ABOUT ME

I am Angela and I love to sew. I started sewing as a child and by the time I was a teenager I was wearing the very latest fashions to go out in. All me-made. I am passionate about reducing the amount of textiles sent to landfill, and encourage you to repurpose fabrics and clothes I started this blog in order to have a way in which to pass on my gained knowledge, and my professional knowledge to you, Sewing is empowering, you can save money by making items, make money by selling then, You can pass your knowledge on to others. What is there not to love? Interestingly I am a direct descendant of the Flemish weavers who came over to England in the 1300's. I find that fascinating especially as most of my family from as far back as I can trace are somehow involved in the manufacturing of fabric . . I have a degree in tailoring with a special interest in WW2 fashion.

Thursday 12 April 2018

Vogue 1246 Designer shirt by Lynn Mizono in Linen Fabric



 This is a Pattern review for this fabulous designer shirt/ jacket by the American designer Lynn Mizono.

Labels 

Tacking, marker pens, tailors chalk,


I am delighted with this fantastic Vogue pattern and with the whole outfit



The pattern is from Jaycotts and can be purchased here Vogue 1246. The fabric is quite old and I have been longing to use it for ages but never could decide what to do with it. I thought it perfect for this jacket though, and even though there wasn't enough fabric for the entire garment I decided to go ahead anyway. It is an embroidered linen with flower applique on it, purchased as I said several years ago.There was just enough to cut out the main body of the jacket and a small piece was left over for the contrast panel on the top. I had another piece of linen in the same weight but plain. This went into making the sleeves and collar and the trousers. My final piece of linen went into making the bulk of the top. It was a bit of trial and error with pattern placement bit in the end the fabrics go together very well.







In case you missed my last post I am trying very hard to reduce my stock of fabrics rather than just have them sat there gathering dust. After all I chose them because I wanted to wear them!



I am enjoying working with Vogue patterns immensely, they are challenging with plenty of pattern pieces but very satisfying to work on.  When working with a pattern which has little or no symetrs you are most likely working on a single layer of fabric so you need to find somewhere large enough to cut out. I did manage to use my dining table with a bit of judicous folding!



The other thing you need to be aware of is that you must be meticulous about transferring every single pattern marking onto your fabric or you will become muddled and it will be an unpleasant experience. If your fabric has no obvious right or wrong side then you need to mark the back of each piece too. Preparation is key to stress free sewing no matter what pattern you are using.



The top is exactly the same as in my previous blog post, so for instructions and link to order the pattern and supplies from Jaycotts go to this link Vogue fitted linen tops.  On this post you will also find details of tacking thread and other methods of transferring pattern markings onto your fabric.




There are quite a few corners on this garment and the points need to be sharp. So this is how I do it. I trim the corner on the inside, bearing in mind that linen frays so I don't want to trim right up to the stitching, I want to cut away just enough to remove the bulk. I pressed the seams open as far as I could, A sleeve pressing roll is so useful for this, Jaycotts have a fabulous range of pressing tools so take a look, Pressing tools If you do not have any yet I would definitely start with a sleeve roll ,a sleeve board and a pressing cloth. You will be using them for years to come so the initial expense is money well spent. I also love the pressing Mitt and the finger guards.

You also need a point turner in your basic sewing kit, Point turner again this is an item which you will be using in many years to come.


The back of the jacket has ties which can be fiddly to make. Not with this nifty gadget though! The Prym Turning Set makes strap making so easy, you will be thinking of lots of ways to use it!



The sleeves are folded and held in place with buttons.  I chose some cream ones with a gold border but you choose some really special ones to match your fabric . Jaycotts have some very pretty buttons, I particularly like the ones on the first row of this page, but they have others equally as nice. Buttons. My buttons are small so I put two on the front, one buttoning to the inside and two on each sleeve.





I know that you are interested in what sewing machines I use.
My main machine is the Bernina 350PE Bernina 350 PE and it is a fabulous machine. It is robust, reliable and has a wide choice of stitches including decorative stitches and Fonts. I really love and appreciate this machine.
I also have a Brother sewing machine , which is the machine I carry around if I am giving a sewing lesson, or if I want to sit at the dining table for a change.
Brother innov-is 15
Both of these are great machines and come in at different prices. Choosing a sewing machine is something that should be given thought. My only bit of advice would be to choose something you can grow into as you become more proficient - and you will!
You also need to choose one within your budget. Jaycotts know all there is to know about sewing machines so don't be afraid to telephone or call in and ask for advice. They will guide you through the different machines with their various functions and prices so that you end up with a machine which suits you perfectly. Contact details are at the end of the post
Although I did not use my overlocker except for the trousers seams it is by Brother and I find it a dream to use. It copes with all fabrics and is easy to thread. It is the Brother 3034D overlocker. Again though there is plenty of choice at Jaycotts.



I also made trousers, these are the same as on this blog post. Palazzo trousers


As I was saying earlier I didn't have enough of any of the fabrics to make a full garment, except for the trousers, so I had to mix them up. Luckily they are all in the same colour palette so blend together really well
Linen and cotton fabrics are available from Minerva Fabrics Cotton and linen blend fsbrics


All of my seams are French seams. I have a tutorial all about seams so take a look, it really is a useful seam to be able to do. All about seams. The sleeve head is neatened with a strip of fabric rather like a Hong Kong seam - details of how to do it is also on the post.
There are no raw edges anywhere.



The sleeve was only meant to have one button folding the upper edge upwards, but I didn't like having the other corner flapping loosely so I folded that inwards and added a button to hold it in place.


The sleeve fabric was plain so I did some random freestyle embroidery on my Bernina sewing machine purely to echo the design on the main fabric. I cut out a couple of flowers too and appliqued them onto the sleeves. It just tied the fabrics together nicely.


You tube video    You tube

This is a short video clip of the jacket. If you receive my posts by email it may not appear in which case just visit the post on my blog and you will be able to view it there.


I am really pleased with this outfit. It is very different but extremely wearable, it's a great addition to my holiday wardrobe.

For any product information contact Jaycotts on  01244 394099 or fill in the contact form and they will get back to you on the next working day Contact Jaycotts

Thank you for reading this post. Have a look at your fabrics and see what you could combine to make an outfit.

Angela 


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