18 January, 2010

Thinking out of the envelope

Setting aside my not-totally-evil-mother / have-ripstop(and-polartec)-will-outfit-guys-with-ski-mitts persona {with warm-mitted applause to Kay and Dawn for their how-to's on the subject}; and ignoring my ghosts-of-sewing-past finally tackled alterations that no one wants to hear about (yawn!) - or the super-duper-practical heavy wool flannel one-day slacks that are going to take two days, but are nearly finished (and underlined with another ugly fabric freebie, a yellow cotton seersucker, tee hee!) - I'm cogitating on my next piece of show-offishness.

I have a hankering for a portrait-collar jacket. There's a tonne - that's a metric tonne to you southerners, an even 1000 kilograms, which is 10% heavier than the 2000-lb American ton (which, I might add, no one else in the world uses, so the numerical difference in practically identical nomenclature leads to no end of confusion - kindly go metric, already!) - of gorgeous silks making the studio floors sag, awaiting conversion into show-offy tops with matching scarves etcetera. I must be responsible (she whispers), I must prevent the house from collapsing. I find the closed-up necklines of most jackets are not very conducive to showing off silk chemises.

So I'm considering making a jacket based on this:


It's 2008-12-110 from the Bambi issue. Huh?! I can just see you scratching your heads. BUT - here's the tech drawing:



It wouldn't be all that hard to convert this to a cute little double-breasted jacket. I could even leave the empire waistband and put the two buttons right on it. Or I could get rid of the waistband and just make the under-bust dart go all the way down to the bottom. Or leave as is. Maybe add a couple of welt pockets. Maybe have a half-belt in the back (the back also has waist darts and the empire waist).

Grey. Nice, neutral grey. A Super 180 birdseye is one option; two different thread-dyed silk-wool and silk-cotton blends are the others.


Decisions, decisions.... Do you, gentle reader, have a favourite portrait-collar jacket?

4 comments:

  1. Okay Digs - please don't think of this as a rant or a putdown...just an opposing opinion. I don't understand why our system of measurement has to change? Maybe the world does use the metric system and we do provide conversions for those who are interested...it just seems to me that it is akin to asking why do we speak english and not another language. It is the way we do things in OUR country. Again, not a putdown or a rant just a difference of MY opinion.

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  2. I have no comment on conversion to the metric system (although as a physician, I am perfectly comfortable using it, so switch away!), but I LOVE that dress-as-jacket design!! Gonna be a stunner - can't wait to see!!

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  3. I have one or two good suggestions for you from BWOF in 2005 - I'll send you some pics later by e-mail.

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  4. I think that could be converted nicely! But no doubt Kay will send details of other burda patterns. I think they have quite a few portrait collar patterns. (from Australia - another metric country!!)

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