Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Jacket + Sweater = Cropped Jacket + Dress
A good quality but rather boring plaid jacket is spiced up by being cut under the bust into two pieces. The sleeves are cut at the same line. Trim is sewn around the cut edges. The bottom of the jacket is sewn on to the bottom of the sweater. The sleeve bottoms are opened up and sewn together in a square. Triangles are sewn at the side seams to create a bottom for the handbag. A stiff insert is fit into the bottom of the handbag. Eyelets are made at the top of the handbag seams. Split key rings insert into the eyelets, and the handle attaches to the rings.
Tools and Materials
Jacket
Sweater
2 yards trim
2 eyelets
2 split key rings
Stiff insert for handbag bottom
Handbag handle
Thread, scissors, pins, sewing machine
Cut the jacket, lining and sleeves under the bust, adding ½” seam allowance for the trim, and sew the trim on top. The bottom of the jacket and lining is sewn on to the bottom of the sweater just above the ribbing. Place right sides together and stitch.
The sleeve bottoms are opened up at the seam opposite the buttons, which will be at the top of the handbag. Pull the lining up out of the way, and sew the jacket sleeves together down the sides and across the bottom. Triangles are sewn at the inside bottom of the two side seams to create a flat bottom for the handbag. A stiff insert is fit into the bottom of the handbag. Then sew the lining together around three sides, add the triangles, and push the lining into the handbag. Eyelets are made at the top of the handbag seams according to the package directions. Split key rings insert into the eyelets, and the handle attaches to the rings.
The cropped jacket and handbag were shown in the 2009 Summer Issue of Altered Couture Magazine.
Jacket and sweater before
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Fringed Tweed Jacket
A thrift store tweed jacket gets a new look similar to a jackets seen on the current Chanel runway. The sleeves are cropped just below elbow length and fringed 1". The sleeve linings are turned under and sewn together with the coordinating braid attached just above the fringe.
The bottom of the jacket is cropped at the waistline, fringed 1", lining turned under and sewn together with the braid around the bottom, front openings and neckline. Some of the cropped off material is cut 4" wide and pieced to about 48" long, and gathered to form the ruffle around the neckline.
Chest pockets are removed from the original jacket and replaced on the new design.
Because the tweed is busy and a loose weave, it turned out OK to zigzag stitch the buttonholes closed. They really don't show. I used 3 yards of upholstery braid. The one thing I would do differently is to taper the back a bit lower than the front.
Jacket Before
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