Pondering Design Decisions

I’ve got two new sewing projects underway. The first is the Burnside Bibs from Sew House Seven. We were going to do these as a class at the store, but the pattern is fairly involved and I thought it would be too much. I still wanted to make them—even though they aren’t something I would wear—so I am running up a pair for one of the women who works there. Another one of the employees made herself a pair last week and they turned out beautifully.

I am using a Henry Glass wideback chosen by the intended wearer. I thought about running up a muslin, but muslin would cost as much as two yards of this wideback, so I threw caution to the wind. If they don’t fit, I can make adjustments and another pair. I cut everything yesterday afternoon and got as far as putting on the front pockets. (Yes, it’s a busy print.)

I like Sew House Seven patterns. They are detailed without being fussy. I also find their sizing to be spot on.

We shall see how these turn out.

The other project that is underway is the Rosebud Quilted Coat by Anna Maria Parry. I’ve traced the pattern. The fabric has been washed and dried but I need to press it. I love the design—as seen in this finished version from their website:

That oversized shawl collar is wonderful. I am a sucker for shawl collars. And the coat is long enough; I measured the pattern pieces against my BU quilted jacket. The instructions are for a lined coat and note that the outer patchwork should be quilted to the batting with a very lightweight backing fabric such as a batiste or lawn to reduce bulk. I think one could get away with just quilting the patchwork to the batting without a backing; the Bella Quilt Coat from byAnnie was done that way. The instructions also indicate that if using a vintage quilt and no lining, the seams will have to be finished in some way because they will be visible.

The shawl collar is a separate pattern piece. I am going to look at my drafting books today to see about cutting the collars in one piece with the fronts. That would eliminate some seams. I think I would bind the other seams as I don’t plan to put a lining in it.

I found a cheater print at the store—a cheater print looks like patchwork but isn’t—and a blender to use for the contrasting collar. I’ll quilt the cheater print to make it look like I pieced the fabric. The batting will probably be the same silk blend batting I’ve used in my other jackets.

Ideally, I can get these projects finished before the middle of the month. The weather looks a bit frightful for the next two weeks, so I won’t try to start anything in the greenhouse just yet. I am happy to be sewing again and not just talking/teaching about sewing.