Janet Pray

So to continue my …

#makenine2019 and my Islander Sewing Systems “Jacket Express”!

Last week my sewing got off to a rough start! First of all a couple of Fridays ago, I couldn’t get home without taking a good run, a few times, at the first of many hills we have … without success. I abandoned my vehicle on the side of the road and as I was walking home in the snow I saw a few vehicles in the ditch, and passed a firetruck and an ambulance! After a 4 km walk in the fresh snow, a Good Samaritin gave me a ride the rest of the way. We don’t usually get snow – but never fail, as soon as you say “We didn’t get any snow this winter!” It WILL snow!

What followed next was two full days without power, then me laid up because I threw my back out, and then a couple of days of me TRYING to get to work in the snow. (whine, whine, whine!)

All in all it added up to a VERY CRANKY LINDA WHO COULDN’T SEW! I swear next summer I am going to restore my Dear Aunt’s 1948 Singer 15-88 treadle cabinet. As you can see, the machine itself is in wonderful shape now. I just need to fix up the treadle cabinet. Then we shall see if a power outage can interfere with my sewing time! Seriously!

So when my life settled down, what did I get accomplished on my really, really cool Island Sewing Systems “Jacket Express”?

First I had to figure out how to finish off the seams of the pocket bag. Yes, I know it’s on the inside, but like all jean jackets, this jacket isn’t lined and everything just hangs out. So I sewed on some single fold bias tape (RED!) and hand sewed it down on the side that faces out. Hmm … needs some pressing!

Next, my favourite part – the “Burrito”! The first time I did a “Burrito” was during Janet Pray’s Craftsy class that I bought, which included this “Jacket Express” pattern. Ever since, any time I can change a pattern to do the Burrito technique on the yolk, I certainly do it!

Janet Pray explains it waaay better than I do, but the front and back yolks are sewn on to the bodice and back pieces. Then the shoulder seams are sewn on the inside back and front yolk pieces. Then you roll your jacket up inside to the shoulder seam and sew the outside back and front yolk pieces together at the shoulders, holding your burrito filling inside! Now you pull your burrito fillings out one side and “PRESTO” like magic your jacket and yolks have a wonderful, professional finish! Press and do your topstitching! (I’ve done the burrito before here too, maybe with more description and photos?)

Then I sewed on the sleeves, which was easy because the sleeve underarm seams and the jacket side seams weren’t sewn up yet, and I topstitched those sleeve head seams.

Then to attach the cuff, Janet Pray does something she calls a cuff “Burrito”. (Again, better explained by Janet!) You sew on the inside cuffs and fold them back on to your sleeve. Pin your outside cuff on top, right sides together, sandwiching the sleeve between the two. You bunch your sleeve inside the cuff a bit so that you can pin part of the opening shut too. You don’t want to catch your sleeve in any of your pinning! Pin and sew from an inch or so where the opening for turning starts, all around the three sides, to about an inch or so again to where the opening finishes. When finished, you pull your sleeve out of the opening and it is MOSTLY sewn up. The amount of hand sewing you have left to do is minimal!

What’s left to do now? Just some more topstitching (which I love) and the Jeans Buttons and buttonholes (hopefully this time, I’ll sew them on the correct side!!!). When I was able to drive again, I bought a couple of styles of Jeans Buttons. We’ll have to decide which style looks better, won’t we? Then comes the photos. I don’t know if the snow will still be around when I am ready for photos. We accumulated 23 cm of snow in just a day or two and it is disappearing rather quickly! Here’s the “before melt” photos … next blog post there will be “after melt” photos … with my cool jean jacket!

I prefer rainy winter weather myself, that’s probably why I like living here – which do you prefer – snowy winters or rainy winters?

Happy Sewing!

STASH BUSTING WITH THIS PROJECT? Not finished yet! But I am putting a good dent in my 134.2 meters with this Jacket!

How many ways are there to sew a pocket?

I’ve started the first garment of my #makenine2019! Top left corner … my jean jacket …

#makenine2019

… with a cool twist! I want it to look as close as possible to the one my Inspiration is wearing! (the lady on the left) I don’t want to use leather though and I can only assume what the back looks like because I can’t see it in the photo. But I am inspired!

I was quite pleased to find 3.5 metres of black (yes, it is black) denim in my stash. It’s been there for a while. It feels like it has a bit of stretch to it, so it should be comfortable. I’m hoping to squeeze the jacket AND a pair of jeans out of this length. It should help that I want to add in some contrasting fabric.

Of course, my fabric stash doesn’t have anything to make the contrasting panels in my jacket – I’ll have to go FABRIC SHOPPING!

I did get a bit distracted … I ended up buying 3 more metres of 100% cotton bleached indigo denim. The colour was fabulous! I’m sure I’ll find something to make with it.

Now for the contrasting fabric … as soon as I found this fabric, I knew it was what I wanted to use for the contrasting panels. The wrong side of it had large stripes of red that I wasn’t too fond of, but at least the red was woven into the fabric tightly and there were no fibres hanging to get caught on anything. I was quite surprised to find this fabric, 50% polyester/50% cotton, in the “home decor” section of the store. I love it!

I’ve decided on my pattern choices – Vogue V8774, for the jeans, and Islander Sewing Systems “Jacket Express” for the jacket. I got this jacket pattern with a Craftsy course by Janet Pray and really enjoyed it! I have made this jacket before here, (over four years ago!) and I still wear and love it!

Starting with the jean jacket, I decided on cutting the corners square, instead of rounded. Also, when I was fusing on the interfacing, I noticed that I would have to be very careful putting this one together as only one side of the back denim fabric looks black to me, the other is a dark gray, which I definitely don’t want.

Sewing seams and topstitching. I could topstitch all night. Love it!

Then I started these front pockets. By the way, how many ways are there to make a pocket? Here’s the interfacing fused onto the facing and sewn onto the front, right sides together.

Facing pressed towards the inside.

Pockets prepared, making sure the right side is on the inside.

More topstitching.

Pockets basted onto the inside of the jacket using black thread with the right sides facing down towards the machine.

More topstitching on the right side of the front of the jacket, around the pocket edges. Have you ever seen a pocket put together like this before? Know of any other pattern that does it this way? I mean, it’s not impossible to do, just different than usual. As I cut it out and sew it, I can’t help but think that it might be easier to do a usual patch pocket on the front of the jacket. You would just have to put a cut out and a facing on the patch pocket piece. What do you think?

Now the welt pockets seem to be made with a more familiar method.

Pocket welt sewn on in the exact right spot!

Pocket lining sewn on in the exact right spot! Then comes the dreaded moment – I have to CUT a slit into my jacket front between the two edges and turn the pocket welt and lining to the inside!

Everything turned into the inside and pressed. A bit of edge stitching around the sides and top of the opening (Reminding myself not to sew the pocket shut!) Then the last piece of the pocket bag is sewn onto the pocket welt and lining.

So have you seen this method of sewing pockets in any other patterns? It’s a first for me!

Happy Sewing!

STASH BUSTING WITH THIS PROJECT?  Well unfortunately I started out 2019 by buying 3 metres of blue cotton denim and 1 metre of this wild polyester/cotton. Although I am hoping to have enough of the wild polyester/cotton left to make myself a bag (surprise, surprise) of course! So there is now 134.2 meters in the fabric stash!