Jalie 2110 Raincoat

I finally started this lined jacket pattern, Jalie 2110, for my oldest son a few months back. Actually, I traced the pattern almost a year ago and when spring rolled around I realized that he may not even fit into the size 5 I'd traced! Luckily though, I'd also traced size 7 at the same time...and I may end up having to make the bigger one immediately!

I bought the laminated cotton fabric for this at C&M Textiles in a bright yellow and something like a teal. There wasn't much selection in this kind of fabric, so I bought enough for 2 jackets. Even though the pattern has contrasting bands on the raglan seams and sleeves, I'm still not sure if I like this detail. It seems a bit busy. Maybe I won't bother adding them on jacket #2. The lining is Procool Wicking Jersey from Wazoodle.

This is the jacket so far, with the (white) lining hanging behind.


I've also applied Seam Grip on all the seams so far, and it was pretty straight forward. You can see it shining in this shot (I also did the outer hood seams).


I had to do this on the dining table with the ceiling fan going so the fumes wouldn't be too much!

Now I just need to get the energy going to pick it up again! I got back from my vacation alone with the boys almost 2 weeks ago, and I was sooo tired! We landed back in Ottawa at 01:15 AM! Over an hour late. And for some reason DS1 woke up at 9:00. I hate the eastward flying, it really messes up your inner clock! The boys were very good on the plane (both ways), and they were running off their cooped up energy at Calgary airport for about 3 hours! It didn't help that I'd stayed up late with my sister the night before we left watching the meteor shower; it was the peak night, and we did see one amazing burn-up. The light was amazingly intense and lasted a few seconds, and the tail lingered for about 30 seconds more. It was well worth it. By 02:00 AM (PST) we were done in.

And it's been busy ever since. A couple of days after I got back I spent 3 days rewiring my parents' bathroom (with BX cable...it's really hard to strip at the ends). But best of all, I sorted out my new sewing room. While we were away my wonderful, darling husband rearranged the topsy-turvy rooms in our house, so we're now all sleeping upstairs again. My new sewing room is bigger than the old, and it's got much better lighting. Next project that I'm going to tackle (after the raincoat is done) will be to build a new work table: wider, higher and with storage underneath. I've also got a large sheet of pegboard, but haven't figured out what to hang on it!!! Any ideas?

Burda 07-2009-111 Skirt

Last weekend I bought 3 pieces of denim, a total of 7 metres, from Fabricland, and I think they all have some lycra as there's a bit of stretch. I'm planning on sewing a pair of the popular Jalie 2908 Stretch jeans once the boys start school, and I think I'll need to do some serious muslin making!

But I've also been on the lookout for a simple denim skirt, as the one I've been wearing for the last 4 years is starting to look a bit worn. It occurred to me to search on Pattern Review for reviews on skirts made with denim, and I found a whole bunch. It's a great way to get ideas. The pattern I ended up using is from last year summer. I never thought about this skirt in denim, but I'm happy with the way it turned out.

The buttons come from Darrell Thomas, and they cost 4 times that of the fabric, but they're great!

The top is one of the Jalie tops I made last summer, and I just cut out the modesty panel; it was pulling across the top and the armholes didn't look right.

Burda 05-2010-105 dress

I haven't posted in ages because I haven't been able to do any real sewing until last week! And I've just finished my first dress in years! It's a great dress; sews up really quickly, and it's very comfortable. I was going to use this fabric for something else, but when I saw the reviews on this pattern I knew this was the best.

The fabric is a fine cotton lycra jersey. I added a lining under the skirt, as one of the other reviewers suggested, and it turned out pretty well. I was a bit concerned that it might add some bulk around the waist, which I don't need! When I sewed the lining, I made it a bit narrower at the waist, and just stretched it when I sewed it to the garment.



I'm flying out with the boys to visit my sister and her family on Tuesday, and this dress will be so comfortable to wear on the plane. My mum lent me some nice shoes that are so comfortable and are great with this dress.