Bettie Bomber class – week four

Marilyn returns this week to share her experience with the final Bettie Bomber class session! New to this class series? Catch up on week one and weeks two & three!

Unfortunately, I missed the last week of class, but the rest of the students got a lot done! They learned how to modify their jacket fronts for snaps and how to use our big snap press at Nancy’s. The attached their ribbed waistband and tab and ribbed collar.

Here is June, another student in the class, in her completed Bettie Bomber!

Jacque always sews garments along with the class, as a way to demonstrate techniques. This session she sewed two beautiful, and very different bomber jackets. She started sewing a jacket of a cotton knit in an open leaf pattern with an underlining of cotton voile.

The kangaroo pocket that she taught the class looks great on this lacy knit.

Jacque also made an elegant black bomber out of silk and embossed lambskin. She was inspired by the beautiful geometric silk jacquard that was given to Nancy’s by Sharon Henry, an amazing Seattle area seamstress and long time customer who recently had to give up sewing. We’re happy that her gift can keep inspiring students in Jacque’s classes.

I ran into Jacque later in the week and got an update on how the class finished up as well as some tips for finishing my own jacket. We quickly went through the order of construction for my jacket. Jacque provides a thoughtful, efficient sequence of steps for every garment class that she teaches. Her order of construction always makes a lot more sense to me than the instructions that come with the pattern.  Armed with her construction sequence and what I learned in the first three classes I felt ready to start sewing my own jacket.

Now, my own bomber jacket is underway. The Italian cotton is a dream to sew & presses beautifully. So far my plaids are matching and my topstitching is even.  Like many sewers, I dread making welt pockets and was looking forward to learning Jacque’s method for making welt pockets. Since I missed the last class – I didn’t get any tips from Jacque and had to use my tried and true method for welt pockets.

I have managed to make nice welt pockets several times by using a method that I read about in Threads Magazine. The article is No Fear Welt Pockets, by Ann Steeves in the January 2006 issue. If you don’t have access to old Threads magazines, the author has a good description on her blog. I have modified Steeves’s techniques and made my pockets a little differently than the article describes. I used ¾ inch drafting tape to mark my pockets instead of marking on the pocket interfacing; it makes a good guide and pulls off the fabric without causing damage. You can see a pocket opening ready to be sewn on the left and the back of a finished pocket opening on the right in this picture.

I also used wonder tape instead of hand basting to place my welts into the opening. My pockets turned out pretty well!

I will post a picture of my jacket when it is complete, but that may take a while. I took the beginning embroidery class at Nancy’s and I now see opportunities for embroidery everywhere. I have decided add an embroidered nosegay to the front of my jacket so construction is on hold until I get that done.

Thanks so much Marilyn! I look forward to seeing your finished jacket, especially the embroidery!

Bettie Bomber jacket class – week one

Remember our post about the Bettie Bomber jacket? I am very excited because Marilyn, one of our Nancy’s employees, is taking the class with Jacque Goldsmith and will be sharing her experiences with us! Take it away, Marilyn!

Inspirational samples made by Jacque Goldsmith

I have wanted to take this class for a long time! I like the look of bomber jackets, but I think they can be unflattering if the fit isn’t right.  One of the cool things about the classes Jacque teaches at Nancy’s is she makes up muslins in all the different sizes so students come away with a great fitting garment. Since Jacque has made up the jacket in every size, I can find the right size quickly and then alter my pattern for the best fit. It is a huge time-saver to work from her muslins and go straight to altering the pattern and cutting out your own customized version.

In the first class, Jacque talked about fabric selection and the difficulty of finding ribbing. She explained how to use different knits for ribbing and make adjustments to the waistband and cuffs to accommodate fabrics with more or less stretch. Jacque had lots of example jackets, ranging from lace to appliqued mesh to one made of repurposed embroidered leather with heavy wool knit sleeves.

I brought in a few fabrics to show Jacque, and together we decided on an Italian cotton bottom weight in a dark navy plaid. It is one of a group of Italian mill ends that Nancy’s purchased for Sew Expo in early March. There was only one piece of my fabric, but there are still lots of beautiful Italian cotton options  available; it is lovely fabric and only $12.50 per yard!

The Folkwear Varsity Jacket (the pattern used in this class) is a classic style. It is roomy and unisex, so Jacque definitely had some fitting to do for all of us. It is interesting to see how pinning out just an inch of excess fabric can transform the fit of a jacket, and how the same pattern alteration moves up or down, inward or outward, depending on the wearer.

One of the students being fitted.

I shortened my jacket, made a forward shoulder adjustment and took out some of the width down the sleeves and across the back. Because I changed the length of my jacket, I will have to change my welt pockets as well. You can see how Jacque folded and pinned out the excess fabric on the muslin that I tried on.

You can really tell this is a unisex style – the pinned fold on my jacket body accounts for nearly 3″ of length!

I measured all of the changes and transferred them to my pattern during class. It helps so much to have Jacque there to answer questions while you are altering your pattern.  Everyone’s changes are a little different and though I have altered a lot of patterns, I always learn something new and usually get stuck at some point!

Some students got a start on cutting out their jackets. Our jackets are going to to be a diverse group, from sequins to floral-print rayon to my Italian cotton – it is going to be fun to see how the pattern looks in such different materials. I cut mine out at home; you can see how my pattern has been folded and taped, ready for cutting out on my dining room table.

Thank you Marilyn! I am looking forward to seeing how this class progresses!

Have a question for Marilyn? Leave it in a comment below!

Dreaming of spring dresses!

The sun has been shining in Seattle and I am dreaming of making a new spring dress! We have so many wonderful new fabrics coming into the shop in sweet prints, cool near-solid textures, and fun colors that it is hard to resist buying them all.

Adding in all the lovely new dress patterns that have been released makes the temptation even greater. There are lots of fabulous styles to explore: vintage-inspired, easy shifts, fit-and-flare, shirt-waist, classic sheaths…and the list goes on!

To celebrate the new season (plus fabrics and patterns), we’ve made up a couple dresses to share.

The first dress is a new pattern from the Lisette capsule collection released by Butterick. It’s a great fit-and-flare style that feels both modern and retro at the same time.

The original dress pattern doesn’t have ties, but we elected to add the sash from the pattern’s tunic style.

We made it up in a sweet cotton lawn print and added a vintage glass buckle for the perfect finish.

The bodice has a beautiful cross-front detail and triangular cut-out at the neckline for a sweet hint of skin.

Our second dress is a new pattern from McCall’s. It has a great casual feel to it: an easy fit bodice with button details and dolman sleeves, plus a tiered skirt for a little fun.

We’ve added a sash at the waist for a bit of definition, but think this would be so sweet with a contrast belt!

We made this pattern up in a classic polka-dotted silk crepep-de-chine, for a touch of elegance.

Pairing a simple print with these fun style lines just makes this dress sing.

Inspired by all the cool fabrics coming into our shop and all the beautiful options on the runway and in stores, I have put together several collections of spring dress style:

Black and White Spring Dresses by nancyssewingbasket featuring a black zipper dress

Neutral Spring Dresses by nancyssewingbasket featuring a fit & flare dress

Easy-going Floral Dresses by nancyssewingbasket featuring a sequin dress

Not-Quite Solid Dresses by nancyssewingbasket featuring summer shift dresses

‘Blue Period’ Dresses by nancyssewingbasket featuring plus size floral dresses

‘Rose Period’ Dresses by nancyssewingbasket featuring evening dresses

Do you have a favorite style of dress to make? Tell us about it in the comments!

A new spring jacket – the Bettie Bomber

Hooray! Spring has finally sprung! Or at the very least, the vernal equinox has passed 😉

We are excited because a new season means it’s time to start trading out our wardrobes. This year, we are particularly eager to make a new spring jacket that updates a classic style: the bomber. We think it is the perfect cute, casual addition to any wardrobe.

Luckily for us, our awesome teacher Jacque Goldsmith agreed to teach a class in making bomber jackets. We present to you the Bettie Bomber (shown here over the wonderful ESP dress):

This bomber is cute, casual spring style at its finest!

It’s even adorable from the side!

Our next class session starts next Tuesday, March 31 at 5:30pm and there are only TWO seats left! If you are interested in signing up, please give us a call at the shop!

Inspired by all the cool options on the runway and in stores, we have put together several inspiration boards:

Sheer Spring Bomber Jackets by nancyssewingbasket featuring a green jacket

Textured Soft Neutrals Spring Bomber Jackets by nancyssewingbasket featuring a bomber jacket

Black and White Spring Bomber Jackets by nancyssewingbasket featuring a bomber jacket

Printed & Saturated Spring Bomber Jackets by nancyssewingbasket featuring an orange jacket

As you can see, this style is very versatile! We think the Bettie Bomber would look great made up in a white eyelet with pop color underlining, a printed silk chiffon, or a beautiful linen with contrast ribbing! How would you make this jacket?