Tamarack Jacket Wearable Muslin

Tamarack Jacket in August

This jacket was made last November, but I haven't posted about it. Here's what I remember about the construction.
The cream exterior fabric is from a bag of scraps picked up from Freecycle. I don't know what the fabric content is, but it feels like something you would use for curtains or curtain lining. It has a bit of a waffle texture and seems to hold its shape pretty well. The lining is a piece of drapery fabric that Emily gave me at work.

Stewie approves cream fabric

This was my first attempt at making any sort of jacket or coat. The pattern is the Tamarack Jacket from Grainline Studio. I traced a size 16 except where I narrowed to a size 14 under the armscye down to the waist. The torso and sleeves were both lengthened 2 inches.

Floral lining for the sleeves

Cutting batting for back

For quilting the layers together, I used the walking foot on my Bernina 730 Record and evenly spaced horizontal rows. I could see where there are endless possibilities for quilting here, but I kept it basic for this first jacket.

Basted in reference lines for quilting

Quilting a sleeve

The seams in this muslin are not finished and I will definitely want to finish them on the next coat. There is fraying fabric and batting that I will not put up with next time.

Welt pockets were new for me and I watched a couple videos online, consulted a few sewing reference books, and followed the Tamarack Jacket sew-along instructions that Graineline Studio provided. I think they turned out well as viewed from the front, but the pocket lining is unfinished and I think it needs to be anchored to the inside of the jacket.

Floral pocket lining

At one point I really thought I had inserted the pocket flap upside down. I was sure that the flap should be hanging down from the top over the pocket opening. Since it was a muslin, I wasn't planning to go back and change that, but I did spend time rereading the directions and consulting the Grainline Studio sew-along to see what I would need to change for next time. It was in the sew-along that I realized the pocket wasn't constructed incorrectly, it just wasn't finished yet. The loose flap needed to be hand-stitched on the ends and secured to the front of the coat

I thought I had erred in my pocket construction, still need to attach flap

For the bias binding I used denim. The neckline and front opening of the jacket are selvedge and the jacket hem and sleeves are pieced denim strips.

Raw selvedge look adds great texture

Bias binding on front and bottom hem, one sleeve attached

Hook and eye fasteners were used for the front. I don't like how there are distinct gaps and spaces between the fasteners and I probably won't use those for the next jacket. I did see a tutorial for a zipper front somewhere in my research, I think I'd like to try that next time.

Denim pops against white 

I like the different lengths in front and back

Pocket linings inside out

The finished jacket looks pretty good from the outside, but is a bit messy inside. It's also a bit big across the shoulders. The light color exterior quilted in rows gives it a distinct Michelin Tire Man look. Before I make my first fashion fabric coat, I'll trace a smaller, size 14.

Increased sleeve length is good

Maybe make pockets a bit deeper

Still don't like gaps between hook and eyes on front

Good length in back

Recovering the Ironing Board

Ironing board under a quilting project

I have a small, portable ironing board that was purchased 10+ years ago at Gruber's Quilt Shop in St. Cloud Minnesota. It came with a set of fold up legs that can be used to make a table, but I prefer to set it on top of a table or counter so that it is not too low down. Over time, the fabric top has become worn and torn. Several times it has gotten nicked by overzealous scissors when trimming loose threads.

Got a bit careless with the scissors

This was a fairly quick project. My neighbor kindly lent me a staple gun and I had a fabric remnant ready to go. After gathering my supplies, I set up my workspace on the back patio table.

Everything is ready to go

First step was to pull out all the staples holding down the fabric. There was a layer of batting under the fabric but that did not get replaced so those staples did not need to be removed.

Staples about every two inches along perimeter

Layer of wool underneath fabric remained in place

Next, I cut a rectangle from the remnant that was a little larger than my board. Then, T came outside and we worked together to stretch, fold, and staple the new fabric layer into place. We were almost done when the staples ran out.

Only a few staples short

After only a brief delay, I was able to borrow another sleeve of staples from my neighbor and then tack down the last corner. This fabric is quite a bit brighter than the last cover and it will be fun to use for the next decade.

Finished board ready for action

Floral Blaire Shirt, Guest Post from Linda

Guest post from Linda, Courtney's mother and fellow vintage sewing machine enthusiast.

We've had some uncomfortably hot and humid weather here in Illinois lately, the kind of mugginess that makes the thought of a clingy cotton or cotton/lycra knit shirt sound like something to be avoided. There were no floaty, cool cotton woven shirts hanging in my closet, but I remembered some fabric that had fun possibilities. Simple pattern, should only take a few hours...

Blaire shirt patterns

The StyleArc pattern line is terrific in that you get so many sizes in one envelope. The drawback is tracing the size you want onto patternmaking paper and cutting it out before getting to start with the lovely shirt fabric. No matter, has to be done.
I don't have the collection of sewing machines that Courtney does, but once one does come through the front door, I'm reluctant to turn it loose. So although I could have done the whole shirt on my Bernina 1130, it seemed a lovely idea to see what a few other machines could do. 

Bernina 1130

The shirt construction went along smoothly. The fabric was so light I chose French seams because they'd be sturdy and add no bulk. The shoulder seams and front plackets were serged, reminding me how lovely my Babylock Imagine handles that sort of finishing work.  

Finished seams

Buttons and buttonholes were promising to be the interesting part. Plan A--buttonholes using the Singer 401A and the "Professional Buttonholer Attachment?" Sounded good, and after an hour of figuring out the attachment, the sample looked good. Oops, there was no template in the box that was small enough for the little shirt buttons.  

Singer 401A

Plan B--the Necchi BU. I love this machine. It's so powerful yet purrs softly while sewing. The buttonholer that fits this machine has a small template. I put away the 401 and set up the Necchi. Lovely. Unfortunately it cannot drop its feed dogs, and the screw for the coverplate didn't fit. Drat.    

Necchi BU

Plan C--the Singer Featherweight. I have a Singer buttonhole attachment that fits. To my credit, it was immediately apparent that since the Featherweight cannot do its own zigzag stitch, it would need a highly specialized buttonholer that I do not have.

Featherweight

Last job is sewing on the buttons. I knew that the job could be reliably done by machine, but hadn't tried that in several years. A button foot that is slightly sticky is helpful to keep the button from sliding around, and I have a brand new one for my Necchi BU. But it can't work without the aforementioned coverplate. Sigh.
Rather than going directly to my thimble and handsewing these little buttons on, I returned to the Bernina. Regular zigzag foot, ten minutes, and the buttons were on.

Bernina did a professional job

Finished shirt, worth the entire learning experience. I'd forgotten how comfortable a floaty cotton can be! Plus, I got to play with all my machines, a good thing in my book.    

Perfect shirt for the garden

It fits beautifully