To says the start to this spring has been weird is definitely an understatement. The past two weeks have forced me to search for the small victories, find little things that bring joy and grab on tight to any sense of normalcy. Having our Spring Style Tour in the midst of everything going on was a bit blessing in many ways. It gave me something beautiful and inspiring to look forward to each day, while also providing a much needed distraction!
The first couple of months are always our busiest time of year. With event after event happening on top of all our normal responsibilities around the shop, it’s easy for me to burn out a bit. Heading into insolation, I was at that point and all the extra real-world stress was not helping my sewjo. I normally kick off our Style Tours but that just wasn’t happening this spring and I am thankful I could hop to the end. It gave me a few days break to sit back, be inspired and remember how much I love to sew. Finally, last week I had some ideas and I was ready to get going on my tour outfit!
With so many amazing jacket patterns out right now (Closet Case Sienna, In the Fold Flynn, and Papercut Stacker, among others), I decided I really wanted to experiment with creating a lighter weight jacket that I could wear all spring and going into summer. I looked at a few of my favorite RTW shops for inspiration and most of them all had jackets a little more tailored that I was thinking. I wanted it to be loose, but not too loose, light weight and easy to layer.
I decided the closest pattern was Friday Pattern Co.’s Ilford Jacket. It is designed so that it can be made in a variety of fabric types and has more of a box style and fit making it very forgiving. That let me not worry about muslining, which just wasn’t going to happen, and just dive in based on the pattern sizing and finished measurements.
With my pattern in hand, I selected my fabric pretty much just based on color…I know, not the best way to shop, but hey, anything goes this spring! Our Soft Washed Linen in Avocado was calling my name and I had to listen to it! I also picked out a bight and cheery floral knit for a quick and easy tee that would layer nicely with the linen. Both fabrics washed up beautifully and I couldn’t wait to get sewing with them!
First up, my linen Ilford! Keeping in mind the goal for my jacket, I went with the cropped length and kind of did a hybrid between the two sleeve options. I didn’t want a full cuff but also didn’t want super loose/box sleeves either. Using both sleeve pattern pieces as my guide, I matched up the notches and used the tapered sleeve top and bottom width and the boxy sleeves length + 1” to draw a new pattern piece. I did end up trimming off that extra inch and taking a narrower seam allowance, so I think next time I might make the sleeve just a little bit wider, especially if I am using a heavier fabric.
Sewing was quick and easy. My button holes even went in without any trouble and I got to test out one of my Christmas presents, a new foot that lets you sew on the buttons with the machine as well! Start to finish I had my spring linen jacket done in one day!
A few more hours and I had my matching tee sewn completely on my serger and cover stitch! I’m still looking for my all time favorite t-shirt pattern so I gave Jalie’s Mimosa Scoopneck Tee a try for this project. I did have to rip out the neck band because it was too loose for my stretchy cotton/spandex knit and it wouldn’t lay flay when I tried it on. I shortened the band by about an inch and reattached it for a much better result.
For photos I decided to pair my two makes with a new pair of sashiko jeans that just arrived from Anthropology. I decided to treat myself during their last sale, although I do hope to one day experiment with this technique on a handmade pair. I was also going through some of my makes from Sew Expo and discovered that my favorite new Compass Bag also paired perfectly with the avocado linen! I guess I know what I like! All in all, I love how my spring jacket turned out and can’t wait to make a few more in some other fabrics. Maybe a double gauze with the boxier sleeves or our Slub Texture Linen for an even drapier look? And then headed into fall…hello, flannel!
Thank you so much for joining us for another amazing Style Tour! I hope it gave you a bit of inspiration for your own spring sewing and was a bit of a happy distraction over the past week and a half. If you missed any of the stops, you can find links to all of them in our Spring Launch Blog post HERE along with Lindsey’s spring swatch review video.
Hopefully we get back to normal relatively soon and we’ll be back with another tour this fall! Until then, just keep sewing!
Stay home and stay safe!
—Michelle
Outfit Summary
- Avocado Linen Jacket
- Pattern: Friday Pattern Co. Ilford Jacket (Size Medium)
- Fabric: Soft Washed Linen Shirting Solid
- Spring Floral Print Tee
- Pattern: Jalie Sewing Patterns Mimosa Scoopneck T-Shirt (Size V)
- Fabric: Bloomsbury Botanist Floral Jersey Knit
- Geometric Shoulder Bag
- Pattern: Noodlehead Compass Bag (Larger size)
- Fabrics: Japanese Layer Geometric Dot Canvas and Washed Mid Weight Denim
The tee is beautiful on you but I love the jacket and the bag. They look so good together and our spring is a bit cold this year so a great layer is always good to have. I am sewing a pair of cropped pants for summer out of your yellow stretch sateen you just sent. This too shall pass and I am looking forward to wearing them. Thanks for all you do for the sewing community, Paula