McCalls 5194

It's been a few weeks since I've posted.  Sometimes life is just flying by so quickly that there isn't time to get everything done!  I've been super busy over the last few weeks and haven't been sewing as much as I'd like to so I've decided to post something that although I made it a few years ago, it is still a favorite in my wardrobe.

This is McCall's 5194 - a Non-Stop Wardrobe pattern set that is now OOP.  It's a semi-fitted, lined jacket with princess seams, lined pockets with a contrasting band, two piece sleeves and a shaped hem with lots of contrasting bias binding around the edges.

Here is my version of the jacket.  The fabric is a brown/bluish green herringbone poly blend that drapes just beautifully.  The skirt is a Decades of Style pattern. The brown fabric for the bias binding is a poly stretch ultrasuede type fabric. I can't remember it's exact make-up, but I do remember that using it for the contrasting binding was a bit of a challenge.

Side view of the ensemble.

And here's the back.

I love the pockets on this pattern. They have a nice little pleat in the center front and are fully lined.  Lined pockets are a great added feature to any garment.  It's so nice to put your hand in the pocket and feel the silky fabric on the inside - it's like a little secret that only you know about.

The shoulders on this jacket are a bit "linebacker" looking and could probably do with being brought in 3/8" at the top of the shoulder.  Here's a closer look at the binding around the collar.  This involved alot of pinning and hand sewing to get the brown fabric to behave.

The binding on the curve around the bottom hem in the front was a little easier to sew than the sharper curve of the collar pieces.

Not to crazy of a lining on this jacket.  I did manage to find this sort of animal brown poly weave though.

I used the same brown for the undercollar.

This is one of those timeless garments that will be in my wardrobe for years.  If I ever get the urge to go horseback riding in the English Countryside, this jacket will be perfect. Pair it with a nice pair of riding pants and I'd be off!  Too bad I don't know how to ride a horse!

Until next time - Happy Sewing!

Vogue 7764

This is Vogue 7764 - a fitted, supposed to be unlined but I made it lined, below hip, military style jacket.  It's made from a nice wool, I believe I picked up from the ASG garage sale.

Jacket front

There are a total of 16 darts in this pattern so it is very nicely fitted.  The pockets have a box pleat in them as well which mimics the box pleats on the back of the jacket.

Close-up of front pocket

Here is the back view with the box pleats both above and below the waist.  It looks a bit floppy on my dressform, but fits me quite nicely.

The pattern called for just sewing triangle stitching lines at the top and bottom of the pleats, but I had some blue leather that matched perfectly so decided to sew them in place to add a little emphasis.

The jacket also has epaulets on each sleeve (optional of course).  I like the jacket with them.

And of course, I had to throw in a crazy lining.  The pattern doesn't call for a lining, but since my fabric was wool, I had to have one.  Wool just itches me like crazy but it sews beautifully.

Back view of the lining.  The jacket doesn't fit so well on the dress form because the shoulder pads are trying to lay in a different direction - you get the idea though.

Until next time!  Happy Sewing!