The Monthly Stitch has an amnesty running this month for those of us who wanted to join in with a challenge, but either ran out of time or steam! August is a rubbish month for me to sew in, it’s summer, school holidays, we go away for a bit & the other half takes time off to relax too. I got some things done, but not the “Sewing Cake” challenge. Now as I read it, “cake” in the sewing world is the stuff you don’t necessarily need in your wardrobe, but is is most certaily the pretty stuff you want! Scratch that, that definition belongs to frosting! Trust me to get it all wrong! 🙂 Just goes to show there’s always something new to learn. So, cake is normal stuff, everyday sewing, and the stuff you want but don’t need is the frosting. What have I made then, cake or frosting?
On re-reading the “blurb” for August’s challenge I realise I can make whatever I like, as long as proper cake is involved somewhere, either as a print on the item, or as something to eat! I’m off then to make something cake-y & will photograph Daughter No2 with it just as soon as she’s home from school later. In the mean time, I think we need a new definition, cake is fancy, yummy & not somehting you should be sewing (eating) everyday! Or is the every-day sewing stuff really bread?
I’d bought 1.5m of pale blue cotton chino twill from Croft Mill Fabric last year, with the intention of making a pair of trousers. Needless to say that didn’t happen, then we got the Papercut Bellatrix pattern and all thoughts of trousers went out of the window. Daughter No2 has 5 of these already, so did she really need another? No. But she wanted one! Therefore, this Bellatrix Blazer is most definitely cake! It’s also the first Bellatrix I’ve made since the Paris print one where I haven’t had to squish in the pattern pieces.
I lined the jacket with some blue floral print cotton lawn I’d bought from the Remnants House in Bude whilst on holiday last year. I’d grabbed it, then afterwards decided the print was too busy for me, so it languished in the stash. I tried to sell it to someone who’d love it more, but that failed. When the decision was taken to get on with the Bellatrix, I knew what the lining would be! Of course there is loads left over, but one of my students kindly agreed to take it off my hands to make a skirt. The sleeves were going to be lined with white haboutai, but when I went digging in the linings box I couldn’t for the life of me find it! oops.. Instead I used a bit of lilac lining left over from goodness knows what. It works really well with the pale blue & the print of the lining. Job well done, I’ve used all stash materials!
Once cut out and interfaced this jacket is quick to go together, after making 5 already, I should hope it would! I do think that this one needs some closure though. At the moment Daughter No2 is too busy wearing it for me to add something to it, but I did get some interesting closures for an edge-to-edge finish from John Lewis a while ago, so perhaps I’ll be adding those. All in all a successful project and one I could get done quickly to get me back into the swing of things.
Daughter No1 pinned a black lace skirt to her Pinterest board for me to look at, found here. Would you know, I have black lace (albeit without a scalloped edge) from Kat from the Stash Swap last year, and black satin in the silks box, so I really should be getting on with that. She also wants the Day to Night top from Maria Denmark so I need to check the jersey stash to see if I have the right stuff. I’m determined to make decent inroads into the stash, but there’s so much loverly new fabric coming into the shops right now… I must resist.
Don’t forget the By Hand London pattern giveaway – you have until Friday midnight GMT to add your creative reasons as to why you should win either the Anna or Elisalex pattern.
I’ll leave you with Daughter No2’s model pose…
THE COMPULSIVE SEAMSTRESS 
Daughter No2 looks very pretty and you are inspiring me to get the Bellatrix pattern as I think it’s such a lovely shape!
Thanks! It is a great pattern, my favourite version is this cropped one, go for it!
Reblogged this on The Monthly Stitch.
Wow fantastic job, it looks great on you and the lining is so pretty.
Thank you! 🙂
August is holiday time! A good time to recharge the creative batteries! I love the proportions of this outfit…the cropped jacket is perfect with the patterned cropped skinnies. I love the fabrics and prints that you’ve used. Not too matchy, just nicely complimenting each other. The jacket lining deserves special mention…nothing better than a sweet surprise when you take a jacket off at a restaurant! I usually line my sleeves with bemberg to make the on/off easier. Do you do the same?
Thanks, yes, I always make sure the sleeves are of “something slippy”, otherwise you end up with whatever you’re wearing under the jacket bunched up in your armhole, not a good look & thoroughly uncomfortable too! 🙂
Thank you Sue, for your comment, and you, Anne, for “causing” it! (Agree that lining is lovely with that blue!) I hadn’t thought constructiojn through yet… not having lined a jacket (or sleeves!) in ages. But having thoughts of such for the upcoming colder season makes this te right thing at the right time.
Hats/fascinators off to you both!
xx
This one lines quite easily Del, it’s bagged & the instructions are a breeze, so even if you haven’t lined a jacket in ages you’ll get this done easily.
Wow your daughters are so lucky you sew for them! Are you teaching them how to sew? That jacket is such a pretty colour, and made to perfection as usual.
Thanks! 🙂 Daughter No2 sews a bit, she hasn’t much time though as she’s in her final year of high school & the homework & extra-curricular tmetable is pretty full. Daughter No1 just puts in the orders.. 🙂
That jacket is gorgeous and goes beautifully with the trousers. The Bellatrix is cake for me too because I want it but certainly don’t need it.
I’m with you on how weird it is to call everyday sewing cake, but I guess that is in contrast to frosting. I’m more of a pasta sewing (and eating) girl, myself.
That blue is a perfect colour on Daughter no.2!
Haha, thanks Oanh! 🙂 Yeah, pasta or bread is the normal, run-of-the-mill sewing! She’s worn that jacket to school every day this week.. I think she likes it! 🙂
Thanks to you, I completed my first Bellatrix this weekend! Hopefully, I’ll get some pictures up soon. Another great version!
Well done! 🙂 and thank you!
The blazer is beautiful! I wear blazers all the time and this seems like a great pattern. I’ll have to remember it for later… 🙂
And another one, which is as gorgeous as all the previous ones, if I hadn’t seen your Bellatrix(es) I would have never bought that pattern! No wonder your daughter is too busy wearing it. 🙂
I love the clothes you’ve been making for your daughter. I may break my pattern fast and purchase the Bellatrix. Papercut papers are great.