I needed a jacket for spring, so I made myself a Sewaholic Cordova.


Materials

• Stretch Plaid Suiting (polyester/rayon/spandex)
• "Silk" Lining (polyester)
• Interfacing
• Buttons
• Zipper
• "I (heart) Handmade" Ribbon

I did my best to match the plaid all the way across the jacket. It was hard, especially since the fabric is stretchy, but I think I got it close enough.

Pattern

Sewaholic Cordova

This is a nice stylish jacket with puffed sleeves. I made View B, with the single peplum. 




 Alterations

I made quite a few alterations. I raised the armohole seams about 1/4" for each shoulder. But, this still seems like not quite enough. The armhole line looks too far out. Most of the other Cordovas I have seen also appear to have this problem. It might be a bit of a style choice that works best for pear shaped ladies. On me, it just makes my shoulders look slightly droopy.

I did a small swayback adjustment. I made a muslin first, so I knew how much to take off.

I made a size 6 jacket (I'm somewhere near a size 8 according to the label, but I always find I'm closer to a six in Sewaholic patterns). However, I wanted to have this jacket have enough ease to fit over a cardigan. So, I increased around the waist by 1/2" on each side. I increased top of the peplum by 1/2" and decreased the bottom by 1"4. I also increased the sleeve width by 1/2" (for my bulging biceps, of course). Now, I think it looks a bit big on me without another layer under. What do you think?


I hate jackets with no pockets, so I added welt pockets with a button loop on each side. The pockets are curved to match the curve of the peplum. This was not easy, and I plan to make a follow up post with how I did it. Also, you might notice that I cut the peplums on the bias so that the plaid goes at an interesting angle.


I also added a ribbon as a jacket hanging loop. I was afraid a fabric loop would be too bulky and try to pop out of this collarless jacket. I really like how the ribbon turned out (thanks for the ribbon, sis!).


The lining is delicious! It's a polyester 'silk' lining in a pale green. I bagged the lining when I was assembling the jacket (good instructions on how to do that are on Grainline Studio's blog). Don't you think it looks good with my Alma blouse?


That's it. What do you think out there? Is it a hit or miss? So I go back and try to fix my sleeve poofs (I think they might be a bit flat)?

He also emailed me some pictures with the subject "Bicycle Fashion Advice for You". They are vintage posters for Raleigh bicycles.

This week, the Wardrobe Architect series is about building capsule wardrobes for Spring/Summer. Thanks to all the work in the previous weeks, this exercise ended up being much easier than I thought it would be. Here are my work silhouettes:


This silhouette is for the cooler spring weather. Lots of layers and fitted blouses.

 When the weather gets a little warmer, I switch to capris and comfortable knit tops.

And when it's hot, I like wearing shorts. But, I still need the cardigan thanks to all the air conditioning in the office.
When it's really hot, I don't mind wearing dresses and skirts. But, they are for days when I know I won't be working out of the office and/or riding a motorycle to work. I actually own the dress above, but it definitely needs some nice sandals to go with it. I also own the outfit below, minus the red shoes. It's one of my favourite since it includes my lovely, sheer robot top and a comfortable knit skirt.


This exercise has been great to figure out what kind of oufits I want to wear. It has also helped me figure out what kind of footwear I need to finish these outfits off.

If I have time, I hope to do this for my Fall/Winter work silhouettes and my home/casual silhouettes.

The extraordinary steampunk costumes I made my sister and her husband are being featured on Rock N Roll Bride!


Once again, I'd like to thank Rowell Photography for taking such great pictures.

I'm finally at Week 8 of the Coletterie Wardrobe Architect series. This week, the topic is hair and makeup. To help us this about what works for us, there are a bunch of questions to think about. Here is what I answered.

My hair was a lot shorter a year ago...

1. What hair style has been most flattering and comfortable for you? How did it make you feel about yourself? Did it invoke any of the words you came up with in our core style exercise?
   
   A: I like my hair at many lengths. Typically, I let it grow until it's really long and then cut it all off really short. I like it short and out of the way or long and in a pony tail. Both these styles fit with my words, which were "comfortable, action, appropriate, and androgynous".
2. How much makeup are you comfortable with? It could be no makeup, or a full face with contouring (and all that jazz I could never figure out). Or it could vary day to day.
   
   A: I like a very natural look. I occasionally wear eyeliner to bring out my eye lashes, but that is usually it. I wear more make up on specially occasions, but never full face make up "and all that jazz".
3. How does your makeup and hair reflect your personal style? What do you feel they say about you and your aesthetics?
   
   A: I like things that are simple and natural. I also don't like being too feminine.
4. How much product do you want to own? Do you like collecting products, or would you rather just have a few essentials? How much bathroom clutter are you ok with?
   
   A: As little as possible. I believe we do damage to our bodies and environment with the amount of stuff we consume.
5. What requirements do you have for the products you buy? Do you stick with all natural products? Are there ingredients you avoid?
   
   A: I tried to avoid harmful ingredients. I even carry around in my wallet a helpful list on the Top Ten Toxic chemicals that are in personal care products.
6. What colors feel best near your face? How do they relate to the color palette you created?
   
   A: All of the colours I chose for my palette work well near my face, especially the statement colours.
7. What colors never look right near your face? What colors have you tried and given up on before?
   
   A: As mentioned before, white really doesn't work for me. It makes my skin look a bit sickly.
8. How much time do you realistically want to spend getting ready in the morning?
   
   A: Only 5 to 10 minutes - and that includes brushing teeth and putting on any jewelry.
9. What types of scents do you gravitate towards? Do you wear perfume? Other scented products? What do you feel the scents you like communicate about your personality?
   
   A: Like with other products, I want to avoid scents as much as possible. I wear a little deordorant, which I checked for toxic ingredients when I bought it. Scents are also frowned upon in most public places.

So, I like to avoid products. They complicate life and are bad for the environment. I like to avoid consuming all of these beauty products for the same reason that I got into making my own clothes. I should make more of an effort to make my own products as well. I have made lotion in the past and with a lot of sucess.