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Vogue 1129 Jacket Pattern Project

My last post was all so I could add the images of my fabric on to my spoonflower account but I've decided I would like to use my blog for more than that. So I've decided to go back in time by a few years and show some of the things I've been making in my spare time and explain why I've made what I've made.

I began making things when I was at school, cutting up my jeans to restyle them or up cycling old clothes into hand bags and the like. I loved Art and when choosing a career, I knew I wanted to do something creative - I'm now an Architect. Whilst I do get to do a lot of design work on a daily basis, designing on paper is in no way the same as crafting and realising the design yourselves. In my professional life, I have to rely on other peoples money (clients budgets) and contractors skills to progress my designs from paper to reality, but when I'm crafting I can spend as much or as little money as I want and I am in complete control of the quality of the finished product. 

That's why a few years ago I got a sewing machine and rediscovered my love for making things. This jacket is one of the first things I made with my sewing machine. The fabric came from Mandors, Glasgow. My favourite fabric shop. I could spend forever sitting at the pattern bench in store looking through the books deciding on what I want to make next.

For my first project I chose this Vogue pattern 1129.

 

I then went looking for a fabric and loved the colours in the mohair fabric I chose. I felt they were cosy autumnal colours and that with the weight of fabric and the Scottish weather that was the season I'd be most likely to wear the jacket in. This was about 3 years ago so they no longer have this fabric but I was in a few days ago and they have lovely new mohair and woollen fabrics which would easily work for this.

The pattern recommends fastening with jumbo snaps and a hook and eye but I decide to fashion a brooch instead to keep it closed at the front. It's more work when you're wearing it to open and close a brooch to fasten your jacket and I could have sewn the design onto the jacket over the jumbo snaps. At the time I wanted the freedom to use the brooch as an accessory as well as just for closing the jacket. In hindsight I should have sewn the design on over jumbo snaps as I have only ever used it on the jacket :)

Below are pictures of the finished piece. I made the jacket shorter than the one shown on the front of the Vogue pattern as I wanted something that would cover the small of my back but wasn't too long as I was looking more for a jacket than a coat and I love the way the drape can double up as a scarf for when I underestimate just how cold it is outside!

I'd be interested in any comments/criticism so please comment away and I'll add more of projects I've done over the years as well as things I'm working on now.