Tuxedo Jacket and Silk Blouse

Summer means bright and fun colors but in reality  you just can't escape black and white and/or cream.  These two colors are classic and always show up in fashion, plus they just go with everything.   I wear the cream/white so much better than the black so I went with a cream heavy look with accents of black for these two garments.




  Well, let's back up a bit, it all started with the blouse, McCall's 7094, something very similar to a RTW top I have and love.  The fabric suggested was easy, a crepe de chine  and I had just ordered this beautiful Mood Fabrics' Antique white/black Silk Crepe De Chine one of many crepe de chines at Mood.  You can find any color of your dreams or for your wardrobe needs.   This pattern went together fairly easily.  I didn't have enough of the floral silk, so I used  this silk crepe de chine from my stash for the yoke and under collar.  This is also what I used for the lining in my jacket.  I did take my time with the placket and my one suggestion would be to cut the placket longer at the bottom.  I would much prefer to have extra fabric to work with than struggle with a short little piece.  This blouse is very full and I went with a size small per the finished measurements and still took a bit in at the waist and hips.

  The side seams are finished with a french seam, remainder of the seams are enclosed by the yoke or bias binding.  How do you like that farmer tan I have going?  It is due to all the flowers in the background of all these pictures.  I have been busy planting, pruning, mulching and weeding.   Sewing is my first favorite hobby love but flowers are my second and I do love working with them in most part I just love being outside.  This year I have even more incentive for making my flower garden look perfect,  one of our daughters is having her wedding in our yard late summer.

  I did change the hemline in the end.  I was a bit over the high-low hem and my mind was already thinking about creating the jacket.  So off with the long hem and in with a straight hem all around.    

      \


  Now to this jacket made from Mood Fabrics' Cream Crinkled Wool Silk-Wool Twill and the Papercut's Bellatrix Blazer.  I have made this jacket before but this time went down a size and tapered the center back a bit more.   I interfaced the front, front facing (which is the collar), the lower front and lower back per the pattern instructions.  I do wish I had interfaced the side front, as the crinkled fabric stretches a bit when pressing.  The iron just flattens out those crinkles.

    I had the outer jacket made and put it on my dressform when inspiration struck.  I really thought it looked like a tuxedo jacket, popular in RTW and wanted to make my jacket resemble that even more.  My first inclination was a black fabric to make the collar but guess what no black in my stash.  I did have some perfect black piping, so I went with that.  In the end I think the black piping makes my jacket much more versatile.

      Now my jacket hangs just fine but I notice in several of these pictures, I have my hands holding onto the jacket.  Sorry, just have a hard time figuring out what to do with my hands during these pictures.  I took these photos in the mid-day sun,, so bare with the sunglasses, my choices were sunglasses or squinting! 

 I still have a bit of pooling in the mid back but this jacket I am quite pleased with the fit this time around.  This silk-wool is a bit thicker with the interfacing and double layers, so I did use my wooden clapper for the pressing, it helped tremendously.      

 I first fell in love with the top but my jacket is winning me over, I think it will be well-loved this summer for a layering piece.  Isn't it so fun to sew and create garments with your own personal touch?  What is your favorite detail to add to your garment?