By 'Popular Demand Jacket' and top…cross dyed linen/rayon
The skirt is 'Relax a Little' . . .both from Cutting Line Design Patterns

 By Popular Demand Jacket…#60565…..synthetic ‘Sherpa’
One-Seam Pants…#331371….synthetic suede.

       
 In the Trenches #10304 Tomato red Linen. ‘Trench’ style top with a second layer yoke, covered button placket, French cuffs, and drawstring waist. Trench coat back detail with inverted pleat and drawstring waist.

          

For downloadable instructions, please e-mail  fabricol@aol.com

By Popular Demand #60565 Kiwi color Sherpa & Suede. Sewn in a lapped seam construction.

       

Collar, front lapel, and buttonhole detail. Pocket, yoke, sleeve, & collar detail. 
Back yoke, tab, & collar detail

I started with the 'Of The Moment' pattern From Cutting Line Designs.  

Here is the hand-woven fabric before it was wrapped around the body and over the opposite shoulder.

Eight yards of hand woven fabric by weaver Irene Monroe...study for matching the raised stripe along the shoulder seam, extending into the sleeve cap, pocket detail, and so the stripe would match around the body when the front and back was sewn at the side seam. The ombre color change had to match over the shoulder and onto the sleeve. this process for matching took (on and off) four months.

     Different view of the garment on the design table.

Sleeve pattern held in place by weights. Samples of 3 different colors of silk shantung for the garments. Iron on straight stay tape was placed along the inside of the cutting lines. Available in black or white, straight or bias on the website's notions page.

This is another view of the iron on tape along the cutting lines, showing the front, pocket, back and sleeve placement.

The finished garments. The pants are the tapered 'One Seams' in silk shantung lined in China silk, the pink long sleeve top is from 'Stars in Heaven' as is the salmon over top. The neck was lowered and the armscye was bias bound in the same fabric. All the pieces were lined in China Silk.

The hand woven 'Jack/Wrap' is from 'Of the Moment'...as it continued around the back....from center back the running yardage of hand-woven fabric was uninterrupted for almost 4 yards...including 2 feet of knotted fringe. Half of the garment was a jacket and the other half was a shawl.

This shows a close up view of the Hong Kong sleeve bounding and the deconstructed China Silk edge around the 'Jack/Wrap' keeping the edges flat and crisp.

The finished look for the collar

 Step 1. The drawstring casing is ¾" wide, finished (I started with 1¼" wide). Staystitched at ¼" along both long sides and turned to the wrong side. I made the casing 25" long...but this would really depend on the size jacket you were making. You want the drawstring casing to stop about 3"- 4" back from the vertical front fold of the band on the underside of the collar when folded into the final position...so from the top side of the collar you only see 2 rows of stitching...faintly.

I turned the two short front sections of the drawstring casing back ¼" and stitched them before applying the casing to the underside of the garment collar.

The garment was totally finished first. I wanted the stitching to go through both layers of the collar...if the casing was only attached to the underside of the collar...it would not gather the top collar correctly and just 'bunch' up in clumps.

I put 3/16" Steam-a-Seam along the long ¼" turn back edges of the casing as close to the edge fold as possible. The placement for the drawstring casing is 1½" above the neckline where the collar joins the body of the garment at the center back and parallel to the top edge fold of the collar band. This is placement for the long bottom edge of the casing. Make sure the casing is parallel to the top fold of the collar and centered so both ends are the same distance back from the front band fold.

Stitch the upper and lower long edges of the drawstring casing. Tying off at all four corners on the under side of the collar so no back stitching is visible on the top collar. It's all in the details!

Step 2. The long drawstring is ½" wide finished and 45" long....I did my drawstring on the straight of the grain (a. didn't have enough fabric for a bias cord, b. I was using 45" fabric...so I have the selvage at both ends of the drawstring and knotted the ends after the drawstring was slipped through the casing, hiding the selvage, c. you only see about 6"- 8" of the drawstring after it is put through the casing.)

The collar is pulled it up just slightly to make the it stand on it's own. That's it, you're finished.

The scrunch collar has been added to Cutting Line Designs ‘A Subtle Twist. By following the directions below, the collar can be added to just about any high round necked blouse or lightweight jacket.

You first have to draw a special collar pattern with only the bodice pattern as reference. Just follow the directions below for perfect results every time.

A wide collar that falls softly around the neck is a change of pace for a blouse. Adding this collar to any pattern requires only a simple measuring process.

1) With your tape measure standing on its edge, measure the neckline seamline from the center back to the finished front edge. To do this, overlap the front and back pattern’s shoulder seams, matching the seamlines.


2) Make a note of the distance from the center back to the shoulder seamline. You’ll mark these distances on your collar seam later.

3) To make your new collar pattern, draw a rectangle twice the neckline measurement and 8 inches wide. Add a 5/8" seam allowance around all edges.

After the neckline seams are sewn to the garment, this collar will be  3⅜” high. The original collar I saw and measurered was actually 4” tall when finished. If you want to have a 4” finished collar you will start with a height of 9¼”. This will include the top and bottom seam allowances shown above and the two widths of the collar. 

4) Fold the pattern in half lengthwise, and mark notches in the seam allowance to match the shoulder-seam distance. Use these to align the collar properly when you use your preferred method to sew it to the bodice.

When you cover cording yourself you have all of the possibilities using the same matching fabric offers. You can use your cording for skinny shoulder straps, braid multiple strands for belting, knot buttons, couch embellishments and more. But turning a covered cord to the right side can be a struggle. I have found an easy way to turn the fabric--it depends on the cording you used inside.

1. Cut a bias strip of fabric the finished cording length. Sew strips together as needed to get the length you need.

2. Cut the strip wide enough to wrap the cord, plus ¾ inch for a seam allowance.

3. The cord...and here is the secret...is rayon "rat tail". The satin surface lets the fabric slide over the cord easily. Rat tail is easily found in the notions departments of fabric and craft stores. It doesn’t have to be a matching color because it won’t show with the completion of the sewn cording. 

4. Cut the rat tail cord twice the length of the bias fabric. Ex; if the finished bias cording is going to be 30 inches long, start with 60 inches of rat tail.

5. Securely stitch the WRONG SIDE of the bias fabric at the halfway point of the ‘rat tail’ cord as shown below.

6. Fold the bias strip at the stitching you just finished so the strips right side is against the center of the cord as shown below.

7. Use a cording foot and small stitches to sew through both layers close to the cord, starting at the secured end.

When you sew the tube, it is wrong-side out, as is usual for making bias tubing. The "wrong" half of the rat-tail is inside the tube, providing a pre-installed pulling handle for when you turn the tube right-side out. When you turn the bias tube right side out, you transfer it from one half of the rat-tail to the other.  To reduce bulk, the seams can be graded.

8 Start at the end that was secured to the cord, using your thumb and index finger, (you might need to moisten them to get the bias fabric started, gently work the bias over the exposed ‘rat tail’ cord. Working slowly, make sure the bias fabric doesn’t twist.

9 With your other hand, grasp the cord that is starting to show. Continue to pull the bias fabric until the cord that was exposed is now covered. The bias fabric will be right side out. You have slid the bias strip from one side of the cording to the other side.   11.  Cut off the exposed cord and save it for a shorter bias cord project. 

You can make a slot seam on any seam line straight enough to make a smooth curve without clipping. Use it for a fine tailored seam and a handsome accent. 

First, cut an underlay strip the length of the seam and the width of the 2 seam allowances. Cut it on either the lengthwise or crosswise grains. But I prefer to cut the underlay strips on the bias for added ease in body movement and because the bias lays flatter under curved and shaped seams.

To sew a simple slotted seam:

1. With right sides together, baste the two edges along the seamline and press the seam open. You can baste with your sewing machine set at the longest stitch.

  

2. On the right side of the underlay strip, press a length of 1/4 inch wide Steam-a-Seam fusible tape along both long raw edges.

3. Remove the backing paper and position the strip right side down over the seam allowances so the raw edges of the strip and the raw edges of the seam allowances match. Press into place.

4. Serge along the raw edges. Be sure to move the ‘body’ of the fashion fabric away so it doesn't get caught.

5. From the right side, top stitch a presser foot distance away from the basted seam. Remove the basting and press.

As the garment moves on the body the contrasting underlay of fabric can peak out for interest.

As an accent, instead of using a straight stitch a presser foot away, try a decorative stitch for interest or pull back the folded edge of the slot about every inch and secure it with a seed bead.

Use this technique when the neckline and length of a garment fit you well, but the bodice circumference needs adjustment. You can control the garment circumference with a few easy alterations. If a style is just a bit smaller than desired this is a great way to add ease in the circumference. Check the sleeve length, when doing this alteration; the sleeve becomes longer with this alteration. Don’t confuse this method with the technique for a ‘Full Bust Adjustment’. This is to only add or remove circumference within the body of the garment and not change the circumference of the neck.  

1. Adjust the fullness in what we refer to as “No Man’s Land”—the spot along the shoulder seam halfway between the neck edge and the sleeve seam. You won't bump into any major garment details there and you will be able to take as much excess fullness out as you want. To start, draw a straight line from the shoulder seam center down to the hem parallel to the center front.

The key to sewing a very flat patch pocket is where you place the interfacing and how the fabric is folded and sewn. Here's how to do it:

1.  Make 1/8 inch deep clips into the seam allowances to mark the pocket facing fold.

2. Cut the interfacing 1 1/2 inch x the width of the pocket, less the 5/8 inch seam allowance on both vertical sides.  Place the top edge of the interfacing on the wrong side of the pocket at the top fold line.  Serge the top raw edge of the pocket facing. Staystitch around the pocket  5/8 inch  from the raw edges. 

 

3.  Fold the pocket facing to the wrong side at the clips.  Slide a strip of  Fine Fusing Tape or Steam-A-Seam under the pocket facing edge and press lightly.  Remove the paper backing and press to fuse the pocket facing in place.  

  4.  Topstitch across the Pocket 1” below the folded top edge.  

5.  Press the seam allowances to the wrong side, favoring the staystitching slightly to the wrong side so it isn't seen from the right side. Lay strips of Steam-A-Seam on the folded seam allowances.  Press lightly.  Remove the paper backing.
 

For close up view of top pocket edge.

   

6. Place the pocket on a front, matching the dot on the garment.  Be sure the edge of the pocket is parallel to the grain line of the garment fabric. Check all four edges of the pocket to make sure it runs along the weave in the garment fabric.  Examine the top corners of the pocket.  If any seam allowances or stray threads are peeking out, tuck them down below the pocket's top edge.  Press the pocket to fuse it in place.

7.  Edgestitch the pocket.  Place the garment in the sewing machine with the pocket top toward you.  Leave a long thread tails, insert the needle where the horizontal topstitching from stitching the facing meets the pocket edge.   Measure along the top edge 1/2 inch from the top pocket corner and place a pin.  Begin stitching diagonally toward the pin.  At the top edge, pivot and stitch to the corner, counting your stitches.  Pivot at the corner and continue edgestitching around the pocket.  After you've stitched around the pocket and arrive at the remaining top corner, stitch across the top edge the same number of stitches that you counted on the first corner.  Pivot and stitch diagonally to the point where the horizontal topstitching meets the edge of the pocket, leaving long thread tails.  Your second corner should mirror the first corner.  Pull the thread tails to the wrong side and tie them off.