Made By A Fabricista: A Designer-Inspired Jacket in an Embroidered Silk Suiting

Hello my sewing friends!

When September rolls around many of us look forward to wearing cozy sweaters while sipping pumpkin spice lattes. However, I live in a warm weather state – umm, scratch that – I live in a hot weather state, and I wear layering pieces rather than cozy sweaters. Like this jacket!

Vogue 1831 is a Gucci-inspired jacket pattern that was released a few months ago. The fully lined jacket looks like a basic jacket from the front, but turn around and you’ll find an inverted pleat with an adorable bow detail!

I wanted to sew this jacket to wear with jeans and when I saw this embroidered silk suiting, I knew I’d found my fabric.

There is a gold metallic swirl embroidered into the fabric that glitters slightly when the light hits those threads. Trust me, the photos don’t capture the beauty of this fabric.

Although this fabric was listed as dry-clean, I preshrunk it in the machine using a gentle cycle with a cold wash and cold rinse. I placed it in the dryer on low heat. Just a reminder, it’s always a good idea to test a sample of your dry-clean fabric first as not all of them will be okay after being machine washed.

To sew the jacket, I used a size 12 universal Schmetz needle and black all-purpose thread. Inside I used Palmer/Pletsch Perfect Fuse medium interfacing, and a surprise pop of color! The lining is a NY designer rayon lining with purple, raspberry, red, and gold stripes. I used a remnant of faux leather I had in my stash for the contrast collar.

Both the original designer jacket and the Vogue sewing pattern included patch pockets on the front of the jacket at the bust. I eliminated those as I thought they looked odd, and they certainly weren’t functional due to the location. I also did a full bust adjustment using a pivot and slide method so there would not be a dart at the side seam.

Now those metallic threads are gorgeous, but they did present a few challenges. I discovered the threads were difficult to cut so I ended up cutting all my pattern pieces single layer. The threads were a bit scratchy against my skin, but the lining took care of that.

I also found the threads made the fabric too stiff for the back bow detail, which is actually two pieces. There is a small loop sewn into at the bottom of the back yoke and the bow piece is inserted into the loop. I cut both of those pattern pieces in half and used a lightweight fabric on the inside of the loop and on the underside of the bow.

Because the jacket is fully lined, I did not finish the seams. Due to the inverted pleat at the center back of this jacket, the lining hangs free at the hem line, so I finish the jacket hem with a Hong Kong finish using bias strips of the lining. That way if the lining flips up that hem edge looks quite nice.

After a summer of quick sewing projects, it was nice to slow down and enjoy the process of creating this jacket.

This is a versatile layering piece! I plan to wear it most often with jeans, but it can easily be paired with trousers or even a short pencil skirt. I know I’ll be wearing this one a lot this season.

SHARON | @thesharonsews

Unfortunately Fabric Mart Fabrics sell out quickly!
You can find similar fabrics by shopping the following categories SILK, SUITING, & LINING.

Made By A Fabricista: Basics vs Fun Clothes

Every summer I make flowy, pretty dresses because they are so fun for me to make, wear, and they keep me cool as temperatures rise. But when the days get shorter and autumn rolls around, I’m not always confident on how best to transition my summery dresses into garments that will allow for the seasonal changes. In an effort to be more intentional about maximizing the use of my clothing, I thought long and hard about what I wanted to make for August. It’s been a hot summer in New Jersey. From what I can see, it’s been a hot summer across the US. Looking for clothing that will keep me cool, perhaps hide some sweat stains, and allow me to transition between seasons, I decided to make separates that would pair well with each other and allow me to mix and match with the rest of my wardrobe. For the top, I wanted a basic tank top, something I could layer later on. For the bottoms, I wanted flowy, summery pants that can last into brisker weather or become phenomenally cozy in front of my wint...

Made By A Fabricista: From Paris with Love!

Bonjour! I am still in bliss from my recent trip to Paris!! It was much more than I expected and I absolutely fell in love with the city. I can honestly see myself living there one day. I knew before leaving I wanted to make something to fit into the Parisian landscape because I knew it would be a special opportunity. I was inspired by one of my favorite fashion creators Juliette Foxx. Her checked gingham corset and wide leg pants were on my list to remake. For fabric I used this red and white pin stripe denim twill and deep red sateen for the pants. The pattern I used for the corset was McCall’s #M8182 with a few modifications. The fit was a little large so I took it in along the sides and shoulder seam. I then lowered the neckline since the shoulders were taken in. I used the sateen as my lining which gave a great contrast. My pants are my unreleased pattern which happens to be exact from the inspiration. I drafted these last year and have been wo...

Made By A Fabricista: Sewing Summery ITY

Hi sewing friends! I’m dropping in to share a few makes sewn with ITY fabrics and inspire you to try out this slinky, cool-to-the-touch fabric for hot weather if you haven’t yet, or to recommend some patterns that work fabulously if you already love it. This is by far my favorite knit to wear in summer. Since it moves easily there’s lots of airflow, and it just skims the body. More often than not, it has a four-way stretch that doesn’t grow when worn, so it works great for loads of styles. ITY stands for Interlock Twist Yarn and the knit gives it some wonderful drape and stretch. There are lots of different weights and even some differing textures. Because it’s so fluid, the fabric really resists most wrinkling. I’ve sewn three different weights and prints here to show off just what ITY can do! This white floral is a lighter weight and features a slightly crepe-textured finish, and I think that combined with the large and spread-out floral makes it quite elegant and eye-cat...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog