Making Carla's Jacket

Carla and her dad at the Thai restaurant.  Carla is wearing her new jacket and doesn't Bob look dapper?

About 3 or 4 years ago Carla finally told me what she wanted for her jacket.  I have to go back a little farther to say that several years before, I made myself a teal colored wool jacket embroidered with colorful Jacobean flowers.

My jacket is made from 100% wool I had for my tailoring class in college!  I kept it all those years!

The back and sleeves of my wool jacket.

Then I made Marianne a fleece lined denim jacket with snowflakes on it.  After that Carla and I bought the material for her jacket and decided to think about what to put on it and the style.

The first jacket I made for Marianne using a sweatshirt for fleece lining and denim.

I used snowflake patterns and made up the border.

 Next Marianne called to see if I could make her another quick fleece lined denim jacket with lots of glitz, flowers and fringe, so I did.  Also during the last 5 or 6 years I embroidered pants for Kim and JJ plus a lot of gifts and stuff for my business.

Lots of fringe and crystals on this quilted jacket.

Marianne models the front of her glitzy jacket.

Finally about 2 years ago Carla decided she wanted me to Sashiko the jacket and have cherry blossoms on it.  We got a kind of fitted pattern which I had to adjust to fit her.  I made a muslin jacket and we fitted it to work for her.  I had to make a lot of changes in the pattern in order to Sashiko each piece with the lining, embroider the blossoms, and then sew it together and try to make it so the seams didn't show.

A closer look at the Sashiko pattern on the back.

A closer look at the Sashiko Quilting and the buttons.  Also a look at the cherry blossoms.

It took a lot of doing but I finally got the basic bodice and back parts together and about a year ago she finally got to try it on.  It was a total disaster!  Way too big and very funky looking through the front bodice part.

I decided I had to tear it all apart, and recut the embroidered pieces.  I did get it torn apart but then I was so discouraged and needed to "think about it" for awhile, that I put it away and didn't look at it.  Last summer I finally got it out and just decided to cut out the pattern exactly like the company made it and let the chips fall where they would!  I got it cut out and then my machine broke down and all fall I had problems with it so didn't do any more on it.

This winter when we had to leave the cabin I insisted on bringing my machine with me so I would have something to do while in Casper.  I finally got out the jacket and went to work sewing it back together.  Holding our breaths, Carla tried on the bodice part again.  It fit almost perfectly!!!  At that time we also decided it needed more cherry blossoms so I spent a couple days adding more and then the final fitting test came.

  I had to recut the sleeves, put on all the flounces, bind the front edges, and finally add the sleeves.  Oh, and refinish every seam on the jacket so it wouldn't show!  Carla tried it on and voila!  It fit with just one minor adjustment!  Now to make buttonholes sew on the buttons and figure out how to finish the armseyes (sleeve hole seams).  I think Carla may have a spring jacket very soon!

The back of Carla's jacket shows off  two types of Sashiko.

The front of the jacket.

 A few hours later and the jacket is done!  Carla is planning to wear it out to dinner tonight so I will take pictures.

Carla shows off her new jacket for us.

Lookin' good, Carla.