Floral mesh statement skirt

I have made another statement skirt using my TNT straight skirt pattern, McCall's 3830. The fabric is a polyester ribbon mesh from Mood. The name they used to describe the color is Weimaraner, a very appropriate name for this slightly brownish gray (which you can see in some of the closeups. The sun was setting when we took these pictures, casting a warm glow on everything.)

 I really love the textural interest of the mesh ribbon roses and that the fabric is thin enough not to add a lot of bulk. After trying all sorts of colors for my underlining, I settled on white. It lets the skirt remain neutral and the roses to really pop. Plus I can pair it with all sorts of colorful tops.

You may recall that I attempted a similar skirt back in August, but was unhappy with the way the sides did not match up perfectly. This time around I paid special attention to matching up the roses along the sides and back seams.

For the waistband, I used the mesh along the selvage that had no roses sewn to it. It was underlined in the same white Ambiance and then interfaced.

Here you can better see the color and the roses along the side seams:

I happened to have a taupe colored invisible zipper in my stash that was just a bit browner then the fabric. Since only the tab shows, I think it blends in pretty well.

I used white ambiance for the lining as well:

I added a floral hem tape to make a neat finish along the inside, then slip-stitched the hem in place. You can also see the white underlining here, which is what the hem was stitched to. The line of white stitching along the bottom edge keeps the mesh and underlining together where it is turned up.

Since this is my TNT skirt pattern, I had no fitting issues and no reason to make a muslin. It was a relatively easy project once I got past the cutting out.

Military jacket Q&A

Howdy all! Thanks so much for all your wonderful comments on my latest wardrobe addition. I have been in southern Oregon for the past week, in a tiny little map-dot town that is terribly hard to get to. It's a beautiful place but it rained. the. entire. time. The town is called Brookings. Ever heard of it?

I usually try to answer questions in the comments but, as I was visiting family in that tiny town, I did not have internet nor reliable cell phone service. The horror.

Do the jacket front edges actually come together?

Yes, although there is no fastener in the front to hold them there. I am debating adding some large hooks to keep them closed should I choose to wear it that way.

What is your secret for having clothing that always looks professionally made?

Lots and lots of trial and error. My mother taught me some basic sewing techniques, but the majority of what I do is entirely self taught. If you desire to make garments that look store bought, you've just got to put in the work to learn and expect to make a ton of mistakes. Also a touch of perfectionism doesn't hurt. :)

Did you prewash or pershrink the fabric?

Not this time. I put a full lining in it, so I don't plan to ever wash it in the washing machine. And I've never had a thick cotton like this shrink from steaming it with the iron.

One of the many beaches along the shoreline of Brookings

Burda style 5-2011-113 - Eggplant military jacket

Military jackets are very trendy right now. Last fall I made plans to make one, but didn't get around to it until now. I used a thick cotton twill in aubergine from Mood.com. It was easy to work with and has a great woven texture which you can see in some of the close ups.

This was the only design I liked from the May 2011 issue of Burda style. It is chalk full of interesting details: 20 buttons!, topstitching, sleeve cuffs, shoulder tabs, folding back front lapels, slanting back yokes and back belt. I opted not to trim it in bias strips per the instructions. I also added a full lining and shoulder pads.

After making a muslin, I added 1.5" to the overall length at the waist and .75" to the center back seam. The front dart was altered to slant up a bit. Both the inner and outer collar were fused with interfacing. Since my fabric was fairly thick, I left off all other interfacing suggested in the pattern instructions. I did iron small squares of it to the inside where the buttons were sewn on.

 

I moved the buttonhole placement on the cuffs over to 5/8" from the edges. The back belt button holes were also stitched 5/8" from the edges.

I initially had some trouble finding buttons for this jacket. I knew I wanted a military crest of some sort, but all of the ones I looked at locally did not have their crests attached the same way on each button, resulting in the crests facing all different directions. For the first time ever I ordered buttons online. These also came from Mood. The buttons on the shoulders, back belt and sleeves are the 20mm size. The ones on the front are 23mm.

I really love how the sleeves have built in forward curves to them.

Here you can see the twill texture a lot better. The fabric has such a nice depth to it that my topstitching sinks in ever so slightly.

I attached the outer collar to the jacket body and sewed the inner collar to the lining. Then I stitched the body to the lining along the edges, graded the seams, and turned it right side out. I stitched in the ditch by hand all along where the collar meets the body so that none of the seams allowances could turn up on the inside and become bulky.

I put a dab of fray check on the corners of the shoulder tabs after I turned them to prevent them from raveling out.

The lining is bemberg Ambiance. I happened to find a really good color match locally.

I had a lot of fun making this jacket. The details were challenging but not fiddly and I got to do loads of hand sewing.