Jackets need pockets! Use the selvedge for a clever detail

Need pockets? You bet! Pants, jackets, skirts, shorts... they all need pockets. If these wardrobe pieces don't have them, they get added.

Make Nine cotton/linen jacket with a patch pocket

This cotton/linen jacket is one of my Make Nine 2023 projects. It was finished just in the nick-o'-time to wear at a business conference at the end of October, but I didn't have time to add a pocket.

Incorporate an interesting selvedge on your pocket

Fabric selvedges these days are decorative as well as functional and informative. Many printed fabrics—especially in the quilting industry—have information such as the fabric collection and designer's names printed on the selvedge in addition to the classic "color dot" registration marks. The typefaces used often reflect the theme or aesthetic of the printed design, as well.

Closeup of information on the selvedge.

For this patch pocket, I used an offcut piece of the fabric from the jacket. It was serendipitous that this scrap had a selvedge and the printing—the fabric line and designer name—on it. 

Trimming the scrap into a long rectangle, I folded it nearly in half, sewed the sides, turned it to the right side, and flipped the selvedge edge over at the top of the pocket. The hand embroidery secured the flap to the body of the pocket and the perle cotton thread color echoed the colors of the jacket lining. 

A few weeks ago, the pocket came on the road to West Virginia with me as my "hand work" project. It's now [hand] sewn on the jacket's inside.

Patch pocket attached by hand to the inside of the jacket.

Even though the pocket can't be seen on the outside, it has fun details!

Reflecting on my Me-Made-May wardrobe

Now that the calendar page has turned from May to June, I'm doing a brief assessment of my participation in the Me Made May Challenge 2019. [#MeMadeMay]

Patchwork jacket with yarn-dyed textured wovens from Diamond Textiles.

Jackets
High on the list of accomplishments in May was making and wearing this patchwork jacket—my new favorite jacket—and also a piece on my MakeNine list. Started in 2018, this one took the longest to complete and, as with most jackets, it had many hand finishing details: button loops, buttons, burying thread tails and hand sewing hems, facings and bias bindings. It also has an inside pocket that was hand sewn into place. But it was worth all the effort! I'm extremely pleased with how it turned out.

This jacket was completed in time to wear in the Diamond Textiles booth at Spring Quilt Market. Yarn-dyed textured wovens are all the rage lately, so it was fun and appropriate to show and wear this jacket. A well-attended schoolhouse session with Linda Lee about using textured wovens for garments, as well as in quilts, reinforced the versatility of these beautiful fabrics.

Knit Tops
I make and wear a lot of cotton knit tops, both long sleeve and short. They are all made from cotton knit fabric from Art Gallery Fabrics. Art Gallery has at least a gazillion different knits—different designs, colors and also solids. You could make a different one for every day of the year!

The fabric is 95% cotton jersey and 5% spandex, so it washes and sews easily while maintaining shape and stability. My knit tops are soft, comfy, easy-care garments that are great for travel. 

Short sleeve knit top. Fabric from Art Gallery Fabrics.

I have several print and solid Art Gallery knit tops that I coordinate with MeMade jackets or wear by themselves. The versatility of layering is great for unpredictable weather and travel.

Short sleeve knit top (front) coordinates with a Primitive Stars jacket.

Here is one of my long sleeve knit tops that I worn with a MeMade knit vest in early May, when the weather was still cool. The Lolita vest is another of my MakeNine projects.

Lolita knit vest paired with a cotton long sleeve knit top.

Woven Tops

I've made 4 Siena Shirts so far and I'm sure there will be more! I know how this top fits and it gets quicker to make each time because I am familiar with the construction. The Siena and Cortona Shirt pattern is from The Sewing Workshop. My shirts are made from 100% cotton woven fabrics and I'm getting my money's worth with this pattern!

Siena Shirt #1. Fabrics from M&S Textiles Australia.

I have worn each of my Siena Shirts a few times throughout May. Pictured here are various versions using several fabrics.

• Siena Shirt #1 (above): cotton fabrics from M&S Textiles Australia.
• Siena Shirt #4 (below left) is made with an Australian aboriginal print M&S Textiles Australia paired with a yarn-dyed woven called Tweed Thicket from Diamond Textiles. 
• Siena Shirt #2 (below right) uses more Australian aboriginal fabrics from M&S Textiles.

Left: Australian aboriginal print from M&S Textiles and Tweed Thicket from Diamond Textiles.
Right: Two complimentary prints from M&S Textiles.

Siena Shirt #3 is made with Stonehenge fabrics from Northcott. More details on the hand stitching embellishments can be found in this blog post.

Siena Shirt #3 made with Stonehenge fabrics from Northcott.

Another Sewing Workshop pattern I like is the Nine Lives Vest. I wore this top at Quilt Market and it's made with a pintuck fabric from Diamond Textiles.

Nine Lives Vest from The Sewing Workshop.
Pintuck fabric from Diamond Textiles.

Other MeMadeMay tops were:

• Wiksten Top (left): uses Tweed Thicket from Diamond Textiles.
• Collins Top from In the Folds: uses Nikko Geo 4708 from Diamond Textiles.

I got both of these patterns from TopStitch Studio and Lounge Atlanta.

Wiksten Top (left) made in Tweed Thicket from Diamond Textiles.
Collins Top from In the Folds in Nikko Geo 4708 from Diamond Textiles.

Jackets

This is another well-loved jacket that I made in 2017. I wore it a few times for MeMadeMay and at Quilt Market. Fabrics are from Diamond Textiles.

• Primitive Stars yarn-dyed woven.
• Ikat
• miscellaneous cotton prints for patches on the back.

Primitive Stars jacket.

This jacket is made from the same Raggy Jacket pattern as the patchwork jacket above [Raggy Jacket from Four Corners Designs]. This version has kantha hand stitching on the back. Details about the hand stitching can be found in this blog post.

Kantha stitching and applique patches on jacket back.
See more details in this blog post.

My Me-Made Wardrobe Assessment
You may have heard the latest terminology for the go-to basics you continually reach for from your closet: "core wardrobe" and "uniform" pieces. In reflecting on this month of "Me Made May," I've concluded I'm all about comfort, versatility and functional garments, and my wardrobe and garment sewing endeavors reflect that.

• The cotton fabrics—knits and wovens—are easy care, breathable and easy to sew/stitch.
• I re-use my patterns. Once the garment patterns are fitted to my body, style and comfort, the garment construction process gets easier and quicker with each make. There is minimal learning curve with "familiar" patterns.
• Layering and versatility of individual pieces is important to me. It's imperative for my travel job.
• Infusing creativity. Even though I use the same pattern multiple times, the choice of fabric, color, threads, embellishments and details will make each garment interesting—to make and to wear.

Did you participate in Me Made May 2019? What did you learn about your wardrobe of your sewing practices? Leave a comment and share what you discovered.

2018 year-end review

Sometimes you feel time gets away from you and you didn't accomplish nearly what you wanted. Looking back through my photos of 2018, I found I accomplished quite a lot—much more than I thought... or remembered. Although I know I have numerous WIPs [work-in-progress]—note: I'm not calling them UFOs, unfinished objects—I'm pleased to say I had quite a few good finishes in 2018!

My 2018 finishes: garments and quilts.

Top Row (left to right):

• Ikat jacket: fabrics are yarn-dyed wovens and beautiful ikat from Diamond Textiles. The jacket is quilted and lined.
• Using the Scrap Crazy ruler, I made this little quilt from Lewis & Irene fabrics in time for a visit from Ben Taphouse back in March.
• My "Oh My Stars" Choo Choo Quilters Challenge quilt. English paper pieced stars using Australian Aboriginal fabrics from M&S Textiles Australia. Free-motion quilted.

Middle Row:

• Long-sleeve knit tops: I made two this year with knits from Art Gallery Fabrics.
• This is my intro photo for the September Textile Love program. I met a lot of fabulous and talented textile artists through this participation on Instagram.
• Cuddle Quilts: I made 3 for the Choo Choo Quilters community service project. This one is an improv quilt. I also quilted one for a fellow member.

Bottom Row:

• Patchwork T-shirt: Tried patchwork using knit fabrics. Much fun!
• Siena Shirt: I've made two tops from this pattern from The Sewing Workshop. Also two pairs of the Valencia pants with a pattern hack of adding lined patch pockets.
• 9 Lives top: another great pattern from The Sewing Workshop and and a fast make. I've made two tops from this pattern. Fabric shown here is a navy pintuck from Diamond Textiles with a batik collar from Majestic Batiks.

I hope your 2018 was productive and you enjoyed every stitch!

2017 year-end review

So long, 2017! It was a busy year with ups and downs and lots of miles in between. My pile of "finishes" is not as extensive as in previous years (or as I would like), but there are a few completed projects for which I am proud and several wonderful experiences in which I'm happy to have taken part. Here's a photo montage and a recap.

2017 accomplishments (from top left): Ikat Jacket, knit top, vintage and yarn-dyed mix jacket,
Art Weave class, free-motion embroidery, Blue Violets Art Weave sample,
Cargo Duffle, improv pieced mug rug, Cargo Duffle briefcase.

A jacket inspired by vintage textiles.

Garments and Artwear
My enthusiasm for garment sewing and creating artwear pieces has been renewed—due in large part to the fabric companies I represent that offer fabulous, high quality woven and knit fabrics that are great for sewing clothing as well as quiltmaking. When ya work with "the good stuff," you're more inspired, the projects come out so much better, they wash and wear well, and the "making process" is waaaay more enjoyable.

Oh... and you don't look like the run-of-the-mill chain store Jo (or Joe). We're all different and unique! Let's not dress like twinsies.

I made two jackets this year that I am pleased with the results. I get lots of compliments on them, too. Each one coincided with an industry trade show (Spring and Fall Quilt Markets) and feature the luscious yarn-dyed wovens from Diamond Textiles. No doubt it was a firm deadline that facilitated these projects into the "completed" column. "There's nothing like a deadline to get one motivated," as the saying goes. I also have a selection of knit tops—short and long sleeves—made with Art Gallery knits.

Ikat jacket with Primitive Stars fabric.

Vintage Inspiration and Collaboration with Anonymous
In the Spring of 2017, my quilt guilds brought author and award-winning quiltmaker, Mary Kerr, to Chattanooga for workshops and a lecture. Mary has written books about incorporating vintage textiles and antique quilt blocks into new quilts. The collar on the white jacket (shown above) and this Vintage Wonky Star quilt top (below) were the results of Mary's visit. It was fun to collaborate with the anonymous quilters who made and left behind the original quilt blocks.

Vintage Churn Dash quilt blocks made into A Wonky Star.
An unquilted quilt top made in a workshop with Mary Kerr.

Machine quilting and stitching
I expanded my free-motion quilting to include a new substrate—canvas. I used the Cargo Duffle pattern (with mods) from Noodlehead to construct two zippered bags. I rep two companies—Alexander Henry and Art Gallery Fabrics—that offer cotton canvas fabrics.

Variation of Cargo Duffle with canvas fabric from Alexander Henry Fabrics.
Stripe fabric from Diamond Textiles.

The variegated 50 wt. cotton thread [Tutti from WonderFil Specialty Threads] is still one of my favorites. The contrast striped fabric is one of the World Fabrics from Diamond Textiles.

Free-motion machine quilting on canvas with variegated thread.
Canvas: Alexander Henry fabrics, Thread: WonderFil Tutti 50 wt.

WonderFil's 12wt. cotton thread [Spaghetti] prompted experimentation with machine decorative stitches. The 4-patch blocks are made with the versatile yarn-dyed wovens from Diamond Textiles that were also used in my jackets.  

Decorative machine stitching with 12 wt. thread [WonderFil Threads]
on yarn-dyed textured wovens by Diamond Textiles.

Hand Stitching
Inspired by a studio intensive workshop with Dorothy Caldwell, my take-along travel projects now involve hand stitching.

Kantha stitched cover for Mark Making book from Dorothy Caldwell workshop.

Although the stitching on my patriotic girl is now complete, I haven't decided if this piece will become a pillow or a small quilt.

Hand embroidery with ArtPlay Stitcheries from ADORNit. 

The background of the embroidery is filled with kantha stitching.
The base fabric: yarn-dyed woven from Diamond Textiles.

Quilting for Charity

I was able to make a few kitty quilts for the kitties at The Cat Clinic. Making these and bringing them to the Clinic warms my heart. The quilts are always appreciated—by the staff and the cats.

Jesse inspects the kitty quilts donated to the kitties at the Cat Clinic. 

Both of my quilt guilds were generous with their time and resources in 2017. I don't think I completed any cuddle quilts all myself, but I donated a bag of fabric swatches to my quilt guild for a year of "Make Do" and improvisational patchwork. The swatches found their way into quilt blocks I pieced and several charity quilts our guild members worked on together. 

Cuddle quilts quilted at the Choo Choo Quilters annual workshop.

At our annual Cuddle Quilt workshop, I was able to free-motion quilt 5 cuddle quilts, so I was part of the team effort. I supported the other guild with a quilt top for a Re-mix Exercise. This quilt will be donated to Chattanooga's Habitat for Humanity organization. The finished quilt can be seen here.

Inspiration, Encouragement and Support

As makers and artists, we don't do our craft alone. We're influenced by the art and artists of both the past and present. And... if we're lucky enough, we can meet, learn from and work with today's talented artists and entrepreneurs that strive to bring their best work into the world... so we can make and do our best work. Here are just a few of them...

From top left, Row 1: Larry, my personal cheerleader and indefatigable supporter;
Leesa Chandler from The Textile Pantry; Rohni Sandu from Diamond Textiles.
Row 2: Me and Mary W. Kerr; representing all shop owners is Donna Sandidge (right); Patrick Lose and I.
Row 3: woodblock printing artist Hiroki Moriroue; fiber artist Dorothy Caldwell and I;
friends from my quilt guild at our Cuddle Quilt workshop.

I have also had the pleasure of being inspired by the students who attend my classes and my fellow classmates who have been in workshops alongside me. And, it's a pleasure to work with owners and associates of numerous quilt shops and independent sewing centers this past year. These shop owners are some of the hardest working, dedicated, small business people around. Please support them!

From the road.

Follow your passion and work at your craft. Wishing you much creativity and inspiration in 2018. It could be right over the next hill or around the next bend in the road.

Primitive Stars jacket, part two—hand stitching

Detail: running stitch on jacket back.

Did you read Part One about my Primitive Stars ikat Jacket? It was about the machine stitching/quilting part of the jacket-creation process. This post is about the hand stitching—or slooooow stitching—process.

The running stitch

On the front, back and sleeve, this jacket is embellished with a mix of fabric scraps—ikat, yarn-dyed wovens and commercial cotton prints. I was following a color palette and was not concerned with the fabric type. These patches are raw edge and attached with a running stitch by hand. I guess you could identify this technique with any or all of the following terms: boro, kantha, appliqué, or quilting... depending on your point of view. 

For this hand stitching, I used Spaghetti and Fruitti [WonderFil Threads] 12 wt. cotton threads. They come in a broad range of beautiful solid and variegated colors. Thread colors were chosen to complement the color of the fabric patches and the color scheme of the jacket.

Stitching on yarn-dyed fabrics

Hand stitching is a dream with the yarn-dyed wovens! You've gotta try it. Really.

Detail: running stitches with 12 wt. cotton thread from WonderFil Threads,
 ikat, and Primitive Stars yarn-dyed wovens from Diamond Textiles.

The thread color for stitching on the cream-colored ikat is Fruitti FT17, a variegated color story of soft lavender, pale periwinkle and a subtle hint of magenta, called "Mountains." 

Jacket pocket with hand stitched decorative band.

The jacket pocket fabric is from a Riverwoods fabric collection by Janine Burke. Looks like a hand-dyed, doesn't it? It's actually a printed fabric, so it's a "hand-dyed look at an affordable price." Quilters and quilt shops—please ask me about availability of this fabric line.

This shows the hand stitches from the lining (inside). It might look like a lot of stitches, but the process is quiet, rhythmic and relaxing—and a nice break from machine quilting.

Hand stitching on jacket (lining side).

This jacket has two buttons and button loop closures. You can see the streaks of raspberry color in the variegated thread in this photo [YLI 40 wt. cotton, color 15V Vineyard].

Button loop closure.

The sleeve detail—machine and hand stitching. I like the juxtaposition!

Sleeve with ikat fabric patch.

My completed jacket. It's a little boro and a little blue.

Primitive Stars jacket with ikat and slow stitching.

Make a jacket, make a friend

And here I am at the International Quilt Market [wearing my jacket] with Maria Shell, quilt artist and newly-published author with her first book, Improv Patchwork: Dynamic Quilts made with Line and Shape. We met in the Houston airport waiting for the Super Shuttle. We both knew immediately where the other was going (wink, wink). You can usually tell someone's a quilter by the clothes they're wearing. (My ikat jacket was a dead give-away.) We struck up a conversation in the shuttle van and in no time found ourselves at the hotel.

Me with Maria Shell and my autographed copy of
her new book, "Improv Patchwork."

Make yourself an artwear jacket. Patchwork... appliqué... kantha stitching... boro with beautiful threads... whatever techniques and materials satisfy your current afflatus (creative impulse). It will start a conversation and you might make a new friend.

Primitive Stars, ikat and slow stitiching a new jacket

Primitive Stars, ikat jacket (back view).

A jacket—particularly one with a minimal number of seams and pattern pieces—presents a vacant canvas for creative stitching, surface design, and experimenting with patchwork. For fiber artists and garment makers, what better reason is there for pulling out favorite fabrics, threads and treasured scraps and making one?

For my two previous jackets (see this blog post and the photo collage in this post), I used yarn-dyed wovens. These textiles are from Diamond Textiles [don't be fooled by the thinner, copycats] and I am still captivated by the rich, textured designs and the way the threads and stitches present themselves on these fabrics.

My recent jacket finish—just in time for Fall Quilt Market, I might add—combines one of Diamond Textiles' ikats, the blue-grey colorway from the Primitive Stars collection, and a few scraps of yarn-dyed and commercial print fabrics.

Three layers
As with most of my quilted wearables, there are three layers:

• an outside fashion fabric (pieced or wholecloth),
• a middle layer (typically flannel or muslin), 
• a lining fabric, 

... that are stitched—or "quilted"—to hold the layers together. I learned this garment construction method from the Queen of Folk Art, and prolific maker of coats and jackets, Rachel Clark. This jacket has both machine and hand quilting. Here is an in-progress photo of the front right. The "white" fabric you see extending out from the edge of the fashion fabric is the middle layer of the "quilt sandwich."

Jacket front (in progress). The individual jacket pieces are
stitched and quilted and then the jacket is assembled. 

Machine quilting
The photo below is the jacket's outside showing the combination of a straight and decorative machine stitches. This process was manual and random. Sometimes I'd watch the color change in the variegated thread [40wt. from YLI] and switch to the decorative stitch to highlight the new color.

Machine quilting with straight and decorative stitches.

I do not mark the lines for quilting (who's got the time?? not I!). An advantage of using a yarn-dyed fabric is that the pattern or "print" is woven into the fabric and it's on grain. You can use the fabric's "print" as a guide for machine quilting with the walking foot.

Machine quilting (lining side).

When the season turns from summer to fall, think about sewing a jacket to wear in the cooler weather. The Houston convention center for Quilt Market was cool and a few evenings were windy and chilly once the sun went down. I was glad I had a jacket—especially one with a pocket!

Jacket front

Here is the follow-up blog post with close-ups of the hand stitching and other jacket details. Because people ask, here is the materials list for this jacket:

:: Yarn-dyed Primitive Stars blue-greyfabric [Diamond Textiles]
:: Multi-colored ikat [Diamond Textiles]
:: Fabrics from Great Wall collection [Midwest Textiles]
:: hand stitching with 12 wt. cotton Spaghetti and Fruitti thread [WonderFil Threads]
:: 40 wt. cotton variegated thread for machine stitching [YLI Threads]
:: cotton fabric for center layer
:: jacket pattern: "Raggy Jacket" by Four Corners Designs