Dover Jacket Sew-Along #1 - 8 Things Every Sewer Should Know

Welcome to the Blue Dot Patterns Dover Jacket Sew-Along!  Today is part #1 of a 4 part series.  Today we will be talking about selecting fabrics, gathering supplies and choosing pattern size.

Fabrics:

Well, for me this is usually the best part!  The Dover Jacket is pretty versatile therefore you are able to use a myriad of different fabrics (maybe even something from your stash, which is always a good thing!)  The recommended fabrics include: ponte knit (my fabric of choice for the sew along), raw silk, linen, lightweight wool, quilting weight cotton, and light to medium weight denim.  Check out my Dover Sew-Along Pinterest board for lots of other options.  For View B you will need 2 1/3 yards of 45" fabric OR 1 5/8 yards of 60" fabric.

Solid or almost solid fabrics would work really well if you want to focus on the topstitching.  Here's a dot denim and an ivory ponte knit from Finch Fabrics that would be great for topstitching:

These linens from Fabrics Store would be perfect for spring paired with some really great buttons:

Fabricworm quilting cottons would sew up well for a fun jacket.  And aren't we always looking for a reason to use these print fabrics?

Notions:

 We will be making The Dover Jacket View B so we will need: 

  

1 yard of fusible interfacing

Three 1" buttons

Thread to match or contrast (depending on if you do a contrast topstitch)

The interfacing will be used on the jacket facing and the hem.  Iron-on or fusible interfacing works well.  I typically choose a knit interfacing because it adds stability while keeping the drape of the fabric.  Pellon type interfacings work on stable wovens but be sure to keep them lighter weight than the fabric itself.

On my jacket I used 1" denim covered buttons from my stash.  There are only 2 because that's all I had and they looked so great (and I've been dying to use them) I couldn't resist.  It's my sewing party so I can can make some changes, right?   This is the perfect time to use those funky buttons you love but can't seem to find a project for.

Pattern Size:

The back of the pattern lists both body measurements and finished garment measurements.  To choose the correct size for you, measure your bust at it's fullest point and compare it to the body measurements chart.  This is the size you should choose.  If you are in between sizes, size up.  When you compare the body measurements to the finished garment measurements you can see there's 2" of ease built into the bust 9" of ease at the waist.  If you prefer more space in the bust be sure to size up.  After all, this is your jacket.

Okay, collect your PDF pattern, fabric and notions and let's get ready to go!  

Day #2 of the Sew-Along is February 16th and we will begin prepping to sew.  

See you soon!

I Felt a Breeze....Fall Must Be On The Way

I'm pretty sure I felt a breeze this morning so fall must be on the way which makes me giddy since fall sewing is some of my favorite (except I say this about spring sewing too so I can't be trusted).  Either way, I'm looking ahead to the new season and with that trying to get a plan, even a loose one, underway, inspired by The Wardrobe Architect Series at Colette, of course.

Like all of us, I have limited time to sew so making pieces that work well together is the name of the game and color is a great place to start.  I started by looking at the Pantone Fall 2015 color chart which has lots of colors I like to wear (mostly jewel tones) but really my own sewing room was the place to go.  I pulled together some of the fabrics on my cutting table and a couple from my stash and found my fall wardrobe emerging from my sewing room.

Berry seems to be a favorite as with navy and I just finished making a blouse in the silk Liberty above from my Blue Dot Pattern that's next to be released (stay tuned, more on that later).  The solid fabric is a t-shirt I already have and the navy fabric is a lightweight wool that will likely turn into a Grainline Morris Blazer.

I'd like to keep black/gray as one of my neutrals since I have so much of it in my closet.  I'm setting aside the cream wool gauze with baby black sequins for a tunic and the gray toile crepe is cutout and ready to stitch.  It'll be my second sample for a BD dress pattern that's also soon to make it's debut.

The denims and chambrays will be pieces I wear the most and the tencel chambray will be perfect made up in Sewaholics Granville shirt (like the one I made here).  I'm not yet sure what the stripe and lace will turn into but almost certainly they will be inspired by Madewell. 

Sewing from my stash makes me really happy and now that I've made a list here,  I can see I'm further along in my fall sewing and planning than I thought.

What are your fall plans?

Pattern Hack Halter Dress - Part 1

I want to share with you an in-progress "pattern hack" dress project I have working in my sewing room.  Halter dresses seem to be all the rage this summer and I figured this cotton crepe that's been sitting in my stash for quite a while would be perfect.

I started by using this Simplicity pattern for the armhole shape.  After cutting off 1" at the top of the bodice, I pinned in six pleats on my dress form, marked them and sewed them down.  The smoother look of the pleats was better with the cotton than a drawstring.

After the pleats were in, I marked and cut a facing for the strap to run through.

I'm using some black seam binding to determine the length of the strap but I will be making the strap out of the fabric.

The skirt is up next!  I'll post the finished dress soon!

Happy Sewing!