Wool Pencil Skirt

Today's project is a fairly straightforward pencil skirt, with the addition of a little tab detail at the back. It's made out of a lovely wool I picked up in Asheville, North Carolina last year. It's got really nice color variation that's difficult to see in these photos, but there's nice greens and beiges mixed in there. It's just perfect for wearing to work, which is where I snapped these photos!

The pattern for the pencil skirt is made from my sloper. It's got 8 darts total on it, and I find I really enjoy the shape and detail of those darts. In the back, I used a tutorial on Tuppence Ha'Penny to make the small tab above the kick pleat. I used fabric-covered buttons on the tab and up top at the closure to match. 

One of my favorite things about sewing is adding little details like this! This is actually the same skirt as the one I made to match my Coco Chanel jacket, but it feels so different with a skinnier waistband and this pleat detail. 

I used a polyester lining on the inside to finish it off, and sadly, it's a particularly horrendous kind of polyester. It felt a little stiff when I picked it up at Joann's (they always get me in with those blasted coupons!), but I thought it would soften up in the wash. No luck there. I forged forward, not wanting to waste perfectly good, if poor quality lining. In hindsight, it seems a shame to have such nice wool paired with such crummy lining. 

Readers, do you have good sources you go to for linings? Something nice in quality that won't break the bank, perhaps? Bemberg is a favorite of mine, but I have a hard time finding it at reasonable prices.

Ninot Coat

Hot dog, I sewed a coat! A white swing coat to be precise, which came about as a combination of two coats I have adored dearly in my life. The first was a white faux fur coat that I had when I was four. It was a Christmas present from Santa my brother snooped out early, and my parents caught me ooh-ing and aah-ing, strutting around their closet. It was the first time I distinctly remember feeling glamorous. The second was an absolutely lovely vintage seafoam green swing coat that I found at a garage sale when I was in college. It got lost somewhere along the way, but I felt chic and adorable whenever I wore it. And now I have created a coat that combines all those wonderful things!

In addition to wanting a white swing coat, I also had it in my mind that I would wear it with a tremendous brooch. When I found this 1960s whopper on Etsy, I couldn't pass up the chance. 

Fit and Innards

For fit, the most significant change I made was to remove the shoulder pads. I have square shoulders, and I decided I liked the look of the coat without them. I needed some adjustments in the shoulder/armscye area anyway, consequently the fit waters are muddied. I don't think I could tell you at this point what change needed to happen because of me, and what to remove the shoulder pads! At any rate, here's the changes I made on the size 44: 

• 3/8" forward shoulder adjustment
• 1" added to sleeve for wide bicep (this is an unusual adjustment for me)
• 3/4" removed from armscye front, 1/4" from armscye back
• Length added to sleeve for armscye adjustments
• 1/2" length removed from back yoke at armscye
• 6" addded in length

As I mentioned on the in progress post, I added flannel interlining for extra warmth. I now see what Adele Margolis was so persnickety about with barely recommending sewing your interlining and lining as one. It was possible, but there is a lot of bulk that made it challenging to get a nice finish even on a coat as unstructured as this one. I likely won't try that method again, and I might not add interlining at all on future coats. I live in Texas for goodness sakes. It just doesn't get that cold! This is probably the heaviest coat I've ever owned. 

The Pattern

In terms of the Ninot Jacket pattern, overall, I highly recommend it. It is drafted well, and I was especially impressed at how nicely the sleeves went in. I also couldn't find a swing coat pattern I liked the style of quite as well, in other modern or vintage patterns. The instructions are good, but you'll likely need a companion tailoring book as they aren't particularly detailed.

I did have two small hiccups with the pattern, although in the telling of them, you will likely learn more about me and how I sew (namely that I am as persnickety as good 'ole Adele Margolis). When I first undertook the project, I started by lining up the pieces together to visualize how it would all go. It was here that I discovered a slight misalignment of about 1/8" on the back facing piece. I contacted Pauline Alice, and she double checked it. It turned out to be slightly less than 1/8", but she sent me a new facing piece and adjusted the published pattern. A very minor adjustment, but I've found it's hard to fudge and stretch fabric when you have multiple layers, so I appreciated it.

The second hiccup had to do with the buttons, and that has been a fascinating detour.  Pauline doesn't recommend a size for the buttons, but instead tells you how to adjust your bound buttonholes for the size you choose. In her example, she uses 1 1/2", so that's the size buttons I used. But, this lead me to question, does button size really matter? 

I brought it up on the Pattern Review forums, and I've gotten mixed responses. Some insist that it certainly does and it impacts if your garment is centered. Others say it's merely a matter of personal aesthetics. I asked my pattern making teacher from last year, and she said that it will matter if you have a defined placket, because that would have been designed with a certain width in mind. If your placket is undefined, as is the case in this coat, it won't matter. So I emailed with Pauline again, and she mentioned she expected people would stick to a certain range, so she is adjusting the supplies list.

I must say, it is a great project, indeed, when you end with the coat of your imagination, and you learn something new to boot!