Log Cabin Jacket

This jacket was another project for Lorraine Torrence’s Creative Clothing Class. The assignment was to create an upcycled garment. I had a strip of vintage wool fabric that had been hand pieced into the log cabin pattern.  It contained a variety of fabrics, wool, velveteen, cottons, etc.  I purchased it from St. Vincent’s for under $5 and mended some seams which were coming apart.  I loved the geometric look of this pattern and also the red strips which I wanted to highlight and make the piece look more modern.  I was going to incorporate this piece into a garment and then decided to see if I had a ready made garment that I could use this on.  I found a black wool jacket a friend had given me and it turned out the strip fit nicely on the right front.  I laid the piece on the garment and turned the edges under to fit.  Then I hand stitched the piece onto the garment.  I had a small piece that I cut out around the armhole and I stitched this piece on the back neckline to continue the pattern onto the back, as Lorraine always suggests.

 

Pockets

 

 

  

 

  

 
One of the assignments for my Creative Clothing class with Lorraine Torrence was pockets.   I wanted to use some linen damask shibori dyed napkins I had done in various patterns. I copied a pattern from a simple Mexican embroidered blouse that I had. There were 4 - 24” square napkins and I used 2 of them for the front and back of the garment.  I wanted to lengthen the top so I cut a 15” piece from 2 other napkins and sewed one onto the front and back pieces and then turned them up and sewed them down to create 3 pockets both front and back.  I accented the tops of the pockets with square mother-of-Pearl buttons and a line of hand stitching and used a self-binding at the neckline.  The sleeve opening and side seams were all finished edges so I didn’t need to finish them off.  I used French seams on the shoulders.   I left an opening at the bottom on either side for more ease and topstiched around the openings and hem.  

 

Lorraine Torrence Creative Clothing Class 2014 - #3 Closures

For this project I used a Sandra Betzina blouse pattern, Vogue 7281, that I had made before.  The fabric came from a pair of flowing pants I bought at Maxwell Street in Madison, intending to use the fabric in them for another garment.  I was able to place the border of the print along the front edge of the blouse.

For the button loops I used some middy braid I purchased at
Gayfeather Fabrics.  I doubled the braid and tied it
in knots and used this for the button loops.

The buttons were made out of triangles of the fabric that had a layer of fleece inside and I sewed a layer of the facing fabric to the back.  I rolled then up into little croissants and then hand stitched them to the fabric.  I put a circle of heavy felt behind the button to hold it up and so that it wouldn't pull the lightweight fabric.


Close up of croissant button and loop.


 



Finished project.

 

Note:  One think I learned from sewing with metallic fabric is that it is very delicate.  I should have lined the entire blouse as it he long threads on the inside tend to catch and break.  Next time:)



Lorraine Torrence Creative Clothing Class 2014 - #4 Using 5 Fabrics in a Garment

I have a wonderful silk print that I have coveted for years - too afraid to cut it up in case I screwed up the resulting garment.  It features a grouping of Asian people and I have been pondering for years what to do with it.  The assignment for our class prompted me to think of using it as I also had a few yards of another orange silk flowered print that worked with it - now to find 3 others!  I had an orange corded silk in my stash that worked and after digging through my kimono pieces stash I found 2 more green shibori pieces that worked.

The pattern I chose had an Asian feel to it, as do so many of my garments - it was one of Lorraine Torrence's patterns, Grainline Gear Crossroads Jacket. 

I remembered reading an article in one of Sandra Betzina's books about making a silk jacket.  It involved backing each piece with a matching piece of flannelette that was fused with interfacing.  The flannelette gave body to the fabric while the interfacing gave it abit more, without being directly fused onto the silk.  I hand basted each piece (exhausting!!) with the 3 layers before sewing them together and then lined the piece in more of the orange silk.

Thee garment needed closures of some sort and I had purchased some buttons at a flea market in Madison that were just perfect - men's heads in a scale that matched the print to perfection.  I used a covered snap as a closure underneath and then sewed the buttons onto the front band as decoration.  So glad I waited for the perfect garment and the silk feels wonderful when I wear it!

Lorraine Torrence Creative Clothing Class 2014 - #5 Using Panels

Every year,  Cat's Pajamas Productions puts on a fantastic vintage clothing show and sale in Elgin, IL. (www.catspajamasproductions.net).  It is held twice a year and is wonderful not only for the shopping but just for browsing and they usually put on some kind of clothing-related exhibit.  If you go to the show on Friday nights and dress in vintage they will give you $2 off on your tickets.

A couple years ago I found 2 beautiful silk pillow cases.  One I used as is on my bed and the other
I used for a project in Lorraine's class.  Our assignment was to make a garment featuring panels so I took a favorite vest pattern and was able to cut up the pillow cover and use it for the front panels of the vest. For the back of the vest I used an embroidered piece on the upper back. 

 

 

 

I love the vest but unfortunately the embroidery has lots of long threads and it is easy to pull them.  This will definitely be for special occasions.

Lorraine Torrence Creative Clothing Class 2014 - #2 Threadwork

Closed

Open

For this project I used a Paw Prints pattern by Dana
Bontrager called Kimono Jacket and Vest.

Since this is a rather boxy
vest, I decided to add about
4" in length to the pattern
and then added width to the
sides, below the armhole, in
a wedge shape to make more
of a swing shape to the vest.






I'd like to wear this vest both ways, so I added a snap so I can wear it closed and can also
let it hang open.

Here is a closeup of the stitching I did on the neckband
using #5 Pearl Cotton and Sashiko stitching.  I got the
idea from an excellent article entitled Pocket Panache in the October/November 2013 Vogue Patterns Magazine.





The long red item on the left is a button from JoAnn Fabrics (amazing!) that I stitched on with some small black beads to cover the holes in the button.

What Are You Sewing?

Vogue Patterns magazine (one of my favorites along with Threads) has a monthly feature entitled What Are You Sewing?  They ask their readers to send in a photo and explanation of a favorite project as an inspiration to other sewers.  I decided to send them a photo of the coat I made from a Vogue pattern (#7663) by Marcy Tilton and it showed up in the April/May 2014 issue.  You can read about my project below. And  THANK YOU Vogue Patterns for awarding me a one-year subscription to your fabulous magazine!

 

Lorraine Torrence Creative Clothing Class 2014 - #1 Repurposed Ready-to-Wear

I signed up for Lorraine's Creative Clothing Class at Gayfeather Fabrics again this year, as did most of my classmates from last year.  The first  assignment was to repurpose a piece of ready-to-wear.  My project for this go around was a long, black silk Dana Buchman vest I found at a consignment store for $20.  I decided to use some of the beautiful pieces of handprinted silk scraps that I had bought from Laura Goldstein, who has a business in Milwaukee called Grotta & Co.  She makes the most fabulous scarves and pillows from her fabrics (www.grottaco.com). 




Before

After

I first fused the silk pieces onto some fusi-knit interfacing and then sewed the pieces into strips which I basted onto the hem of the vest.  Then I used some black and white ribbon I got at Gayfeather Fabrics and topstitched it onto the top and bottom edges of the strip to finish it off.





























Using a grasshopper motif from one of the silk scraps, I made a patchwork square which I stitched on the upper back to add interest.

 

 

I had planned to change the button that came with the vest but decided the large mother-of-pearl button was perfect. 

Lorraine Torrence Creative Clothing Class #1 - Repurposed Ready-to-Wear

 

For those of us sewists lucky enough to be located in Madison, WI, we now have a great wearable artist/quilter in our midst.  Lorraine Torrence, formerly of Seattle, WA has relocated to Madison and is now teaching at Gayfeather Fabrics on Willy St. in Madison.  I am enrolled in one of her classes entitled Creative Clothing and am keeping track of the projects I have made for this session.  

 

Our first assignment was to repurpose a ready-to-wear garment.  I chose this black Flax brand linen jacket that had been hanging in my closet for far too long.   This jacket had many interesting design features which went unnoticed.

 

 

 

 

I chose to accent the lower pockets in the peplum with white linen fabric and added stacked buttons to the center front, alongside the front flange.  I didn't care for the collar so I constructed a new neckpiece over the old one and accented the sleeves and center back with more of the white linen fabric.

 

One thing Lorraine impressed upon us was to always put something in the back of the garment that

relates to the front to pull the design together.

Lorraine Torrence Creative Clothing Class #2 - Threadwork Embellishment

Our second assignment for Lorraine's class was threadwork.  Since I knew I was going to be on the road for a few days I decided to do handwork on a vintage kimono that I had stenciled on in the past. 
I  used buttonhole thread and mother-of-pearl buttons to decorate the front bands of the kimono and accented a few other spots. 

 

 

 

Lorraine Torrence Creative Clothing Class #3 - Garment Featuring a Panel

For this project I added a panel of ikat knit fabric to a knit tshirt.  Since the ikat fabric was much thinner than the tshirt knit, I fused it to some Easy Knit to give it more body and to help it hold
it's shape in the center panel of the garment.

Lorraine Torrence Creative Clothing Class #4 - Garment Where Closure is the Featured Element

I made this red nylon raincoat out of Vogue Pattern 7663 by Marcy Tilton.  I love oversized features

as it's a great way to make a statement.  This closure is made out of a thick upholstery piping cord

which I covered in a tube of the matching fabric.  The long button holds the closure shut, along  with

black snaps sewn underneath.  I can't wait for it to rain!