i’m currently suffering from a terrible backlog of unblogged garments… this intolerable winter that will never end is really getting to me. i think there may be a slight warm up in the near future… my indoor pics always look so terrible, so hopefully if we have a warm day i can get a few things photographed!
anyways, if you’re with me on instagram, you’ll know that i’ve been playing around with the sewaholic cordova lately. i love that pattern so much! i knew i would eventually make it as soon as i saw the design. yet… i’m only now getting on that. actually, i’m surprised that more cordova’s haven’t popped up. i’m going to take a gander that the lack of pockets are one of the main reasons. i mean, jackets need pockets. so, my cordova will have pockets.
i’ve given the pockets a big long think. like a year’s worth of think (last year i was debating between making the cordova or the minoru—spoiler alert: i made the minoru) and finally inspiration struck as i was perusing style arc’s jacket patterns. check out the ziggi jacket. that pattern has zippered pockets just off the front princess seam. ah-ha! easy enough to add to the cordova! once i worked that detail out, inspiration was in full force.
i made up a muslin last week based on my measurements. seems as though this pattern runs on the boxy side, because i had to take it in about 3″ all around. i left the shoulder and hip alone, so the entire bust/waist was just too big. once i took those seams in i was super pleased with the fit!
i want a two piece sleeve with exposed zipper sleeve vents, so i drafted one based on this resource. it came out… okay, but it still needs a ton of work. converting a one piece sleeve to a two piece sleeve is basically impossible. i don’t say that because it’s hard, but because they are just so different; the only thing they really have in common is the sleeve cap. the good news? the sleeve cap is the bulk of the drafting. so i’ll be trying again because i think i have a better idea of how to go about getting the sleeve i need.
while i was making all these changes, i decided the jacket would look super cute with turned back lapels. i lowered the stance and re-drew the front line to accommodate a nice wide lapel. i don’t mind the lack of collar (though it wouldn’t be all that hard to add, were you so inclined—just borrow one from a blazer pattern) but i think a lapel will help balance out the small bust/large hip thing happening with my figure. in fact, the collar-less look seems more popular now than it was when this pattern was released—perhaps sewaholic was just ahead of the times!
onto my fabric… i have a heavy-weight brown cotton sateen (no stretch) that i picked up for cheap last summer. it was marked twill (from fashionfabricsclub.com) and i had planned to make some pants for hubby. however, upon receipt, it was decidedly not twill, and really too heavy for pants. since the fabric was inexpensive i initially thought i would make the jacket with out a muslin, but the more i thought about how useful a brown jacket would be, the more i thought i should do the job right the first time. to top it off, i remembered this ikat silk remnant i scored a while back ($6/yd) that is a bit shiny for every day wear, but would be perfect as a fun lining! all the pieces fell into place—design, fabric—so i plan to do this jacket justice. usually, i practice project monogamy (one sewing project at a time, please!) but for this, i’m allowing myself to work on smaller things in between so i don’t rush through. let’s face it: i don’t need this jacket right away since i’m still wearing my winter coat on a daily basis.
since the fabrics were already hanging around my sewing room (even the pattern was a christmas gift from my sister!), i get to splurge on fancy metal zips. and my zips are the only piece i haven’t yet figured out yet… contrast (red-ish/dk pink) or matching? if i only needed a front zip, per the pattern, contrast would be a no-brainer (yes!). but, since there will be five zippers, all that contrast might be overkill. at the moment i’m leaning toward matching for the front zips, and contrast for the sleeve vents. or would that be dumb? i have plenty of time to decide so—to my lovely readers who have made it to the end of my post—whaddaya think? all matching? all contrast? a mix of matching and contrast? do tell!
