Clothes With Friends

I might have made a jacket for one specific patch. Is that ridiculous? Maybe, but I think it was worth it! Thijs embroidered a bat patch for my birthday, and I didn't really have a jacket to put it on. Things clicked when I found a heavy dark green denim at Pauli, and I decided to make the Hampton Jean Jacket again, but for myself!

I had made this jacket once before for an art show, but never really wore it. It was made as an art piece so I don't really consider it clothing, if that makes sense? Also, it's not really my colour. (Should I put it up for sale? Let me know if you're interested)

I did like the fit of that first version, so didn't make any changes to the pattern, apart from enlarging the front pockets. The ones on the original pattern are only just big enough to fit my hands into, and I felt like I needed more room for them to be useful. Giant hands strike again!

I really like how this pattern comes together. The instructions are very clear, especially with the sewalong to help you through the trickier bits! I used a triple stitch instead of topstitching thread for the topstitching, and almost ran out of thread. There is a LOT of topstitching in there, so make sure you're well-stocked if you plan on making this.

This denim is 100% cotton and quite thick, so some of the bulkier parts were a bit of a struggle. I managed to get through this project without breaking a single needle though! The standard presser foot on my machine has a really handy button that keeps it level when you start on a bulky seam, which was really helpful as well. I find sewing denim to be really satisfying, because the fabric itself isn't that hard to handle (no shifting!) it's just a bit bulky and heavy. 

Apart from the bat I got for my birthday (thanks again Thijs!) I also added a few patches I'd collected on our roadtrip through the US last September. They had been lying around for a while and all kind of magically went with this jacket. I put this whole thing together over the span of a few days, and finished it in time to take to the Paris Sewcial! 

I had a really really fun weekend in Paris. There wasn't that much fabric shopping for me (apart from something at Malhia Kent I just couldn't let get away) but I met up with Brecht one evening and he very kindly gifted me some pieces of fabric he's once designed for a clothing label. One of them was this poly charmeuse type stuff, and it was just big enough for an Ogden cami!

I've made the Ogden more times than I can count. It's a perfect stashbuster: if I cut the lining parts out of another fabric it only takes around 60 cm. I tried to use some nicer seam finishes on this since the fabric tends to fray a bit: the side seams are french seamed and I tried my best to do a decent narrow hem.

The real star of this top is obviously the print! I love Brecht's work, and I'm thrilled to have it in my wardrobe now. The other piece of fabric is a beautiful jacquard. There's quite a lot of it, so I'll have to do some careful thinking about what to use it for!