the perfect jacket

The ragged jacket: some people love them; others don't. But if ever there was a perfect jacket for our friend, this one was exactly the right one. She has touched it and exclaimed over the softness. The colors are soft and gentle on the senses, just as she is. The lace, the homespun fabric: all suits her perfectly. Somehow, the jacket seems to embody everything she is. And she loves it.

When Judy said that she wanted to make a ragged jacket for the box, I really didn't know what she was talking about; but I loved the fabrics she selected for the piecework and I looked forward to seeing whatever Judy made with them. She kept saying that she didn't know anything about cutting out and sewing a jacket and so I told her to piece me some "fabric" and I would show her how to make a jacket.

She brought the pieced fabric to my house; and as we sat and I showed her how to cut out the simple pieces, we talked and drank iced tea, and listened to music and had a wonderful time together. Isn't that what sewing is so often about: good friends sharing something they love.

The jacket had been made from fat quarters and there wasn't a piece of fabric from which to cut sleeves; but I had an idea that we didn't want plain sleeves anyway and suggested the insertion of heavy cotton lace in the sleeves in order to stretch the fabric. Besides, the sleeves needed the pieced look also. And that is what we did that afternoon, even buying narrow cotton lace to add at the collar and at the wrists. Somehow, lace at the wrists was going to look so perfect for her as she wore the jacket.







While I made the collar and the sleeves at my house, Judy was clipping seam allowances. I cannot imagine the work and the effort that took; but she did a beautiful job of it; and after the jacket body was washed, what a lovely, soft jacket the ragged seams made.

Everyone who came by had to touch the jacket. I don't know whether it was the very soft fabric that Judy chose or the ragged seams, but the jacket drew everyone to touch it. And its owner says it is so soft and so comfortable that she really enjoys wearing it often.

I think that all of us like to own something to wear that makes us feel good, feel as if we are wrapped up in warmth and love. I think that this jacket is just that for her and I know that she will wear it for many years. And if ever a garment was the perfect garment for its wearer, I believe that this jacket is the perfect jacket for our friend.

it fits!

Among the many things that we packed in the box were brightly colored and wildly embroidered socks, a few CD's and a skirt and jacket that I could only hope would fit. And last night, she wrote that they both truly fit well. Now, I have no real idea of how that happened other than this project was one inspired by G-d and He must have done some assisting in the fitting.

To begin, the skirt was a simple six gored, elastic waist skirt, with a trumpet type flare at the hem. I had found some beautiful "clouded teal" (that was the name of the color and I love it) rayon twill that washed and dried like a dream. Yes, of course, it also raveled beyond raveling and I was so very glad that I had a serger to stop that. I topstitched the gores and my Creative Feet edgestitching foot made that stitching absolutely perfect. (well, almost)

Her daughter had told us that she wore size 12 Eddie Bauer jeans and so we had gone to the store and actually measured the waist and the hip. And so I had made the skirt's measurements conform to those measurements. And it fits.

But I had all of this fabric left over; and wanting to do something with it, I designed a waist length collarless jacket with long sleeves and used every bit of the fabric. (We also knew her bra size and we went with that.) I decided to line the jacket with bright stripes since the blue stripe almost matched the blue fabric of the suit and I lined it to the very edge. (I was out of fabric for facings!)

The jacket was so simple and plain when the lining wasn't showing that we wanted something special there for her. I found three or four really nice corner embroidery designs that would sit in the bottom, front corner of the jacket front and we tested them and looked at them and played with them until we decided on one very simple, light design which seemed just made for the jacket front.

When I began putting it all together, something was lacking. After looking at it for a while, I decided to pipe the edge of the jacket. It would look gorgeous, but I had nothing but little snips and funky triangles of fabric left. Oh well, off I went to JoAnn's and Wrights had piping in the same exact color as this piece of bargain fabric I had found on sale in a color I hadn't even noticed in clothing anywhere this summer.

Because I hadn't expected such a color of piping to exist, I hadn't taken a swatch with me and had just gone looking for whatever might be. But as soon as I saw the package, I knew this was the right color. I grabbed it and a package of navy (Although I know that my color memory is better than average, I never quite believe that I will be right; but I was.) As soon as I put the piping next to the jacket, I was thrilled. No one would ever know that it wasn't self piping. (Well, you do!)

Now, piping that edge was an experience. I have piped lots of straight lines, but this was a little different and I couldn't remember whether you stretch or push piping on corners to prevent it from cupping. I found out the usual way by doing it wrong on the first curve and having to take it out and redo it. I will remember from now on as I did four of those tight curves.

I started out using my zipper foot to stitch the piping in and I didn't like the way it looked. The stitching wasn't close enough to the piping and the line wasn't straight. It was wavering. After fishing around in my box of feet, I pulled out my Creative Feet piping foot and the sewing was then a snap (almost). I did feel that I could have inserted the piping without looking as the piping rode along in the foot just as it was supposed to and the piping went in quite nicely.

Yes, there were a couple of places that I could have taken out and redone; but you all are teaching me the three foot rule and so I left it. No one will ever see those places but me.

Oh! You noticed that I had some of the lining fabric left. Yes, well, all I could do with that long straight piece of bright stripes was make a tie or a belt or whatever she might want to do with it. If nothing else, it looks nice on the hanger.

And it all fits. Now, I can make other simple skirts for her and perhaps a nice suit also, nothing with a tight, exact fit. That isn't what she needs or wants. We have a fit and she can have more garments. We fit her with one long distance telephone call and we can do it again. It fits! (Can you imagine how concerned we were about that? I have never even met the woman.) And it fits!