Friday, September 25, 2015

Vogue 9135 - Kathryn Brenne jacket


I had a blast making this jacket! 

I ordered this pattern as soon as it was released, cut it out in mid-August, and started sewing it in early September. And it took a while to sew and finish. So here we go - the fun and funky new jacket from Kathryn Brenne.


















Curiously, I already had just the right fabric for it - a polyester faille I ordered from Fashion Mart in late December of last year. It was a possible choice for Ashley's wedding dress, which, in the end, I didn't make - she fell in love with a gorgeous lace overlay tea-length dress at David's Bridal.

Oh, let's look at it again :-) Love my girl.


The faille is a bit crisp and has lots of body. It has a corded weave, running horizontally selvedge to selvedge. And it ravels like that's it's mission in life, one or more cords at a time! So I serged all my pieces as soon as they were cut. I also put safety pins on every piece, to mark the right side of the fabric. The difference between the two sides is very subtle but mismatched pieces would have been evident on the finished garment.

Three cords to 1/4" ! Ravelling is costly on this fabric.

I adore all the gathered casings and ties on the jacket, front and back. Because the faille isn't drapey at all, self-fabric ties would have very difficult to make. Instead, I used braided cotton cord for the ties. I love how the cord looks on this jacket - it just kind of hangs around.

I just noticed that my right sleeve is not turned up in this pic :-)


I cheated once again on the casings and cords. The pattern instructions have a pretty inventive application of corset hooks and eyes, intended to secure a cord at the top end of the casing, and allow it to be drawn up at the bottom end.

Ummm...no. That hardware would be so bulky, heavy, and awkward in the middle of a garment. What I did instead:

  • Basted 3/8" elastic inside the casing ( inside and outside in the pic below), 
  • Sewed the casing to the garment on three sides, leaving the elastic-pokey end open,
  • Pulled up the elastic to gather the casing/garment,  
  • Attached the cording just inside the open end of the casing and trimmed the elastic, 
  • And sewed across that end of the casing to finish up - all nice and secure and no need to re-gather the casings every time a bow comes undone. Which they will do! As in all the rest of the pics in this post :-)


This is the same approach I used to sew the ties on Kathryn's pants, V9114 - here are the two pieces together!






A couple more sewing notes:

  • I sewed the size extra small!! This top is super wide from side to side. I generally sew a medium/12 or 14 in Vogue patterns.
  • The under collar is about an inch bigger than the upper collar, all around. It is folded forward over the upper collar and finished with mitered corners and topstitching. Tricky tricky with ravelling fabric - I messed it up on first try. So I trimmed about 1" from the top edge of both pieces and used a folded seam in the corner instead. No problem...
Right side of the upper collar, sitting on top of the under collar.

And that's it. I admit my enthusiasm flagged a few times as I was making this - it just seemed so big and awkward. But...



I love the finished jacket. It's unique, and it's truly a kick to wear. The fabric has lots of body, but it's very light, perfect for all seasons here in south Florida.

Ciao! Coco

22 comments:

  1. I didn't care for this jacket until now. It looks lovely on you.

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  2. I absolutley love this jacket and have the pattern waiting to go. I just have not been able to figure out what fabric to use. You have inspired me. Yours looks great and I will keep in mind your changes.

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    1. Thanks, Bunny. Can't wait to see yours, I thought of you when I was making this.

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  3. This is beautiful, coco! I love the colors on the skirt, too. Did you make it also?

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    1. Thanks, Linda. The skirt - I cut off the bottom 45" from a maxi dress and added a 10" wide yoga waistband :-)

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  4. Coco, your's is so much better than the pattern envelope. sort of loose without being baggy, relaxed but smart too.

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  5. Beautiful jacket. It works well in that fabric. And your photos are great as always!

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    1. Thanks, Catherine. I think this would look so good on you in one of your awesome metallic fabrics!

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  6. Thanks, Valerie. It's really fun to wear.

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  7. This jacket, with its interesting gathers and such, is a real winner on you! Lovely.

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  8. I like your version so much more than I thought I would when I Sam the pattern drawings. It is edgy but feminine and that's not an easy combo. Bravo!!

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  9. I love your version of this jacket! I don't like the look of it on the model, perhaps it is the color of the fabric or something. Thanks for the information you shared on the sewing of this jacket. The fabric you chose is perfect!

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  10. WOW! I love everything about this jacket
    & it looks fantastic on you...!

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  11. Fantastic jacket! I think I am going to have to get this one now that I see yours. Thanks for detailing your methods, that will come in handy. It looks great bot ways you've styled it here. It is such a versatile piece, and you're right, so perfect for Florida. That picture of Ashley is so sweet. ;)

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  12. Now that I really see this jacket, I really like it. I swear your wardrobe is to die for!

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  13. I agree that your jacket is more appealing than the pattern envelope. It looks wonderful on you!

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  14. This is gorgeous! Wonderful design; and it works beautifully in that fabric. I love the gathering details :)

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  15. Thanks for reviewing! I've been trying to decide if I should make this out of a silvery grey stretch organza. The details are so easy to see on your version, and I've decided to give it a try.

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  17. I have not sewn a garmet in some time and was looking at patterns online for fun and saw this pattern, then tried to find some real live examples on pinterest and found your jacket..........wow now I love it even more. It looks so amazing and the rolling up of the sleeves really takes it up a notch. I can really see wearing this as an everyday fun jacket that is unique. I think I will have to get this pattern and make this my next sewing project.

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I love it that you came by...and thank you for your comments! Coco