Made By A Fabricista: Bomber Jacket Trend

I've wanted a bomber jacket for a few years now and what do you know, they are in style now in a major way!

I've been seeing lots of florals and lots of satin bombers. I knew I wanted mine to be a bit bold (for me) and when I saw this printed ponte, I decided a knit bomber jacket would be mine!

At the time, I wasn't buying new patterns (broke that fast - shhhhh!) and went for a stash pattern - Burda 2/2013 #125

It comes in sizes 34 - 42 (8 - 16) and needs just 1 1/4 yard of 55 inch fabric - score! I couldn't find ribbing locally so I went with a black ponte for the bands.

I wanted to line it and picked up a run-of-the-mill poly interlock knit in black. It's a bit shiny but it's okay; it serves the purpose.

I don't think I'll ever make another jacket again without a back facing!

I cut a size 40 at the neckline and shoulders, grading to a 42 for the rest. This is standard for me with Burda. After taking measurements, and because I was using a knit, I decided I didn't need a full bicep adjustment and that the blousing at the waist made a swayback adjustment unnecessary. Also, there is no interfacing in this jacket other than a 1" strip where the zipper is inserted.

I really love the fit!

This went together so quickly (I used the serger for most of it) until it came time to figure out how to line, add zipper and add bottom band. I got myself all sorts of confused and Burda's instructions aren't all that helpful. I had attached the bottom band to the fashion fabric and then had no clue how I was going to attach the band to the lining!

In the end, I serged it as much as I could and slip-stitched the rest by hand. I also slip-stitched the bottom band to the zipper tape. For the sleeves, I just attached the band to the fashion fabric and lining at the same time.

I made my hem band a bit smaller than they suggested - both length and width, and skipped the topstitching on the neckline. With this busy print, it isn't missed! I did get those front pieces lined up nicely!!

While I find this print a bit wild and crazy; I absolutely adore the finished jacket! I love the fit and think this will be a fun wardrobe piece.

Are you hopping on the Bomber jacket bandwagon this fall?!

Nakisha

SewCraftyChemist

Made by a Fabricista: What to Make with Silk Taffeta

You may have noticed that Fabric Mart has a *HUGE* selection of silk taffeta right now. A lot of it is either large plaid or large stripes. I was curious about it, and not really sure what I could make with it, but I just knew it would be gorgeous fabric and had to play around with it. Turns out, it's actually great for quite a range of projects! The dress above is my third project. Let me show you the first two. My first was to make some queen size pillow shams. They are the plaid ones in the back of the photo. I also made the two printed ones in the center from another Fabric Mart home dec fabric special! I wanted to make the covers removable with a zipper, and include a braided trim. As luck would have it, I found a whole card of braided trim at an estate sale that worked with my taffeta for just $2! To start, I used a zipper foot to stitch down the braided trim all around one side of the pillow. Then I serged ...

A Yard And Change

Do you have a fabric that you love and has been hanging around but is too small to use? Maybe you found a wonderful fabric with a super cute print but there's only a yard left. I've got a few projects I worked on all with roughly a yard of fabric. And I have a few tips for making that yard and change go further! Cutting Layout: You can get a lot more mileage out of a yard of fabric if you can get creative with how you lay out your fabric. Cutting things single layer will give you the most control. My favorite thing to do is unfold the fabric and fold the selvages in to meet in the middle. That gives me two folded edges to work with. I had to overlap these to get enough width for the tank top. Just make sure that your pattern pieces don't also overlap! This one was especially fun for me because I really loved the print on this swimwear knit but am not yet up to sewing swimwear. But a nice flowy hiking tank is perfect for this! In the future I'd love to experiment with...

Help Our Buyers Shop!

Comment on this post with what you are looking for right now and our buyers will seek it out! I am craving wool gabardines and ponte knits in fun autumn colors. What about you?

Athletic Wear Refresh: A Bold New Gym Set

There’s something especially motivating about refreshing your workout wardrobe with pieces that feel like you. As part of my ongoing athletic wear refresh, I’m adding another handmade set to my gym wardrobe—and this one might be the boldest yet. Lately, I’ve been taking a closer look at my handmade wardrobe and thinking more intentionally about what I actually wear in this season of my life. Athletic wear has become a big part of that. Instead of treating workout clothes as an afterthought, I want my gym wardrobe to have the same personality, color, and style as everything else I make. And this fabric made that very easy. The Fabric That Started It All The moment I saw this vibrant multicolored paisley, I was immediately drawn to it. The mix of warm reds, oranges, greens, turquoise, and golden yellow against the light background feels bold, energetic, and a little unexpected for athletic wear . There’s something about the print that reminds me of Etro and other higher-end f...

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