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Reveal: The Cordova Jacket in Black and White

CORDOVA0

So here it is finally! I have a few things left to do on the inside, but it’s pretty much done.

First, I promised to tell you about how I attached the peplum. Since Tasia from Sewaholic did not reply to me, I decided to ask the lovely Trisha from Made by Trisha because she made a great version of the Cordova jacket in purple. Here was her reply:

I’m at work, so I don’t have the pattern in front of me, but if I remember correctly, I think I had a similar issue. If memory serves me, the back of the jacket needs to be a bit longer than the peplum so you can fold it under slightly for the hem. Does that make sense?

So I had to fake it to make it. I ended up pinning and sewing the peplum 3.5cm from the back edge. It turned out pretty well, but I probably should have made it 4cm. I hope this helps some of you who want to make the jacket.

I’m pretty happy with this jacket. I like the contrasting fabrics. Don’t ask me about this silly pose.

I’m not sure aout the size. Once I saw this picture, I kind of think it’s a bit too big on me. Although, that would make it easy to wear a sweater under it.

I love the sleeve pleats! They look so cute! I also didn’t realize how terrible these jeans look from the back! I shall only wear them with tunics from now on.

Well, as a wearable muslin, I think it turned out pretty well. What would I do differently?

  • Maybe I need to cut out a smaller size.
  • I would use a thinner fabric like a canvas.
  • I will definitely line the next one.
  • And attach the peplum 4cm from the lower back bottom edge.
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Briar sewalong

Hello everyone!

This month has been super busy. The first weekend we had a family outing to Drenthe. It was quite cold, but that’s ok because we had a sauna and bath to keep us warm! It was great to see my niece and nephew for longer than a few hours. Then the second week, my sister and her boyfriend came to visit for a whole 9 days! I hadn’t seen my sister in a year, and even then it was only for a little over a day! Not that we had much sister time the last week; we were mainly hanging out with the four of us. Plus, I don’t think my sister likes being away from her boyfriend for more than a few minutes 😉

So in between, I was able to sew up a briar top for the sewalong. I cut out the fabric on one day and sewed it up the next. It’s a very easy pattern, as it only has 5 pieces (or 6 if you count the pocket). I thought I had 2 spools of grey thread, but I only have one, so I’ve yet to hem it. Although, I think I will only hem the sleeves anyway because it’s already the perfect length for me. That’s the nice thing about knits, you can leave them unfinished and it won’t unravel.

Here are a couple of black and white pictures from my instagram feed. I finally got my tripod back, so you’ll see me modeling it pretty soon.

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Design notes:

  • I left out the pocket because I’m not a huge fan of pockets that are not functional
  • Sleeves and bottom are unhemmed (will hem sleeves once I get another spool of thread)
  • Will add 2cm to the length for future briar projects
  • made from 1m of lightweight knit fabric from my stash, unknown fiber content
  • used the neckline band (as opposed to neckline binding)
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The nightmare that is the Olivia shoes

So I decided to make these super cute house shoes by ithinksew.com.

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Aren’t they adorable! I picked out this amazing [fake] chinese silk from my stash and imitation silk for the lining as well. I decided to make the sole out of imitation leather to give some extra warmth and anti-slipiness.

As it turns out, sewing this shoe (not shoes because I decided to do one at a time – thank goodness) was a waste of time and a waste of pretty fabric.

Here’s a picture of my finished product:

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It looks pretty, but looks can be deceiving!!!  If you look closer, you can probably see fuzzies from the ravelling silk protruding from many of the seams because the seam allowance is so small that any kind of unravelling can easily get out! And the other problem about having such small seams is that there is very little room for error!! I had to redo quite a few of the seams because I missed layers. The faux leather was also a very bad choice because you can feel the seam inside of the shoe when you walk on it.

So, I think it was a combination of fabric choice and the pattern design. Also, the instructions weren’t always very clear, and the photos to go with the instructions were even less clear at times. Also, the border across the top tapers, but the instructions don’t tell you which side to attach. I’m a pretty experienced clothing sewer, so it would probably be difficult for beginners I think.

Here’s what I would do differently if I were to make it again:

  • Make the seam allowance at least 1cm (3/8″), then trim them all.
  • Use only light or medium weight fabrics to reduce bulk (thus, only use fabrics that are suggested in the pattern).
  • Try to make the sole a bit wider to fit my foot better.

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So frustrating…

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