It was simply a matter of time before my love of dressmaking and new found love of embroidery met!
I just had to have this fabric when I made the purchase several years ago. The black and white striped satiny print, was purchased at Jo Ann Fabrics. It’s one of those fabrics that was on clearance one year and back out on the floor the next, at regular price.
It was labeled “Halloween spirit”. At first I couldn’t figure it out but now I get it. It appears to have a large “synthetic fiber” content. Not sure which but acetate quickly comes to mind and a little polyester as well.
It frays…I think that’s the word I want…which in turn creates annoying little fuzzies that adhere to everything…especially velour. It stitches up kind of costume-y -ish showing every sign of the needle’s puncture. In the end though, the stripes are what drew my attention and ultimately led to the purchase.
It took me a while to decide what I wanted to make with it. It wasn’t until I saw the cutest little floral bomber jacket a couple years ago that I decided I wanted a bomber jacket, in this fabric, embellished with roses. Red roses. Embroidered red roses.
Not knowing much about embroidery back then, I searched for “rose embroidered patches” with the idea of sewing them on and quickly realized that it would cost a small fortune to do so.
The solid black fabric used for the collar and the pockets are remnants from a previous project and the bottom tab is the same solid black fabric only in reverse. The sleeve and lower bands are made from a (remnant) velour knit whose original project remains in my “Unfinished Projects” to this day. Not a ton of stretch but I managed to make it work. The sleeve band was the most difficult to fit.
The back should be cut on the fold but I chose to create a back seam in order to get more use out of the yardage…I actually cut two more jackets that I’ll be working on. I originally wanted the zipper pockets on View A but did not have 7″ zippers on hand so I opted for the pocket variation on View C instead.
The pattern is McCalls 7637. A unisex, lined bomber jacket that comes in sizes S – XXXL. I think the pattern is drafted with men sizes in mind so choose wisely. I made the Large – without checking the measurements and of course mid-way through construction I realized that it was pretty big – chest size on the L is 42-44. While I like the idea of additional room for potential layering, it’s too much room for me.
There’s much more to be said about this jacket, the others that I’m making, the process of making them and of course the embroidery process of each but I will reserve those discussions for future posts. In the meantime, in between time AND ’til next time..
PEACE AND BLESSINGS!!!
