turquoise wasn't easy to match so I went with what I could find. The pattern calls for snaps, but I feel a little uncomfortable wearing a jacket by itself with only a couple snaps holding it up. (This brings to mind a red dress my mother made for my sister, Elisa, that was closed with
Velcro. There was a slight fiasco with that dress coming open at the bus stop...)
Anywho, I decided to add some buttons. I did the full lining in chocolate brown. Might as well match the skirt, right?
The sleeves have darts at the elbows. Here you can see the sleeve lining slip-stitched to the sleeve.
I made the view in gray, with 3/4 sleeves.
Okay, about this skirt... My gut instinct was to make it a bias skirt with a little elastic waist. Did I listen to my gut? No, I did not. I had a cute new pattern,
NewLook 6593, and I thought I'd try it out on
the fabric I love that I've saved for over a year without first making a muslin. Very dumb idea. Here's a picture of the offensive pattern:
It turned out looking like a shapeless sack. If you have this pattern consider yourself warned. But I'd already made the jacket and loved the floral. I went combing through my pattern stash, looking for something I could save the fabric with. I found Simplicity 4086, now out of print, but that I had made before and knew wouldn't turn into another shapeless garment. I took the first skirt apart and used 1/4" seam allowances. Here's that pattern:
I made the top left view, minus the tie belt and
belt loops, and shorter. And
phew! It turned out looking cute.
Here's a view of the top of the skirt you can't see in the outfit photo:
Here's a view of the full lining:
And here's the very tiny hem:
And oh, yes, Simplicity 2858 has died. The brocade with butterflies was very pretty, but had the same 4 butterflies repeated again and again. I should have chosen a simpler design without princess seams or perhaps paid better attention during cut-out. The good news is that I got it for super cheap and didn't invest much sewing time before I realized it wasn't looking good.
Okay, I'm hereby admitting that I have a weakness for the brown and turquoise color combination. This floral has been in my stash for at least a year, if not more. I love it, but didn't have much of it, so I decided to make it into a skirt and needed a top or jacket to match. Vogue 8461 is what I came up with. It's simple and fitted with a fun oversized collar. Here's the back:
If I had to make this again, I would use a thicker fabric. But that turquoise wasn't easy to match so I went with what I could find. The pattern calls for snaps, but I feel a little uncomfortable wearing a jacket by itself with only a couple snaps holding it up. (This brings to mind a red dress my mother made for my sister, Elisa, that was closed with Velcro. There was a slight fiasco with that dress coming open at the bus stop...) Anywho, I decided to add some buttons. I did the full lining in chocolate brown. Might as well match the skirt, right?
The sleeves have darts at the elbows. Here you can see the sleeve lining slip-stitched to the sleeve.
I made the view in gray, with 3/4 sleeves.
Okay, about this skirt... My gut instinct was to make it a bias skirt with a little elastic waist. Did I listen to my gut? No, I did not. I had a cute new pattern, NewLook 6593, and I thought I'd try it out on the fabric I love that I've saved for over a year without first making a muslin. Very dumb idea. Here's a picture of the offensive pattern:
It turned out looking like a shapeless sack. If you have this pattern consider yourself warned. But I'd already made the jacket and loved the floral. I went combing through my pattern stash, looking for something I could save the fabric with. I found Simplicity 4086, now out of print, but that I had made before and knew wouldn't turn into another shapeless garment. I took the first skirt apart and used 1/4" seam allowances. Here's that pattern:
I made the top left view, minus the tie belt and belt loops, and shorter. And phew! It turned out looking cute. Here's a view of the top of the skirt you can't see in the outfit photo:
Here's a view of the full lining:
And here's the very tiny hem:
And oh, yes, Simplicity 2858 has died. The brocade with butterflies was very pretty, but had the same 4 butterflies repeated again and again. I should have chosen a simpler design without princess seams or perhaps paid better attention during cut-out. The good news is that I got it for super cheap and didn't invest much sewing time before I realized it wasn't looking good.
What a gorgeous outfit - the jacket fits you perfectly.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful outfit! The fit of your jacket is incredible!
ReplyDeleteyour skill and attention to detail never cease to amaze me!!! beautiful.
ReplyDeletequestion - what in the world do you wear on the average day? :) you are making so many beautiful things and i wonder just how far behind i am as a 'fellow' at home mom? i have to admit i have shlumped it for FAR too long but have come a LONG way in the last year. still, where do you wear all of the beautiful outfits you are making? :)
hj
What a lovely combo! You're really a busy bee lately, churning out one project after the other.
ReplyDeleteThe blue jacket is lovely, as is the skirt and the Vogue 1020 dress - really like the anmimal print. Have to admit though, that I have a slight weakness for it myself :-)
You look STUNNING in that beautiful outfit! (and you're not the only one having a weakness for the brown and turquoise color combination; I really love it!)
ReplyDeleteHi, Heidi,
ReplyDeleteMost of the dressier things I wear only to church, which does mean they don't see a lot of wear. That's why I try to stay away from trendy looks in dressy clothing. I tried really hard to make casual clothing this past summer, and had a very difficult time. If it's got a lining and a little difficulty, it usually turns out better for me then something simple. Plus I just love getting dressed up. But on a typical day I like to wear fitted tops and denum bottoms. I have two pairs of jean shorts that hit right below my knee that I wore the heck out of this past summer. During colder months I can usually be spotted in jeans or casual pants. I'm not a fan of printed T-shirts, sweats, elastic waists, or all-day pj's. My thinking is if you feel good about how you look you take better care of yourself. I do want to make some knit dresses for next spring/summer. They are so cute and really very cool, a must have for Texas.
You look great. Everything you make really shows a high attention to detail.
ReplyDeleteThis is a beautiful outfit Amanda! Love it. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat outfit like all the rest. It's always a enjoy visiting your blog. You are a talented, creative inspiration.
ReplyDeleteSuper cute! You must be a super fast sewer! i am so slow to the point that sometimes I lose interest in the garment..or maybe it is patience? With that being said, I am learning that I like more complex items. I feel the same way about sewing dressy items. Anytime I try something simple it turns out homemade looking or don't wear it. I am just learning the underlining, bias tape over seam thing...it does make a difference when the insides look like the outside! thanks for teaching me this trick!
ReplyDelete