Happy New Year, everyone! I realize I haven’t posted in a while – the holidays caught up with me for a bit there! But I’m back to work now, so I’m back to blogging, too.
My latest project I actually finished before Christmas – I wanted to wear it to the Christmas Eve service at my parents’ church when I visited them, and I got it done just in the nick of time! (I think I completed it on the 22nd or so…) I took longer than usual on this one – two weeks! – since I wanted to take the time to be meticulous. This is my second version of the Sewaholic Cordova Jacket – a truly fantastic pattern that I can’t recommend highly enough! I added piping to the princess seams and peplum this time around, using the lining fabric as piping. I did flat piping instead of corded piping, which just means I took a bias strip and folded it in half. Cake Patterns has a great tutorial herem which helped a lot! It took me a few tries and a few ripped-out seams to get it right, but it was well worth the extra work to get a precise result. Here she is!
Lots of detail pics…can you tell I’m super proud?? Also, when sewing the lining, a took Tasia’s tip on machine stitching the sleeve lining in place (part of her Minoru Sew-Along), which I loved, and also used to fix the lining on the first Cordova. I love it!
One last comment on the jacket – the fabric is a beautiful vintage wool that I inherited from my mother-in-law over Thanksgiving. She gave me several great wool pieces, which will be making their debut in projects to come!
And now for a few sewing resolutions, since all the cool kids (i.e. sewing bloggers) are doin it. In no particular order:
-I want to use better photos for my blog. I’ve been using my ipad camera so far, and it’s fine, but I would love crisper, more detailed pics of my projects. I’m not sure yet exactly how I’ll accomplish this, but it’s a goal!
-I want to overcome my fear of fit. So far I’ve gotten lucky, but I know that won’t always happen! So my goal is to take the time to make a muslin and adjust it until I get the fit right. One reference I plan to use are the great videos on the Threads Magazine website!
-speaking of Threads, I also want to go through their entire Insider Techniques video series and get serious about learning the tailoring and couture details that will give my projects a more professional look.
-I want to read and sew through the entire Colette Sewing Handbook, which was a wonderful Christmas gift from my mom!
-and lastly, I want to work on connecting with other sewing bloggers. The sewing blog community is a wonderful place for support and ideas, and I want to be part of it!
There you have it! Now to see if I can stick to it…
Dressing the Role 
ooooo that is GORGEOUS. i’ve been wanting to try that jacket and i gasped when i saw yours! connection achieved :))
Oh thank you!! It’s kind of a magical pattern for me – so far both of the Cordovas I’ve made have fit pretty much perfectly with no alterations.
And side note…I’m soooo excited to see your stuff on Project Sewn this season!! I’ve been drooling over your blog…I love your bold, colorful style! Woot!