Cypress Cape

The Cypress Cape by Sewaholic hasn't been getting a lot of attention in the sewing blog world.  The style probably isn't for everyone, but the fact that it's different and interesting is why I was drawn to it in the first place.   Nevertheless, it took me a long time to actually sew it, despite buying the fabric right away (over a year ago!).

The delay was in part because the few people I showed the pattern to expressed "concern", but also there were always faster and easier things to sew first.  But perhaps most critical to the delay is that California had been, until this winter, in a serious drought and an unneeded garment wasn't high on the priority list.  So, with all the rains over the past few months, it became important to be well-outfitted for the CA monsoon season.

For the pattern, I sewed a size 0, which wasn't a good idea.  I was concerned about not being able to make petite adjustments, so I wanted to sew the smallest size possible (hey, it's a cape, right?).  It's actually a very fitted cape, at least around the chest and shoulders.  Size 2 or 4 probably would have been better, so I could more comfortably wear a sweater or vest underneath.  It's definitely wearable as-is, so no big loss.

The fabric is from Hart's Fabric in Santa Cruz (I bought it  year ago, so it's out of stock).  I's a pretty perfect fabric for this application.  The instructions call for nylon ripstop, but this fabric is a bit more thick and sturdy.  The drape is still good, though.  The color is definitely a bit metallic-irridescent.  

The only change I made was to turn under the hems, instead of using bias tape.  My primary motivation for this switch is because all I could think about was water dripping down the sleeves and making the cotton/poly bias all wet.  However, it also gave me the opportunity to shorten the jacket a bit to fit me better.  In the end, I like the look of it a lot better.

The zipper/ velcro closures design in the front look super professional, though it would have been nice to have the zipper go all the way up under the chin.

The back pleats turned out well, though they are generally hidden under the hood.

The one thing I don't love about the style is that it's not really possible to put a bag over your shoulder.  I end up keeping my handbag on my elbow, which I do a lot anyway, but you can't elegantly haul all your groceries while wearing this.   

Overall, sewing this cape was enjoyable and it's definitely fun to wear. I suspect the rain is done in CA for the season, but if not, between my last rain jacket and this one, I'm ready!  

Pattern testing: Goldstream Peacoat by Thread Theory

When I first "discovered" Thread Theory and their solid line-up of patterns, I was impressed and excited: stylish menswear!  What a concept!  So when they had a call for pattern testers for their newest pattern, the Goldstream Peacoat, I just had to respond, and was fortunate enough to be chosen to do it. Lucky me!  Never mind, of course, that I was (am!) overwhelmed with "real" work and other sewing projects (including the Britex tie/ pocket square)!

The pattern itself produces a stylish and modern coat, with many options (some of which I didn't add to my husband's jacket, such as epaulets).  The pockets on the front are super clever; they are actually two pockets together, one with top entry (with a flap) and the other side entry.

The details of the jacket make it exciting and interesting to sew.  Button tabs on the sleeves?  How professional does that look??

I love all the topstitching around the front, lapels and collar.  Sure, I broke 5 topstitching needles in the process of sewing the jacket (not just this topstitching, don't worry!), but I was sewing through some serious layers in some spots!

I used shoulder pads!  And they make such a huge difference: especially on a man, a jacket just hangs better with shoulder pads.  And check out that hood, with the small leather buttons.  LOVE.

The arms are constructed of two pieces, and are beautifully contoured to the arm shape.

The pattern is great, as is, but I made some slight changes to suit my own preferences.  First, I underlined the main body (not the arms) with flannel to support the fabric a bit better, and second, I actually made all 6 buttons functional.  It makes it a bit of a pain to button them all up, but after making my own jacket with several non-functional buttons, I felt like it looks better.

For fabric, I used a chocolate brown wool melton, purchased locally and for a steal at $20/yard, with moss green Bemberg lining from Mood.  

The lining looks messy at the hem in the photo, but it's actually really nice and straight (and hand sewn!) in real life.

One of my favorite tiny details of the jacket is the back neck facing: it was designed to encourage the sewist to add their own little design touch for the label.  

I used a little scrap of some wool-silk upholstery fabric and my little "z as in zebra" label.  

I am in love with the results of this pattern and I can seriously recommend it (once it's released, of course!).  Another hurray to Thread Theory for helping us sewists clothe the males in our lives in stylish handmade wares!

Hooded Woodland cape in cashmere!

Cashmere, guys!  This super soft and lovely plaid cashmere was one of my many finds at the wool sale from last week.  At $35/ yard, it wasn't a steal, but I certainly couldn't leave it there, especially since I had purchased the Woodland Cape pattern by Liesl & Co a while back and hadn't found the right fabric for the job.  A little Sherlock Holmes, "Where's my magnifying glass",  no? :)

This pattern is super simple--just three pattern pieces--so my plan was to whip it up between some bigger projects I have in the works.  However, I couldn't shake the idea of adding a hood, so with some drafting help from this tutorial and a couple of trial runs, I finally made something hood-like.  I don't love it, but that's okay.  It is just a hood, after all!  I used a self-facing for inside edge of the hood so it the blazing red lining wouldn't show quite so much from the front.

The lining is an orangey-red matte silk.   Cashmere and silk makes quite the high-end cape, no?  The non-slippery texture works well, since I don't want the cape shifting all over the place.  

Not wanting to break the bank on buttons again, I got these from Joann's.  The tag says "genuine leather", so we'll go with that.  The next smaller size secures the side flaps.

The cape is surprisingly lightweight and warm, perfect for this time of year in Northern California, and the colorway is just so Fall!

I have to say, it took a bit of nerve to wear it out of the house.  It's definitely a statement garment (well, maybe just for my quiet wardrobe!).   For those interested in the pattern, get yourself some awesome fabric and make it.  Its fun and easy.  However, the garment has some issues, so I'll give you fair warning:  there's no pockets and you can't sling a bag onto your shoulder. Really.  Makes it fairly impractical, but hey, not all fashion multitasks with cargo pockets. 

Anise Jacket in wool tweed

With the chill of Fall settling on the Bay Area, a new jacket was definitely in order.  With the classic double-breasted Anise pattern by Colette in mind, I selected this incredible Rose Madder and Plum Tweed Wool  fabric from Britex Fabrics.  I loved the striking color and texture of the fabric and it seemed both modern and classic at the same time. 

When I received the fabric I was a little intimidated! It’s absolutely gorgeous and unlike anything I’ve worked with before. My first concern was treating fabric that will eventually be dry-cleaned.  After some research, I opted to put the fabric in the dryer with a straight-from-the-washing-machine damp towel to steam-treat it before sewing.  After drying, the fabric seemed slightly loftier, but otherwise appeared unaffected by the treatment—perfect!

With the thick wool fibers woven into this herringbone tweed, unraveling was a very serious concern.  For each piece of the pattern, I underlined with muslin (as per the instructions) and then serged around the edges.  Not only did this keep the edges from unraveling, but gave the fabric more structure.  Even though none of the edges need to be finished (since the jacket is fully lined), it makes me happy to know that even the unseen bits are done right!

Initially when started the task of sewing a double row of bound buttonholes for the front panel, I was stumped; the texture of the textile is such that it’s nearly impossible to mark the fabric for the button placement.  But when I flipped it over, I realized that the underlining of muslin could be marked to my heart’s content.  Then, instead of marking each buttonhole according to the placement on the tissue pattern, I drew a grid on the muslin with the widths and depths exactly as needed for the buttonholes.  Running lines of basting stitches ensured that I could see the buttonhole markings on both sides of the fabric and they would be spaced just right.

With the thickness of the fabric, the bound buttonholes were a little tricky, but luckily, this fabric rolled right into place, created a lovely bound buttonhole.  Despite how much I initially dreaded it, the bound buttonholes were actually sort of fun!

For the pattern, I made a muslin in a straight size 2 and didn’t have to make any changes.  Normally, I would do a petite adjustment in the torso, but since the jacket is quite cropped, I opted not to shorten it further and I’m glad I didn’t.  The jacket is just the right length.

For the lining, I used a wine-colored rayon/acetateblend.  This lining fabric is a bit heavier than regular Bemberg lining, and had a twill-ish sort of texture to it, which made it much easier to handle and sew.  I pinked the edges to avoid major unraveling and it sewed up quite easily. 

Since I didn’t want to do as much hand-sewing as the Anise instructions suggested, I chose to do a sort of “half-bag” method of lining installation.  To start with, I sewed the entire lining together (arms included) and sewed the lining to the jacket facing.  Then, using fellow blogger Jen’s ingenious bag lining method, I sewed the arm lining to the jacket fabric at the cuffs.  The jacket hem was hand stitched, and then the lining fabric was folded and hand stitched to the hem. 

Aren’t those gorgeous buttons?  As luck would have it, I was able to run up to Britex this past weekend to see their incredible button selection in person.  These beauties are deep-red colored patent leather—a bit of a splurge, but so worth it!  One of the super friendly staff members (sorry, I didn’t catch her name!) helped me with the selection and I think they are just perfect.

By the way, if you are seriously considering making the Anise Jacket, I would highly recommend buying the “Anise Companion”.  Even as a fairly experienced seamstress, I found many of the tips and tricks really helpful. 

This jacket was definitely one of the most challenging sewing projects I’ve ever tackled, but I don’t think I could be more pleased with the result.  The wool is lovely and pattern is timeless.  Thank you to Britex for another opportunity to work with their fabulous fabrics!