Tuesday 2 August 2016

Pilvi Jacket from Everyday Style: Lotta Jansdotter

It's the Summer Holidays - hurrah and huzzah!  No more school run for a bit; lazy days beckon in the sunshine, and I'm rather looking forward to it. But somehow along the way I seem to have lost my sewjo! I had some very necessary but rather boring sewing to do (alterations on two of the three bridesmaids' dresses below). I was frightened so much of messing them up, I took a lot of time over it, while all I wanted was to sew things for me! Very selfish, I know!

Bodices taken in, hems taken up, and the wedding now over, it was time to crack on again; but,  momentum has been lost. I have tidied my sewing room to make it more appealing, but it hasn't reignited my sewing passion just yet.


However, I do have something a few weeks old to show: the Pilvi Jacket from Lotta Jansdotta's book Everyday Style. I bought the book as a treat for myself when having particularly horrid hospital procedures earlier in the year. It is a great book, full of style and lifestyle pictures as well as great patterns to make up.  I have several of these patterns on my to-make list, and thought I'd start with The Pilvi.


I have made this as a wearable toile, using a loosely woven grey sparkly woolen-mix fabric. I bought it years ago, I think from Worthing's Wednesday Market. It certainly wasn't very expensive and isn't great quality - it definitely has a poly-content. I thought it was pretty enough that I'd wear it, but no great loss if it went wrong.


It's a simple raglan style jacket, unlined and with facings built into the pattern pieces. It was an easy and relatively quick sew. Or it would have been, but I didn't like my original black topstitching, so spent hours unpicking it before re-sewing with a complimentary sparkly thread. The silver topstitching looks much better.


Overall, I like the style of the cropped jacket, though it is slightly to big at the front. If I were to make it again I'd have to work out a way to make it smaller (it's already the smallest size in the book). Perhaps a brightly coloured version would look good?

I was all ready to pop out wearing it, when my photographer, otherwise known as my dearest darling husband, mentioned that it has something of Theresa May (UK prime minister) about it and I promptly took it off! I'm sure I will wear it, though it may be a while before I forget his words!!


I am looking forward to making the "Esme" shift dress in due course, when I  finally feel fired up for sewing again. Thanks for reading folks, Louise xxx