Blazer jacket with velvet collar, Pauline Alice Saler jacket in check wool

It seems like jackets are having a moment. Or at least a resurgence in popularity. Perhaps it was kicked off during the last two elections and the pantsuits worn by women candidates, or maybe we were due a return of 80's fashion, which means oversized jackets, suits and dare I say, shoulder pads. Either way I'm happy for this development as I've always loved sewing blazers (also wearing them) and feel like the sewing community is starting to feel the same way.

So during January when I had to wait on finishing the blazer I sewed for Heather, I sewed up this blazer jacket for myself. I have a older jacket in my closet that I can't part with, it's black and white houndstooth check I made using a Ann Klein Vogue pattern ages ago. It's slightly dated and I shortened it a while ago, not entirely successfully (you can see it worn here).

But I had so much use out of that jacket I decided I needed a new one in my wardrobe. This version is the Pauline Alice Saler Jacket pattern. This is my second version, as I tested this pattern for her in 2016. I think she is one of the few people that make outerwear with nice details and I always look forward to seeing what she comes up with. (other coats I've made from her patterns, neither one for me as it happens, the Quart Coat and Hemisferic Coat.



I was out for a glass of wine with a friend and figured I would take a few photos of this jacket but to my delight we happened to walk by this window display which seems perfect for a sewing obsessive like me.

The fabric for this jacket is something I ordered from Fabric Mart I think just after Christmas. On the website it looked more black/white to me and I was slightly disappointed when it arrived and it looks more like grey, the checks are smaller than I anticipated. But it is a really nice quality wool, perfect for this type of jacket.



I decided to make the collar as a contrast and used black velvet for the upper collar, and then black wool crepe for the under collar and the pocket welts. Both small remnants in my stash. I hoard all pieces of velvet and velveteen for uses just like this one because while I love to wear wool I have an aversion to anything itchy touching my neck. Problem solved!



Pressing velvet is a very specific technique and also I have a needle board, or velvet board which I've had for a long long time. Every time I mention it I get asked about it, the brand it Dritz so it's not some exotic item but I think very few fabric stores carry them. I just did a search and they are between $ 70-140 on various places so if you see one at a garage or estate sale buy it!







But using the needle board generally means no worries on pressing things like this velvet upper collar. I use it on other napped fabrics like corduroy and velveteen, even some wools.




I rarely button up jackets like this but it was very chilly! OK chilly for us here in N. Cal.




By the way - I will do a blog post next on the shirt I'm wearing - it's not quite that color in real live but almost. I just got the latest iPhone and am still figuring out the various photo settings. (and I miss the home button!)

Let's talk buttonholes. I wanted this jacket to have a traditional look so I opted for stitched buttonholes and used my ever trusty Singer and the best buttonhole attachment, and chose the keyhole buttonhole template.






That's my Singer (one of them) and the buttonhole attachment. It works on all the Singer Slant Needle machines.

Here is a sampling of buttonholes made using this attachment. It uses templates, the metal keyhole template is shown below. So you can't change the size of the buttonhole once you have chosen the template. I find the templates available cover all the sizes needed, and since I made this reference sample I've found more templates at sales (including a round one that is perfect for making the holes on a belt).



It's definitely the opposite of electronic - it makes quite a noise but I like it as you can go around as many times as you want, with the exact same pattern so you can make a good thick buttonhole which is ideal for a lot of fabrics. If you're super interested in all things buttonhole then I did a post about this ages ago, with a lot more photos and details plus video of the thing in action.  Here's the link.

Back view, and it fits me a lot better than on this dress form.





A little inside peek because everyone seems to like seeing that :)  I do a combo of hand stitching of seams and fusible interfacing.




Yeah I'm on a roll with the silk shirts lately and now have a few sizable scraps which I'm figuring out how to combine into one jewel toned extravaganza of silk top-ness. Stay tuned!

Note this jacket has shoulder princess seams which make it very easy to get the right fit at shoulders waist and hips. I use my measurements and veer between sizes and then adjust when I have it sewn together, with a bit of nipping in at the waist or hip as needed.






Purple satin lining because that's what I found in my box of linings. A slightly weightier lining but perfect to add a bit of heft to this jacket. I love a nice satin lining and while I don't usually go for any novelty lining a suitably jewel toned one is OK with me.

If you use the search box in the right hand column you can find all kinds of jacket and coat posts with lots of details. Also as I mentioned in my previous post you can look at the Highlight "Wool Jacket" on my Instagram profile page to see all the steps in the wool jacket I sewed recently for Heather.

Up next - I just finished another Burda magazine item, and an ultra suede version of skirt Vogue 1247 - that perennial favorite. Plus a Tamarack jacket as I taught that class over the weekend with lots of really fun jackets accomplished. Coming up a fitting class on Thursday 3/14, and then check the web page for Hello Stitch, classes are really filling up fast. There might be one or two spots open in the wrap dress class which is on Sat. March 23. Something new - I'm going to do a Culotte class as that seems such a great wardrobe item for spring/summer (or anytime). And Ash jeans again - in the beginning of June. Hope to see you there :)

In other news, should I mention that I saw the first tulip in my garden this morning? While we are still in the midst of a very rainy winter (which is great for our water needs!) I think spring is on it's way. At least here it is, I feel for you all in the polar vortex!





Happy Sewing, Beth

today's garden photo, these pink camellias are so messy but such a pretty shade of pink.

Singer Vintage Buttonhole attachment, with video!

One of my favorite things about the Singer slant needle sewing machine that I use is the buttonhole attachment.  The buttonholes are strong, always look exactly the same and it can be used on almost any fabric.  In my last post I mentioned using the buttonhole attachment and Robin of a little sewing mentioned she would like to hear more about it.  Since I have many projects in the works but nothing finished and blog-worthy right now, here is a post about buttonholes.  I think that like zippers, buttonholes can strike fear into the heart of the beginning sewer, but they are not bad at all once you get the hang of it.  In fact, this attachment does all the work, so really the only part of the process that the sewer is responsible for is the buttonhole spacing, marking the garment and then placing the needle in just the right spot to start the buttonhole.


To get started, you need to choose the template based on the size of the button.  The Singer attachment has 5 templates, but I only ever use 4 of them.  Once in a great while I use the keyhole template, if I make a wool jacket that seems to call for that style, but otherwise I use the straight one for large buttons.  Then the other sizes are good for coats, dresses and blouses.  The tiny one is cute but very small - maybe for children's or doll's clothes.  
The attachment is flipped over on its back, with the door open, so you can see where you drop in the template and the teeth of the buttonholer grab onto the template.


Here is the first page from the manual, the parts labeled with their technical names such as "bight adjuster" and "feed cover plate" 

Back to the sewing machine.  You remove the regular sewing foot, and the screw that holds it on.  The buttonholer has its own screw, slightly different, used to attach it.  The Feed Cover Plate has to be attached to the surface of the sewing machine,  the screwdriver is pointing to the screw hole that is the correct one to use.  I have mindlessly screwed it into the wrong one and then wondered what was wrong after I attached the buttonholer, so attention here.

A little fiddling with the cover plate is important, as the needle must go through the very small hole and if it is off center it will hit the cover plate and break the needle, so check before proceeding. 


Here is a short (1 minute) video of the buttonhole attachment in action.  It is a bit blurry - my first time trying to video and sew.  Mostly I wanted to show the action of the attachment and how fast it is.

Wasn't that exciting ? OK, maybe not so much but imagine making a garment with 8 buttonholes, plenty of time for daydreaming or pattern planning while hypnotically watching that little gizmo go round and round.

Samples of the different buttonholes, made on a scrap of wool with no interfacing. I went around 2 times for each buttonhole. 

You can also change the width of the stitch, rather like adjusting a zig-zag stitch.  They call it "bight adjustment" in the instructions.  Here is a sample using the different widths.  This is useful depending on the type of fabric and size of buttonhole selected. I usually make a few test buttonholes on scraps to choose the right combination of size and stitch width.  

The manual shows the attachment in place much better than photos I took so here is a look at that.  I have learned to use all the Singer attachments from the manuals that came with them, they are incredibly detailed and yet easy to understand.  Perhaps because I am an instruction reader - computers, power tools, tv and cable, photoshop, whatever it is I read the instructions before proceeding.  If that isn't enough,  I take after my dear old dad, go to the library and get a book, try to teach myself whatever is needed.  So I strongly recommend these little instruction books that come with the Singer accessories.  If anyone has an attachment but no instructions, I would be happy to photograph the rest of the pages and post it on my Flickr page. 

Had enough about buttonholes?  I was sorting through some past photos and saw that I took a whole series of pics while I was making my winter coat, so maybe a post on my methods for bound buttonholes.  Also regarding these machine worked buttonholes, there are a few tips which occur to me and I have not mentioned here, so I will do another short post on those later this week.  

Today I really should get outside and plant the new stuff I purchased this weekend.  Despite our weird late May rain here in N. California, I am trying to change a lot of my garden to low water usage plants.  So here is one of them, a red salvia that the hummingbirds love.