Vogue 8088, Not My Usual Style

Most of you reading this little blog are already entrenched in the sewing/blogging world.  But I have a few personal friends who don't spend months, weeks, days hours combing blogworld and Pinterest for exciting creations, inspiration and sewing gossip.  This post starts out with an entreaty to them to enjoy The Great British Sewing Bee on youtube.  I won't give away any secrets except to say I LOVED watching the four hour long episodes.
Episode One
Episode Two
Episode Three
Great British Sewing Bee Finale 
Yes, it has some of the contrived drama of all reality shows but I so enjoyed seeing amateur sewers get public appreciation and respect.  Many other bloggers have had wiser things to say about these shows and the contestants and judges.  I simply enjoyed sitting with a glass of wine after a day of errands, yardwork, chores and dog care while indulging in a combination of my two of my favorite things....sewing and visiting England again, even if only vicariously.
I've been an Anglophile since I was a wee child.  The first storybook I recall was a Little Owl Book "Candles for the Queen."  My very first visit to Great Britain took place in 1972 when I was backpacking through Europe with Frommer's $5 A Day Guide leading me.  It's been a love affair ever since and this show just let me indulge on a more personal level.  I as impressed by the courage it took to sign up to sew in front of cameras and judges in a limited time.  Heck, I hate showing all of you readers the rear end of a pair of pants I've sewn.  This wasn't for a Project Runway of Fashion Star chance at money and fame, just an opportunity to show honed sewing skills.  I was touched by the contestants, their families and was happy to the point of tears at the final result.  But they were all winners to give it a go and I look forward to the next series.

But enough about watching sewing, how about getting some done here on the other side of the pond.   I am finally posting a picture of this latest creation from my sewing room.  It was too cold over the last week to go outside and pose with a thin silk organza jacket.  But the weekend was warmer and I've gotten a snapshot of the final result.

Vogue 8088

The fabric is an embroidered and painted silk organza from Fabric Mart.  The pattern is one of Marcy Tilton's, what I would consider an artsy style, quite different from my usual classic tailoring or sportswear  outdoorsy look.  When I attended the Artistry in Fashion show at Canada College in California last year, I felt a little underdressed compared to the more creative types all around me.  So here's the most out-of-the fashion-box style that I like on me.  
I cut a size Small and then took 1/2" off the shoulders to narrow them further.  I am rather satisfied with the result except that I might narrow the pattern back so that it doesn't swing out so dramatically.  I feel a little like a superhero ready to leap in the air with a mini cape waving behind.

sort of caped crusader

  Marcy's directions for finishing the seams are as lovely as those in a Sewing Workshop pattern.  French side seams and a two inch band with mitered corners are sophisticated touches.  I used a Linda Lee technique of a cardboard template (just a cut up am marked file folder.)  In this case the template is 2" wide with a one inch mark down the center.  I pressed the jacket edges with the template, then turned them again along the first fold and used a narrow zig zag to stitch down the outer edges.

Make the first fold with a cardstock template for accuracy.

Double folded edge and mitered corner

The square corner collar neck area is also finished cleanly on the inside which also reinforces that weak square corner area and is the final detail to make this one layer jacket as nice inside as outside.

Inside square collar and shoulder seam, trimmed and hand stitched

Outside collar and shoulder

As always, I am late to discover this pattern.  I just saw last week that the creative and generous (remember my giveaway win this winter?) JillyB has sewn several of these while I was playing with my one simple one.  Jillybejoyful jackets 
I too would like to make some other versions but next I'm moving on to something new.  Yup, I'm continuing this short journey out of my fashion comfort zone.  There's a new mock up pattern in my sewing room and later this week I'll get some fitting help from some of my sewing pals.  How about you, are you in or out of your comfort zone this week?