Quilted plaid jacket, part 2 Burda 09-2021-115

 So much for my resolution to blog more frequently this year.  But other parts of life have intervened and I just never found the time to sit down and write. Despite that I have sewn a lot and have plenty of things to post. Also I've worn this jacket so much already, so I'm really glad that I decided to try both a bit of quilting and used something from the stash. Here is part one of this jacket, where I wrote about the construction and pattern that I used. 

I could even see making it again in a summer weight fabric. 

I really like these pockets, and I did have enough of this remnant fabric to match them nicely. 

If you look closely you can see some of my quilting stitching. It does have a layer of quilt batting (also remnants) but because I used the plaid as my stitch guide the quilting doesn't show. Also the quilt batting is kind of thin but that means it's a bit cozier to wear but not bulky.

One thing I'm kind of fanatical about when sewing plaids is the facing which has to match the plaid and again I did just have enough fabric to do so here. I think it looks nicer if they match especially when the neckline area of a coat or jacket is worn slightly open so that you see the facing. 

My box of lining fabrics sometimes makes me think of Mary Poppins magical carpet bag, as I seems whenever I look in it I find just the right thing. So I had this bemberg rayon lining in the perfect color. I sewed the lining in by hand as I like to stitch the facings down first and then attach the lining. You can see a bit of the quilt batting and stitching lines there in the photo. 

Things are not looking good for our drought situation here in N. California, as you can see. Some of those plants have a bit of frost damage which is normal but we haven't had any appreciable rain in Feb. or March and I don't think we will. The spring project around here is to re-landscape the front of my house with all low-water plantings, and then in the back yard to reduce the lawn considerably and replace all the irrigation. So I hope it's all complete by the end of April and I can get back to trying to fit in more plants :) 

This weekend was a bittersweet one as it was the last days for Hello Stitch Studio as a physical space. The opportunity to teach classes there came up at a perfect time in my life and I have enjoyed it more than I can say. I've made a lot of good friends because of that connection and I know they will continue but we will all miss sewing together. I guess the past 2 years of the pandemic has been a bit of a preview as the studio was mostly closed although it did reopen last fall with a lot of Covid protocols in place. Despite those restrictions we held many sessions of learn to sew garment classes. People did look around during the lockdown and decide that they could learn to make their clothes, so it was really rewarding. Their building was sold and that precipitated the closure, however some of the owners are continuing Hello Stitch Studio as an online venture for now, and have some opportunities for a space nearby for in-person classes so I will likely be doing some of those once things settle out. I have several other opportunities to teach in-person classes so I will let you know when that is all decided. 

Meanwhile we are continuing the online classes, I start a new one this Tuesday evening, which is Sew the Emerson Pants  so if you are interested you can register at the link. 

That's the latest on my classes. In other projects I'm actually sewing a prom dress for the daughter of a friend of mine, reproducing the look from a picture she showed me. I will probably post some about this here after it's finished, but if you want to follow along I am doing posts in my Instagram stories, and saving them all to an Instagram highlight titled "Prom Dress". 

Stay well everyone and I hope for an end to the madness in Ukraine, it's tragic to watch things unfold but inspirational to see the bravery and fortitude of the Ukrainian people. 

Beth

This great photo was taken by my dear friend Halyna @zigzagstitching  on IG, a proud and worried Ukrainian.