Made by a Fabricista: Striped Duster

Have you ever run out to buy a pattern with the intention to make it right away, but then you get side tracked and days become weeks that become months? Well, that is what happened with early fall pattern, Simplicity 8177. I purchased this pattern this summer with plans to make it right away for the fall, because I love dusters. Whelp, that didn't happen, but I did finally sew it up this week. Even though I'm a season behind, I'm calling this a win, because it didn't get pushed back into next year.

I originally selected a brown and orange tweed wool suiting for this project (here), but then this navy and cream striped suiting (here) arrived and I quickly switched to it. I love, Love, LOVE stripes, my stash proves it. What I always forget when buying striped fabric is the added work of matching stripes when sewing. LOL. It is not difficult but it does take time. Sadly time is what I was short on due to some delays with FedEx (not Fabric Mart's fault). The stripes don't line up as nicely as I would like in a few places, but I have a finished coat to show you!

The stripes are about 1" wide and I think its the perfect scale for this duster. I didn't have any trouble sewing with it, but it is a boucle and prone to tons of fraying. I serged all of my raw edges except for the bottom hem. This suiting is fairly lightweight and I was concerned initially about using it for this project, but in the end I feel it worked especially for fall or warmer winter days.

This was a straight forward sew as there is no collar or fasteners. The two piece sleeve did add an additional seam which meant more stripes to match. One arm is off ,but I didn't have the time or the patience to correct it as I didn't notice until I had attached it to the body.

I decided to add a lining for a more finished look. I created the lining by cutting out the front, back and sleeve pieces and then tracing the facing pieces on the front and back pieces. I then added 5/8" seam allowance outside of that traced line and removed that portion to account for the facings. After sewing the lining pieces together I attached the raw edge to the facing of the jacket right sides facing.

I hemmed the sleeve lining and sleeve separately and then hand stitched the lining to the stitch line of the jacket I had planned on using the same method to finish the hem of the coat but somehow my lining was much shorter than the jacket. I'm not sure how that happened, maybe I was sleepy when I cut the lining. I had a bit of trouble with the vent and the lining. This led me to run out and buy double fold bias tape to enclose the raw edge of the hem. I simply did a narrow hem on the lining fabric.

The vent of the coat was no issue but I wasn't sure how to work the lining into the vent. So I sort of made this part up. I sewed the vent of the duster as instructed and then simply folded back the vent on both side of the lining. It doesn't show but I know this is not the correct way. I will be researching a proper way for the future, but for this project I made do.

I did omit the flaps because I don't quite get the "faux flaps"and the stripes are busy enough. I really like this duster and the only change I would make in the future would be to lengthen the sleeves by an inch and make the pocket larger. This pocket is teeny. Maybe I shouldn't have used a 5/8" seam allowance but even if I had made the seam narrower I still believe the pocket isn't deep enough. I will fit my large Samsung S7 but my hand does not fit comfortably. Then again I do have big hands.
I will make the project again, though I don't know when. I have such a long list of projects to sew over Christmas.

Check out my blog for a full pattern review and more pictures! TipStitched

Made By A Fabricista: A Tipsy Martini Transitional Three Piece Look

Hello Sewing Friends! It’s Sharon with Sharon Sews with my latest Fabricista make – a three-piece set I can wear as the weather transitions to fall here in Texas. It may look like a summer outfit but there will days filled with sunshine and high temps well into November. At first glance it looks like a nice, lightweight jacket, top and pants. But look closer – it’s sewn from the designer Tipsy Martini cotton sateen that was originally used by the designer for a pajama set. Now I could have sewn myself a pair of pajamas using the Closet Core Carolyn Pajama pattern (available at Fabric Mart) and replicated the designer pajamas. But if I had gone that route the only ones who would have seen this adorable kitschy fabric would be my family. This print is much too cute to hide out at home. This Tipsy Martini cotton sateen fabric was lovely to sew. I used black thread, an 80/12 universal needle, and Palmer/Pletsch Perfect Fuse Medium interfacing (link here). Note that this is a rayon fu

Made By A Fabricista: Hooray for Cozy Fall Sews!

Greetings, all! I am in such high spirits with the best-of-all-seasons just beginning and change is finally in the air. I always rejoice when the sweatiest time of the year passes and we can all take a deep breath and gear up for cozier times. Neighborhood Patterns is a new-to-me designer, and I came across them on Instagram in late summer and fell in love with the Plain Jane Skirt. This is such a simple A-line skirt, but with nice details like large inseam pockets and an optional drawstring, and though I’m sure I could draft this style myself, the appeal of having it all done for me was too tempting to pass up. A sew such as this is a lovely palate-cleanser and this was the first project I sewed after returning from a cross-country trip. Perfect! The gorgeous plaid flannel is exactly what I want to be wearing in the fall. The fabric is SO soft and a pleasure to snuggle up in. Because flannel does not have much body and is prone to stretching or shifting with all its mechanical give,

Made By A Fabricista: Quilted Jacket Chronicle

What do you get when mixing the best things about apparel sewing and machine quilting? A quilted jacket! It's funny that I elected to sew myself a quilted jacket for this Fabricista blog because I don't consider myself much of a quilter. I can count on my hands the number of quilted projects I've made over the last few years. While I fully appreciate the end product of quilting, I don't normally gravitate toward starting quilting projects. That's why making a quilted jacket is a new and exciting project for me! It gives me the fun of making a quilt on a much smaller scale. If you are an avid apparel sewist and are new to quilting, this is the perfect project to take for a quilting test drive! For my quilted jacket, I used the Seamwork Easton Jacket pattern. I decided to stick with a solid-colored fabric for the jacket's exterior and ordered 4 yards of Dark Umber Brown Lycra Stretch Canvas Suiting from the Fabric Mart website. I wanted a contrasting color for the

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