I love the beautiful images and inspiring projects by Kay Whitt in her book, Sew Serendipity. Kay has a fun, whimsical style and makes projects that are flattering on most figures. I saw this jacket in the book and thought it would be a fun project to make. I pulled out some options from my cotton sateen stash and had just enough of this floral Block Print Blossom by Joel Dewberry. The green color seemed neutral enough that I thought I could wear it with a lot of different things in the springtime.
So I worked away and found the pattern easy enough to follow. But I was a little horrified by the result:
Seriously? It looked like a maternity coat. I added ruffles on the bottom of the sleeves because I thought it would add a fun detail. Bad improvisation. I kept thinking that because the model in the picture was probably an extra-extra small, the coat looked cute and dainty. The hardware on the coat made it look more mature, but making the coat in a size Medium just looked totally unflattering. I immediately felt like I looked like Lucille O'Ball when she was pregnant. She wore these house coat frocks, and she would have asked to borrow mine had it been her pregnancy decade.
Visuals
So I attached a belt to the jacket, and it really slimmed it out and made it look a lot better. I just stitched the belt right onto the back of the coat, like she gives an example of it in the book. Still, the sleeves made it look to girlish. So I cut those off and left a 3/4" sleeve with a hem.
In the end, the coat turned out much cuter than I thought it would after I first completed it. There are a couple of things that bother me about it. #1. It isn't lined. So unless it is made out of wool or another warm fabric, it isn't going to do much to protect from the cold. #2. I don't like the inset sleeve so much and would rather that it have normal sleeves because somehow I feel like inset sleeves look like they are made for giant shoulder pads.
#3. My fabric choice probably wasn't the best idea. I love the print and the color but on such a big piece of clothing, it reminds me so much of the Sound of Music Curtains with the big mossy green print. I feel like I could line up with the Von Trapp children and would fit right in.
But it was a good project, which Kay told me herself wasn't too tough. She was right. It was manageable. If it had the lining that I really wish it did, maybe it wouldn't have been so easy. I am not sure. I am still not sure if or where I will wear it, but I have made so many projects that I may or may not ever wear that it is really not why I make things to begin with.
