Aberdeen Jacket pattern

Hello again! I am back to share my latest pattern - the Aberdeen Jacket. 

This pattern is part of the Willow & Co Patterns SS2015 collection.

The Aberdeen Jacket comes in sizes (UK) 6-26/ (US) 2-22. This is a semi-fitted women's jacket featuring a wide shawl collar, two piece fitted sleeves, welt pockets, and an asymmetric hem and closure. There is an optional back waist strap to adjust waist fit, as well as options for lined or unlined, 3/4 or long sleeves, cropped or regular length, and button or zip styles. The button style includes a single breasted button closure, buttoning flaps over the welt pockets, and straps on the sleeve cuffs. The zip style features exposed zippers at the closure, pockets, and sleeve cuffs.

Whew! That was a mouthful. I have been working long and hard on this one. I may have overdid it with all the different options :) Seriously, with so many options its like having multiple patterns in one. You can make it with suiting fabric for a modern work look. Or go with the zip style for an edgy moto-ish look. You can make it with light fabrics and skip the lining for cool summer evenings. Or you can use a sturdy wool and add a comfy lining for winter. 

The regular length hits at the bottom of the hip for a more classic look, while the cropped length hits at the top of the hip and has a more modern look. The 3/4 sleeve ends about midway between the elbow and wrist, while the long sleeve ends about 1/3 of the way down the hand. I guess I prefer my long sleeves to be, well, long. So of course I made sure the Aberdeen's long sleeves had a generous length.

Okay, okay, enough with the talking, right? Here are some Aberdeens from my awesome testers. Please note that some elements may have changed during the testing phase. But I still just have to share them!

First, I want to give a BIG special thanks to Amy and Emi for all their help. You ladies are amazing! 

 First round of testing: jacket by Amy

 First round of testing: jackets by Emi

Second round of testing (a much better fit!): muslin by Emi (IG -konalumimama)

Camelia

Alison

Vanessa

Hayley

Gloria

Joelle

Leslie

Lesley

Tessa

Cindy

Allison

Jen

Amanda

Thank you again ladies! I couldn't have done it without you.

Match with Me

Hello friends! I am so happy to be part of the Match with Me: Mother - Son sewing series today. It is a totally awesome idea from the mastermind, and super cool sewing mama of boys, Stacey from Boy, Oh Boy, Oh boy Crafts. You guessed it, the series is all about sewing mother and son coordinated outfits.

When the idea of this series came about the questions were asked "How old are your boys and do they still like you to sew for them?" My boys are now 9 and 10 years old and I consider myself very lucky to answer "Yes, they still love it when I sew for them."

 

So when the invitation to the series came I knew I had to say yes. It is so much easier to sew for my daughter; girl patterns are quite abundant. Participating in this series was a great reminder of how rewarding it is to sew for my boys... and myself.

 

But... what would a mother-son photo shoot be without an adequate photo bomb from my daughter. LOL!

Though anytime I try to get my boys together for a photo shoot we tend to have some sibling rivalry (hence the grumpy face you see on Ethan) we still have fun! And that is the best part.

It was actually Ethan's idea that i make hats for all of us. And what perfect timing with the weather changing and all. But, instead of making us all the same thing, I made us all coordinating hats and scarves that fit each of our personalities. 

 

I drafted all the patterns myself and I am quite pleased with the results. The boys' hats each have hidden pockets too. Its the little features like that that make sewing for boys so much fun.

For my hat I was aiming for something cloche-ish. It didn't quite turn out the way I envisioned but I still like it very much and will get lots of use out of it this winter. 

 We went out after the photo shoot and my boys wore their hats and scarves the whole time. I had to check to make sure they didn't try to wear them to bed; seriously. Then today they even wore them to school.  :) It makes my heart swell to see them wear their mama made items so happily! <3

 Thank you so much, Stacey, for inviting me to sew along with this series. It is an idea much overdue and I am honored to be able to participate.

Happy (BOY) sewing!

Another Triforce Tee

I know that I said I wasn't going to keep he name "Triforce Tee" for this pattern, but its kinda growing on me. *Disclaimer: Opinions are subject to change without notice* :) 

Here is a quick little show off of my latest Triforce Tee.

If you follow me on Facebook you may be wondering if this is the shirt my serger ate. Yes, it is. I was able to save it from the carnage without losing much more than some length. Hooray! ...Now if only I was so apt at posting on time. Haha, procrastination comes to me naturally. 

The exciting thing about this version is that the center panel is made with woven fabric. So I think it is safe to say the Triforce Tee can be knits or a combination of knits and woven. Of course, I am also dreaming up a version made with all wovens, but that one has yet to be tested. 

You may have also noticed the sleeve length. This one has a 3/4 length sleeve, because you know I love them so...and winter is coming! Forgive me for channeling House Stark, but the longer sleeves are just sensible this time of year in the northern hemisphere. However, the tee can also be made with short or long sleeves. 

So many possibilities here! Are you excited yet?

Mid-night Mishaps + upcoming pattern preview

You ever start sewing late at night and you just cant stop? You think to yourself, "Just let me finish the cuffs; just let me sew the hem real fast". Hahaha! The truth is every "real fast" statements often require an hour to three to complete (at least for me it seems that way). LOL. Why do we do this to ourselves? Sewing is an addiction, and it is a long road to recovery. Does anyone have the number for Sewing Addicts Anonymous?

Well I am no saint when it involves sewing. Just last week I started working on a new shirt pattern. Sewing it together was the easy part...or so I thought. I had only planned on getting it started, next thing I know it is four in the morning and I haven't slept yet, Oh my! But I pretty much finished the shirt. Let's just say it is less than perfect.

I am loving this new pattern I am working on. For now I am geekily calling it The Triforce Tee. Nerds unite! (You may be the only ones who will appreciate the name, so I am likely going to change it. Sorry!). I thought about ripping my stitches and fixing all my mistakes, but I just couldn't wait any longer to show it to you all.

Keilana hasn't been feeling well - you can see it in her eyes. I was just taking pictures of the shirt on a hanger so that she could rest, but she wasn't having any of that! "I want to put it on!... Can I wear it the rest of the day?!" I love this girl. I hope she never stops loving mama made clothes.

The most striking feature of this pattern is the triangular center; thus the name "Triforce" Tee. It is the perfect spot for some color-blocking. 

Something you may not have noticed, though, is that there are no side seams. "Say what?!"

The back panels wrap around to the front and connect to the triangle. It makes this A-line shirt nice and flowy.

 The back has a center seam. Ooooh, even more opportunities for color-blocking!

I am a little amazed that I was able to align my stripes given the other mistakes I made. The first, and the WORST, was cutting my neckband too narrow. I had to fold the neckband down far enough to cover my serger stitches, and in doing so the underside of the shirt was pulled into vision. You can see part of the damage it caused right up there ^^^ where the back center seam meets the neckband. Ugh!

Another, more subtle detail of the pattern is the shoulder gathers; a little girly touch. Also of note is how the back wraps over the shoulder just past center creating almost a faux yoke look.

This is also where you can see how damaging it was to cut the neckband too narrow - Eeeeks!

Now let me explain the two lines of stitching on the neckband. Well... I couldn't get my straight stitch close enough to the edge to hide all the serger stitches underneath. So I just sewed a wavy stitch over the top to tack the edges down. Problem solved!

Oh, another outrageous mistake I made was when I sewed the bottom trim on. I don't even know how I managed to do it, but the front center of the trim is almost non-visible. Perhaps it moved on me as I was sewing it down, but still. And, it was sewn on with my serger, which means the edge was cut off... So if I am going to fix it I would have to take the entire band off and cut a new piece. Geez! What was I doing?!

It was actually kind of fun making fun of myself. 

Nobody is perfect. We learn from our mistakes. In fact, I have come to love many of life's imperfections. There is beauty in the chaos.

I hope you like The Triforce Tee. I am fine tuning some of the small details and then I will be grading it out and putting the tutorial together. I am really excited about this one; there are so many fun things you can do with it!