Vogue Capelet - Version 2

 A while ago I made the pattern above out of some red polyester twill:

I really liked the way it turned out, so much so that I decided to make a second version. The polyester was great, but nowhere near heavy enough to keep me warm. A little while ago I found some heavy wool crepe at an RSPCA charity shop - perfect for this pattern. Plus I had the big Spring Blogger Meet-Up to attend and I'm one of those people who likes to have something new to wear for occasions, so what better excuse!

And here it is:

Some details:

The fabric was thick - thickest fabric I've probably ever worked with. Turning corners, enclosing seams,etc, involved trimming, steaming, pressing, more trimming, more pressing, and so on until I had a reasonable finish.

Detail of collar edge, graded and clipped

 I love the swingy shape at the back, and to emphasise it I reinforced it with strips of horsehair canvas cut on the bias and sewn inside the hem allowance:

Bias strip laid inside hemallowance, and caught with long running stitches along the hemline, and herringbone stitch around the top edge.

 

 Because of the chunkiness of the fabric, I didn't want to attempt a buttonhole, so I cheated with a decorative button sewn on the outside -

 - with a large press stud sewn underneath:

Sneaky press stud!

I later swapped this for some 'frogs' I picked up at the afore-mentioned Blogger meet-up; I think they look better.

Sewing the frogs on by hand

And finally, I love a jazzy lining, so I used this nautical cotton which I picked up from Rolls and Rems, but never did anything with it:

The jacket is definitely warm enough for the crisp spring sunshine we're experiencing now. I didn't get many photos on the day, but here's that swingy back in action while I chat with Kathryn of Yes, I Like That :

See you soon!

The Routemaster Tribute Capelet!

Living in London, you are incredibly reliant on public transport. Londoners talk about transport almost as much as they talk about the weather, and any changes that are made to it are analysed and discussed at length.

Several years ago, our esteemed city elders decided to replace this beloved design:

Classic Routemaster

With this fire prone, cumbersome piece of s***:

 I hated these buses so much, I even resorted to making my own 'I HATE BENDY BUSES' badges and leaving them on buses and in public places - my own little stab at art terrorism/protest. I was unbelievably pleased when it was decided to take them off the road, and replace them with an all new Routemaster. Transport in this city is still over priced and unreliable, but this new bus just makes me smile, and I'm so pleased to see government taking a chance on a piece of public design which is stylish and takes risks with a classic:

Thomas Heatherwick's new Routemaster design. Read more about it here

 The back view, with the open 'hop on, hop off' platform restored

By coincidence, I made a jacket that is nearly the same shade - my Routemaster Tribute Capelet!

 

This was a stashbuster made from some cheapo red polyester that I bought locally. It was intended for trousers, but when I got it home I realised it reminded me too much of an air stewardess uniform, ie scratchy and synthetic. It languished on the stash pile until a couple of weeks ago. And I've been wearing it almost constantly - I love it!

Here are some details:

I wanted to keep the cost down, so I lined it with a £1.50/m poly cotton black and red polka dot:

  

I wanted it to be a quick project, and keep hand sewing to a minimum. But there were some things that couldn't be avoided, like the little chain that attaches the cuff to the body of the coat:

This fabric frayed and unravelled like nobody's business,involving loads of trimming with the pinking shears. In the end, I approached it the way you do when you're tidying up your home and shove everything into a cupboard or drawer - the 'out of sight, out of mind' method. I put the lining in quickly and attached it loosely with a catch stitch to the hem of the jacket:

 This is my new favourite way to do my nails - I've been watching a lot of Lana del Rey on Youtube

And to end, some more photos of the jacket in front of a double decker bus - it's not a Routemaster, but it was too good an opportunity to pass up!

                        Mr Needles says that this hairdo looks better with a 'haughty' expression...

That's it! See you soon!