Got scraps??? Don't we all!! This SCRAP HAPPY JACKET is all about putting your scraps together for a chic patchwork jacket!
Hot off the press, you'll find this stash busting jacket project in the May /June issue of Designs in Machine Embroidery magazine.
The article itself is packed with timely tips for embroidering on leftover chunks of denim fabric with ideas for putting the pieces together for a patchwork jacket with lots of wearability. But there's only so much space in allotted in every issue, so I'd like to share a few more tips and tricks that didn't make it into the magazine.
Let me start by telling you more about the pattern I used. Truly, every great garment starts with a great pattern and there is a little history behind this jem of jacket pattern.
Let me start by telling you more about the pattern I used. Truly, every great garment starts with a great pattern and there is a little history behind this jem of jacket pattern.
Call it Serendipity (pun intended), I met Kay Whitt, designer of the featured jacket pattern during taping for the It's Sew Easy TV show a while back.
Warm, friendly, and a wonderful sewing instructor, Kay and I found a lot in common. In particular we admitted we are both sticklers for detailed instructions. If you are a fan of independent pattern companies you may agree that they are not all as good at instruction writing as they are at designing. Kay and I found a commonality in our passion for providing step-by-step instructions that guide the sewing enthusiast from start to finish without frustration from sketchy instructions.
Warm, friendly, and a wonderful sewing instructor, Kay and I found a lot in common. In particular we admitted we are both sticklers for detailed instructions. If you are a fan of independent pattern companies you may agree that they are not all as good at instruction writing as they are at designing. Kay and I found a commonality in our passion for providing step-by-step instructions that guide the sewing enthusiast from start to finish without frustration from sketchy instructions.
When I had the idea in mind for a princess seamed jacket to use as the basis for this article I hopped on over to her website, sewserendipity.com. Now you see the meaning of the pun :-). In a matter of minutes I downloaded her Dakota Duster PDF Pattern.
Dakota Duster Jacket in 2 lengths and 8 variations
Sizes XXS-XXL
Available in a traditional printed pattern form as well.
Sizes XXS-XXL
Available in a traditional printed pattern form as well.
The pattern includes great ideas you can use to jumpstart your own jacket adventure but from the start I knew I wanted to mix denim scraps together with some beautiful blue fabric I had stored in my stash.
 | The fabric on the left originally came from the home dec department but it was 100 percent cotton, thoroughly washable, and looked like it was made to match with denim! |
Together with bits and pieces of blue scraps, and I do mean scraps, I had just enough to make patchwork for a jacket that would go with any shade of denim already in my closet. Using decorative stitches from the embroidery menu along with a feature I like to call the "build a border" function, I was able to dress up the denim pieces used for the front panel and create a new look for plain fabric.
Not wanting to stitch buttonholes through the embroidery I opted for loops made from strips of light weight denim cut on the bias. Then I used an idea crafted during construction of my Warm and Wearable Fleece Wrap garment. The idea is simple, loops can be wrapped around the button to wear jacket open.
Or you can insert one loop inside the other and then wrap around the button to close.
Custom covered buttons are another detail that ties together the denim theme. CLICK HERE for a free Letsgosew tip sheet showing how to make neat, nice, fabric covered buttons.
Facing the front with the same pattern piece used for the patchwork piece makes a nice no-bulky finish for the front. Combine the extra tips here with all the info in the jacket article and you are on your way to a work of art you'll wear happily ever after! If you're not a regular subscriber to the magazine visit your local sewing dealer for a copy or order from www.dzgns.com.
I'd love to hear about your personal adventures with denim! Feel free to leave your comments!
I'd love to hear about your personal adventures with denim! Feel free to leave your comments!
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