Although Victoria extended Fearless February through March, I chose to stick with the original February 28th deadline. My last post featured this bear.
So what does he have to do with sewing?
Well, I wrestled a bear and won! Actually I'm calling my Vogue 1320 coat "The Bear." Not in a bad way but in a "this coat is warmer and heavier than a bear" kind of way.
I'll have to preface this review by saying, try as I might, I could not get better pictures. Could have been operator error-- who knows. I picked the fabric up at an estate sale a few years ago and it was absolutely perfect for this project. The weight reminds me of an old army blanket I once had. The fabric would have been much too thick and heavy for anything other than a very simple style.
Vogue 1320 is simple enough for a beginner to attempt yet stylish enough for a seasoned veteran to be interested. I sewed it in the largest size (22) and am glad I did. In a less bulky fabric, I'm sure the coat would have swallowed me in any other fabric but in the fabric I chose it was the right choice.I was able to sew this coat in about a week. I think the pattern is very well drafted and especially love the sleeve shaping. Let me say it again. It seems like the sleeve was drafted especially for me! While I originally planned to change the collar, I'm glad I just followed the pattern. The collar is very warm and snuggly.
Before adding the lining and front facing I had resigned myself to having to do some major alterations but after, I breathed a sigh of relief at my insight. The FBA I made on the pattern was right on time. Once I added hems to both coat and lining, trying it on was like a giant "bear hug!" I love this coat. The sleeves along with the yoke and deep pockets were a "win-win" in my book. The yoke assured there would be not frustration over too much ease in the sleeve cap. But once again the bulk of the fabric meant no "bagging" the lining. The lining is a perfect fit. As suggested I did use "sew-in" interfacing or rather in my case Batiste fabric. For the sleeves and hems I used fusible. In the photos, I'm wearing it with my refashioned leather pants
Using the built-in buttonholer on my sewing machine was impossible so I devised a way to stitch a buttonhole manually. I used a 1mm zigzag machine stitch and later added a manual buttonhole stitch around it. The buttons are from Dritz. I added smaller buttons on the back for less stress on the fabric when buttoned.
You can see more construction photos at
Flicker
Before I leave I'd also like to show the Barbie of the week. Actually I need to post two because I didn't post one for last week. The Barbie of last week is actually Brandi the singer. Brandi has fully articulated arms and even sings a Christmas song. Her hair has been braided into hundreds of braids. I made her dress and jewelry. The pattern is Simplicity 5785 view E. The pattern is from the Simplicity archives and is exactly as it was in the original release circa 1960. The fabric is quilting cotton with satin ribbon at the waist. I used 20 gauge wire for the jewelry.
Barbie of the week
This Barbie is a "rebodied" Brandi with a Teresa head. In plain English it's two dolls with swapped heads! She's been renamed by me to Meaghan. I rebodied her with a Brandi that had fully articulated arms and legs.
I machine-knitted her floor length "body con" halter dress and sewed the ultra-suede clutch.The earrings were also made by me. I imagined her wearing this to an Oscar "after party" last weekend.
In trying to steal her thunder Brandi and another Barbie ("Asha" renamed by me) couldn't help but photo bomb her!
