Small Changes, Big Difference

By Diva Ann, GorgeousThings

I was thinking of titling this post “Fashion Forward but Bass Ackward”, because I got the notion in my head to make a hoodie jacket from wool jersey during a stint of 80 degree days here in Boston. I don’t know, maybe it’s my subconscious desire to move to Australia, but when the weather gets hot, I like to work with winter fabrics. It’s the opposite when the thermometer reads below freezing – I’m making Aloha shirts and sundresses.

Be that as it may, I received a package from my dear Kashi at Metro Textiles in New York. In it was a rust colored wool jersey that spoke to me when I pulled it out of the box. I just finished teaching a class on fleece jackets, and I had hoodies on the brain. But I didn’t want to make this into a typical hoodie jacket. So I rifled through my pattern stash and came across the HotPatterns Sportive Skirt Suit:

Aha – Perfectt! I like the welt pockets, and I think the jacket would work well in a single knit, even though jersey didn’t make it into the list of recommended fabrics. This one is close enough to a stable knit though, that I thought it would work.

But I wanted to make a couple of changes. The pattern calls for a full lining and a zipper closure. I didn’t want to line the jacket, because I plan to wear it as a casual jacket, not as a funky suit topper as the pattern indicates. But most important, I had the happy circumstance of placing my fabric next to a length of hook and eye tape that I bought at Pacific Trims in New York when I was there in February. After sifting through my fabric stash (thanks to Georgene for letting me know that it’s genetic that I stash), I came across the perfect silk charmeuse for contrast facings and the hood lining:

I used the charmeuse to make the bags for the welt pocket as well.

And here is a back view of the jacket:

I really like the way the closure changes the character of the jacket completely. It was a very small change, but it makes a huge difference in the way the jacket looks. I’m going to make a skirt to go with this from a rust-colored silk charmeuse using Kwik Sew 3108 in my mitochondrial stash for the skirt. I think I’ll use the yellow charmeuse as contrast panels. Check back later for that.

You can see a full review at PatternReview.com
Happy Sewing!