Style Arc Audrey Jacket,

Thank you for all the great comments on my coat refashion project. That blue boucle coat keeps on giving, as I used the remaining fabric for a portion of this new jacket. It is the Audrey jacket, from Australian pattern company Style Arc.

When I cut up my coat to make a skirt there was not quite enough to do the whole jacket so I rummaged in my fabric stash and found this wool plaid which was a complementary weight and color palette.  Here is the technical drawing and my little sketch of color ideas. I often do this when I am going to make something that has mixed fabrics, or deciding which way to have a plaid go. Despite my less than artistic efforts it is really helpful and fun to play around with my colored pencils. 

You can see that I originally thought about doing 2 solid colors but it seemed like more of a mish-mash than the plaid. Threads magazine had an article in the last issue about mixed materials and showed a few plaids so that was the inspiration. 

On the pattern the collar band was about one inch wider and that seemed too tall, so after it was all sewn together (practically finished) I cut open the top seam and shortened the band by one inch, and then sewed it by hand, which worked out fine. The collar is interfaced on both the wool plaid and the satin lining to give it some structure. My lovely incredibly matching blue buttons from the original coat reappear here on this little jacket, which called for just two buttons on the band, however I had a remaining buttonhole on my coat so it appears as the bottom right one, and then the left one is sewn on to match.

Here you can see that original vertical buttonhole - but I think the 4 buttons solves that problem nicely and becomes a design element. OK, that is my story and I am sticking to it. To complete this jacket front I had to piece a tiny section, which you can see here on the right, just at the shoulder seam. Instead of bothering me I actually quite like it - it is virtually unnoticable when worn but just a little reminder to me of enjoyment in figuring out this whole project. 

A look at the back and the inside with my typical two-tone lining. Whatever is in the lining box and matches gets used up. To get the length I wanted I had to piece the bottom as a band and take in about two inches at the center back seam so the jacket is not as wide as designed. I did cut out the front pieces on the existing fronts of the coat so no facing needed.

          
Someone mentioned that it might be a bit too matchy to wear this jacket with the skirt and I think that is right. Here is one option, I bought this jersey turtleneck which picks up the teal in the plaid. The pants are my test version of the Sewaholic Thurlow trousers and I am boo-hooing a little, as I made them from a denim tablecloth that someone gave me. As fabric goes it is a little lightweight for pants and has no stretch (oh how we [read me] have become accustomed to stretch) so I never intended to wear them. But they fit so well...I might just put them away for a pair of lightweight summertime pants. One of these days I plan to get some photos of these recent projects as worn.

Today I was outside surveying the blah-ness that is my November landscape and noticed that the leaves on the apple tree are doing their own color block thing with the branches yellowing from the bottom up, and the tips are still green. How have I never seen this before?  Very pretty and soon it will just be bare branches and lots of leaves to rake. 

Happy late November sewing, Beth