A New Robe

 Hello Readers. Spring is here and I don't need to bundle up to survive the winter cold anymore. It is time to lighten up. I wanted a new robe that was lighter weight. I used the "Bog" coat pattern by TheSewSew. (Etsy Link here.) and modified it to make a robe for myself. 

 

Lighter weight robe for spring.

 

I decided to use this fabric with a leaf design. I had this in my fabric stash and I like to use what I have.  I have used it before and it washes so well. I know it will be a good choice. And leaves for spring seems like a good idea. 

I spread the fabric out to make sure it was large enough for my robe. I folded the top of the fabric down, that is how you make the sleeves for the Bog pattern. I love how this pattern uses as much of the fabric as possible. It is very minimal waste.

After I cut the sleeves, I folded the body in. It is starting to look a little like a robe already.

I cut out the neckline. I didn't follow the pattern for this. I started using my imagination for this part. I wanted a V-neck shape. 

 

I sewed the sleeves together.

 

I stopped for a cup of tea.
 

I made my front pieces a little wider than the pattern called for. I wanted the front to overlap so I made sure there was some extra fabric. 

I cut the top corners of the front panels at an angle so they would blend into the neckline.

 

I had a small amount of this "bee" fabric and that seemed great for spring too. Bees in spring? That sound perfect. It has a pretty sheen that will make pretty trim.

 

I cut and sewed this fabric into thin strips that I could use as trim on the front of the robe and the belt. 

 

I wanted the trim on the front and around neckline. 

 

This was a lumpy mess. I liked the trim color a lot so I headed to the ironing board. 

It looked so much better when it was ironed. I made the sleeves 3/4 length. I liked the end result. 

 

I added pockets from the scraps I had left. I didn't have a lot of choice about what they looked like. I was just using the fabric I had. 

 

 Was this robe soft and cozy but not too warm? Yes. It was perfect. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.  

***Year End Update***- This robe gets worn so much, it's almost daily.

 

 

 

 

 

Jacket From a Quilt

 Hello Readers. I made a jacket from a quilt to match the skirt I made from the quilt last week. I liked the skirt but I thought the skirt needed a matching top. 

Before and after, and after.

It all started with this quilt. I thought it was pretty and would be great for upcycling into clothing. It wasn't hand-made or any family heirloom.

I made a simple skirt and didn't feel like it was great on it's own. I wanted to have a matching top. The quilt would be too thick as a shirt so I made a jacket.

I used the Bog pattern by The Sew and Sew. I already made one jacket using this pattern and I knew it would be a good one for this quilt.

This was the initial version. I sewed this up and realized it was longer than I wanted. The skirt I made would look better with a cropped jacket.

I cut the jacket shorter and added a zipper in the front. 

My new cropped quilt jacket was ready.

A quilted suit? Sure, why not. Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- These 2 pieces work really well together. The colors are so pretty too. The quilt was a little heavy and stiff so it isn't soft but it is warm.

The Bog Jacket Pattern Review

 Hello Readers. I saw the minimal waste "Bog" pattern online and thought it would be great for some quilted fabric I had. I got the fabric from my mother in law when she cleaned out and down-sized. It was heavy weight fabric and I think she was going to make a bag, more on that later. Let's talk about the pattern.

 I made the shorter length Bog Jacket and I hacked the pattern quite a bit.

The fabric was in my closet for quite a while. I knew it was pricey and the gold side is silk. There is also batting layer and a cotton lining inside.

When I really looked at all the fabric I had I realized it was 2 pieces of fabric and 2 handles. My mother-in-law must have been planning to make a bag with this fabric to go with the handles she put together. I don't know how she made the handles, I didn't want to take them apart to see how they were made. What if I couldn't recreate them again? I thought it was better not to mess with them.

This is a look at the reverse side of my fabric. I went to ETSY.com and found The_Sew_Sew to buy the "Bog" pattern. It is a pdf pattern that you print out at home. Sometimes these can be difficult but this was easy. I started measuring and figured out a way to make the top of the jacket from one of my pieces. 

 

 The jacket is a little big and boxy so I was able to cut the size down an inch or so where my fabric was too small. My sleeves are tapered and there is going to be a extra seam around the middle of my jacket that wouldn't be there if you used one big piece of fabric as directed. 

 

I always try things on in the middle of sewing to make sure I am on the right track.

 

Video summary of my plan.

 

I added a rectangular piece to the jacket to add length. I added the length I had available and hoped it would be a good length on me when it was done.

 

The pattern calls for bias tape to finish the cut edges. I wasn't going to find any that match this color and I couldn't make any because I was running very low on fabric. I thought for a while and decided I would try to skip bias tape if I could. I made this little piece to finish the neck line. 

I pinned the piece around the neck and sewed it in place. 

 

I ironed it flat and there was just enough to get the neckline done. 

 

 I was able to turn the sleeves under and stitch them down so I didn't need bias tape here either. At this point I was waiting for the zipper to be delivered and I had to take a break for a week or so. 

 

My zipper came in the mail. I waited because I really wanted this brass zipper. I thought the brass was great with the gold color of the jacket. The zipper would finish the jacket front and keep it closed too. I turned the bottom edge under and stitched it down. Then I attached the zipper.

I used a serger to control fraying and attach the zipper. I stitched with the teeth of the zipper turned out and then turned the teeth in when I was done.

The pattern called for the head hole to be cut out in one oval piece. I was supposed to use bias tape to finish it and then attach it as a pocket. (It was really cute and minimal waste all at the same time.) I wanted to do something else. I really wanted a pocket that could fit my phone. I made these 2 rectangles into 2 pockets for the front of my jacket. 

I folded the top of the pocket under and stitched it down. I ironed the edges on the sides and bottom under. Once the jacket was hemmed and finished I could figure out where to put the pockets.

I used a straight stitch to attach the pockets to the jacket. My jacket was done and I loved it. 

I did a phone test. The size was perfect. Now, about those bag handles. 

My mother-in-law did some work to make these so I AM going to honor that by using them as best I can. But I am really low on fabric now. 

Here is a quick overview of the bag. I had one strip of fabric left from the jacket. The bag went together easily.

I stitched it all together with my serger but I also reinforced the top corners with my sewing machine and that was it. 

My bag was done and ready to go out with my new jacket. 

Thanks for reading along, now go make something fun for yourself.

***Year End Update- I wear this coat all the time. It is light weight so I like how it looks and feels.