Made by a Fabricista: Deer and Doe Nenuphar Jacket + Burda 6849 tiny floral print shirt!

Hi everybody, it's Virginie from Jazz Couture and I'm happy to share with you my 2 first fall makes!

Deer and Doe Nenuphar Jacket

The Nenuphar Jacket

So for my first make I chose the Nenuphar pattern by Deer and Doe! It is a light jacket that is perfect as a transitional, layering piece, and you could wear it with a jeans and t-shirt combo as I did, or over a straight dress or a pencil skirt. I made view A, which features 3/4 sleeves, front band and patch pockets with cutout details, and a two-piece back with a gathered bottom.

If you are not familiar with Deer and Doe, it's a french pattern company and FM carry some of their most popular designs.

The Nenuphar jacket, view A and view B

Nenuphar jacket, back view

The fabric:

The fabric I selected for my Nenuphar is a wonderful cotton/wool blend by designer Marc Jacobs. I must confess that I had a hard time deciding what to make with it, 'cause it's suitable for so many things: a dress, a skirt, shorts, jackets, etc. I don't remember how I stumbled on the Nenuphar jacket, but at the last minute I decided that this beautiful light suiting cotton would be perfect for that pattern, and I don't regret my choice!

If you have this fabric, let me just mention that although the two sides might appear similar at first glance, they differ in that one side has an horizontal repeat (white lines) that is noticable if you step back a little bit, and the other side has no really noticable repeat. As the pattern does not lends itself well to stripes, I chose the side with no visible repeat.

This Marc Jacobs fabric just sold out recently, but you could make this pattern with so many fabrics, let me just throw some ideas: any light suiting, chambray, light denim, 4 ply silk, silk taffeta, heavy linen, etc.

What I like about this pattern is that it's really versatile: make it with a fabric with some body and you get more of a jacket look, or pair it with silky prints and you get more of a kimono look!

I chose a fabric with some body (cotton/wool blend by Marc Jacobs) to go for a more architectural look

Thoughts on the pattern:

The Nenuphar hasn't been made that much here in North America, but it made quite a splash with the french sewists - there are wonderful versions of it on the internet!

It was my first time using a Deer and Doe pattern and I'm happy to report that I'm positively impressed. The Nenuphar jacket is a very well, thoughtfully drafted pattern: its proportions are just right!

My measurements put me between size 36 and 38, but I chose to make a 36 since this jacket is not fitted anyway. The 36 was perfect for me, and I made no alterations other than removing 1/4'' at the inner back shoulder seam (tapering to nothing at the outer end) and giving it back to the inner front shoulder seam to rectify the angle that is too forward in my opinion. The sleeve head has almost no ease, which makes setting the sleeve in the armhole a breeze!

I really like the high collar and the back on that jacket, it is short and the gathers give it a swingy look reminiscent of those trapeze coats of the 50's! I can definitely see other versions of the Nenuphar jacket in my future!

Burda 6849 shirt

My second make is Burda 6849, a classic fitted shirt. I love making shirts 'cause it's precision sewing. This pattern is a TNT for me and I love everything about it - I made view B with the breast pockets (no pocket flaps) - the print is very busy so unfortunately the pockets and the seaming details did not get caught by my camera!

Burda 6849 in a Hawaiian designer tiny floral cotton print

The fabric:

This fabric really caught my eye when I saw it listed in the hawaiian designer category. It is a very delicate Liberty-esque tiny floral print (love love tiny floral prints), and I knew it really wanted to become a shirt! The colors are a mix of white, turquoise, yellow and apple green on an orangy red background - quite 70's in my opinion.

The quality is awesome, and it's not exactly the same as the other hawaiian cotton lawns listed - it has more substance, and the wrong side has a jacquard like weave (see picture below). It is just beautiful, and perfect for a shirt (or a top, a dress, a skirt), and as we speak there are still a couple of yards available here!

I love to wear a shirt at this time of year when temperatures are still warm but not like the scorching heat we had this summer, and a cute shirt with a pair of jeans looks casual and relax but never sloppy. I feel it's a real luxury to wear a custom made shirt when lots of RTW shirts are so ill fitting!

Back view of Burda 6849 - yoke, CB seam and back darts (barely visible)

Construction shots:

That fabric sewed and pressed like a dream - I'm so glad I was able to get some (psst, don't wait and get it while it's still available)! Here are some shots I took during the construction process:

Shirt tail hem - outside: narrow hem by hand (barely over 1/8'')

Shirt tail hem - inside

Topstitching with fine cotton thread in natural white

Detail of the jacquard like weave (not really visible on the outside)

Cuff and sleeve vent

I always feel a bit of melancholy when summer is over and gone are the sundresses days, but those 2 makes are a good kickstart for my fall sewing. I must focus now on transitional pieces, and as usual my head is spinning with so many ideas! What kind of sewing projects are you into at this time of year?

Virginie

from

Jazz Couture