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: A Wooly Wearable Blanket.

Twirling in a me-made outfit! I live in a small town where the nearest fabric shop is a road trip away, so I almost exclusively shop for fabric online. Having access to an online shop like Fabric Mart with a solid search engine is incredibly helpful. But by far my favorite aspect of Fabric Mart is what I call the “Drape Picture” included in each listing! This picture gives me all the information I need and I find it more helpful than the exact weight per yard/square meter. Seeing how the fabric falls close or away from the body gives me a clear idea of how it will behave and inspires me to make it into something that will highlight the fabric’s nature. When I saw the drape of this “Baked Plum” wool suiting , I immediately wanted to immortalize those beautiful folds into a skirt! I opted for a simple self-drafted pleated skirt with a deep hem. I wear my dresses year-round and rely on wool skirts that I layer under or over my dresses for warmth. I cut two panels for the front ...

Made By A Fabricista: Which comes first – the fabric or the pattern?

Ah, the age old question garment sewers are often asked – do you choose the pattern first and then look for fabric, or do you buy fabric and then later decide what it will be when it grows up? If you are a sewist with a large fabric stash (like myself), then perhaps you are on Team Fabric. I would say I definitely lean that way, but there are also times when I land somewhere in the middle – I see a fabric and I think, I’ve just seen a pattern and these two would be perfect together! And that’s how gorgeous dusty rose stretch velvet and a recently released cardigan pattern came together to create the newest addition to my wardrobe. And had me improvising a few things along the way. First. I have to admit - I have a stretch velvet problem. I see it pop up on the website and I almost always grab it, especially if I see a sale. It’s not the easiest fabric to sew (it’s slippery as heck!), but I love it so much and I especially love using it in non-traditional ways. In my last blog post, I...

Made By A Fabricista: Back In The Saddle

If you don’t know in October my beloved Bernina sewing machine blew a fuse and started smoking while I was using it. She went to the shop for repairs, and then I moved. So it’s been a bit since I’ve sewed last and I’ve had trouble getting back into it. I knew I needed a simpler project to get me going again. Julie sewed up a Jarrah sweater recently ( restock coming soon! ) and gushed about how simple and rewarding a project it was. Then we got in this beautiful wool/cashmere sweater knit from England. I was seeing lighthouse keeper, sheep herder in the highlands. I knew it had to be my Jarrah sweater. I did lengthen the bodice by 3 inches. I actually sewed up a mock up with the curved hemline, but decided that wasn’t for me and went with the straight hem. Of course I took zero photos of said mock up. Oops. Otherwise I sewed it up in a size 6 as is. Using the serger this really does sew up quickly. The dropped shoulder creates clean, simple lines that make it easy to sew u...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog