A Little Sparkle

I had to let this one sit for a bit after it was almost completed.  I loved it when I tried it on before adding the closures.  The next day I tried it on I wasn't so happy - it just didn't drape properly and I knew I was because of the fabric I chose (the pattern called for a drapy knit).

Lekala 4650

No way was I trashing this project - I had purchased this beautiful fabric from Marcy Tilton.  I let it sit on the dress form for a couple weeks.  I finally figured out how to get it to a point where I would be somewhat satisfied.

Lekala 4650

How I Did It

I ordered my fabric online since I have become totally frustrated with what my local fabric store has to offer.  It is a black jacquard cotton with an abstract woven pattern.  I was able to get it on sale for $12 per yard.  I even have enough left to make a skirt or possibly pants.

I wanted something to sew that was easy and quick and this pattern fit the bill.  It was a 6 piece pattern and the construction was a breeze.

I added the darts to the front panel and then moved on to the belt.   I did not notice this pattern until I saw it reviewed on Pattern Review.  I loved what treefrog did with her jacket and took my inspirations and hints from her.

I found a beautiful belt buckle with some bling at Hobby Lobby and it was on sale too.  After I attached the buckle I stitched it onto the jacket left front.

Next I attached the collar.  I will admit I got stuck on the collar construction but I had made a jacket with a similar collar and looked at it for help.  A french seem would have been better here but I only had 1/4 inch seam to work with.  It is covered when the collar is folded so it works.

Collar

I made a bias loop out of my fabric to use for looping around the belt buckle.

Bias Belt Loop

I added the sleeves, stitched the sides, and had I used the recommended knit fabric I would have been done.  The edges had to be finished.

A few years ago (ok more than a few) I bought the Madeira Overlock Inspiration Box and it has some beautiful thick thread that are already color coordinated.  Since the jacket was black I wanted to brighten it up a bit.  I used a combination of black and silver metallic like threads to go with the belt buckle and serged the edges.

Serged Edges

As mentioned earlier I had to let it sit and think about how to make my fabric work.  I ended up adding a snap and tacking down the front right side across from the buckle to make it stay in place.  Again, had I used a knit fabric this would not have been an issue.

The back had no definition or shaping and I did not like it.  Since I am round I wanted/needed the illusion of shaping so I added 2 darts in the back.

I had to play around with the placement and shaping of the darts before I settled on the final placement/shape.  I would pin the darts in place and check the look.  I ended up spacing them evenly about 3 inches away from the center back and came down from the top edge about 6 inches.

The picture below show the faint tracings of the different darts before I choose the final one.  I made a 1 inch sway back adjustment (before cutting the fabric).

Back Dart 

Stitched Back Dart

More pictures.

Conclusion

I really wish I understood photography and lighting better because my pictures don't really capture the beauty of this fabric - maybe one day I will get there.

After I finished the edging I realized I had my stitch length to tight which caused a ripple effect around the neck edging - now I call it a design feature (mistake turned intended whoopsie).

The jacket looks much better on me but my selfies are horrible.  I really love this jacket and I love, love, love the bit of bling.

What's Next

I loved the ease of making this jacket so I bought even more fabric and at least one of them is a knit to make at least one more of this jacket.