That Was a Learning Experience

The quilted jacket is done.

Eh. It’s not really something I would wear. Those sleeves are enormous and annoying. I’m glad I made the pattern—even with all the issues—but I am going to move on. This one goes into class sample storage.

I started tracing the Tamarack jacket pattern yesterday afternoon. I have another chunk of prequilted fabric with which to make a test version. Kate, at The Confident Stitch in Missoula, had a wonderful Tamarack on display in the store. She’s also done a video showing how she made it. She and I are about the same size—although she’s a bit taller than me—so her comments about sizing were helpful as I have been dithering about which size to make. That pattern doesn’t call for seam finishes on the inside. Kate serged the edges of her pattern pieces and I thought they looked fine.

So much goes into good design. I follow a menswear writer on Twitter (@dieworkwear) who posts some great examples of good and bad design in men’s clothing.

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Sailrite has a great YouTube channel. I love watching build videos while I sew and they’ve done some fascinating ones, like the ottoman with a quilted top. The problem is that the husband and I are such tool junkies that now I am wondering how I could justify getting a tempered glass cutting mat and a cordless hot knife. 😇 I told the husband the other day that women just cut webbing and seal the ends with a lighter; men created a specialized tool to do the same thing.

Sewing has to take a backseat this week. I have half a dozen appointments and meetings on the schedule and I am teaching my quilting class on Wednesday. That one will happen because I have students signed up. I’ll keep the Tim Holtz quilt pieces next to the sewing machine so I can work on that project here and there as I have time. That may be all that happens in the sewing room this week.