Mirroring Suzy Bee Sews - Life So Strange It Should Be Fiction

Its that time of the year again to make mini jackets - my friends daughter is turning 4 and I wanted a pretty little jacket for her to wear to kindy that could still get thrown through the washing machine. I never realised Spotlight stocked Oliver + S patterns until I spotted (heh) this on a clearance rack with 2 other patterns. I've always wanted to try them out so this one came home with me. The fabric is leftover from this dress and the lining is a thin satin from Clear It in Melbourne, buttons are from clear it too. The pattern itself is well drafted, the sizing is pretty much near identical to Australian kids RTW (I did some snoop shopping at Target with my tape measure!). Some changes: I added more interfacing than required - interfaced the upper front and half of the lower front, using a medium knit weft fusible on the lower and some armoweft on the collar and the upper front for extra stability. I added a lining as this fabric is a poly knit and I...

I'm really not sure about this jacket. I loved the technical drawings and it on the model in the magazine but I'm not sure on me. Its quite a boxy jacket and the under layer is deceptively long, I cut it a lot shorter (probably a bit too short looking at these photos). The chiffon under layer means the jacket slides around a lot so you are constantly pulling it back to sit at the front. The instructions are atrocious as Burdas normally are, I winged it a fair bit on the construction and it all came together and looks pretty close to the drawing. I didn't add the back under layer because I didn't want to waste my chiffon! Pattern Details: Sz 44 1" FBA Shortened the underlayer by about 5" 1" added to bicep width Burdastyle Layer jacket Materials; The main fabric is leftover spandex knit from my yoga pants and the underlayer is a scrap of silk chiffon from Spotlight. I'm really glad I used a scrap because the fabric is a l...

I'm calling this an Owl jacket but I actually think its meant to be a fox! Lots easier to sew the second time around, I followed my own tips from last time plus used the accufeed foot/walking foot on my machine to make it sew up even easier! One thing I didn't really notice last time it that the front button band is a bit offset, its meant to be topstitched onto the front as a separate piece of fabric but I like the look and neatness (plus the ease to bag out the lining) of a proper sewn on band. I unpicked and changed this one and have adjusted the pattern for next time (taken some off the fronts and added a front band on both sides instead of just the left side.....Hope that makes sense!) This is another gift, its for the 1st birthday of a little girl whose Grandma I work with. Happy birthday Rubee!

This is the second time I've made this pattern ( first time was in a ponte ) and I'm really happy with this version. I made a couple of fit changes and also made this one unlined. The jacket looks slightly too tight in these photos. I wanted it to be very fitted as I'll most likely wear it open all the time (of course I forgot to get pics of my wearing it open, d'oh!) The sleeves are full length too, but I like them rolled up more. There were a couple of fitting issues last time - mainly the excess near my arms/upper bust. I'm happy to say this was fixed by taking out excess length above the bust which also helped the lapels to sit smoother I added an extra button which makes the front look more balanced. The fabric is from Lincraft - its a thin stretch denim. I got it at the last sale and thought about making pants with it but its too thin and I'm glad I held off because its an awesome jacket material. Original adjustments; View...

One thing I've really missed wearing is a fitted stretch jacket. I used to have a couple of them and wore them to death and never replaced them when they got too small. I've tried on RTW ones since and they are all ridiculously too big on the shoulders. This jacket is my first attempt to fit a TNT stretch blazer. I picked this pattern up at the latest Spotlight sale, cut a Sz18 with the c-cup front. These patterns come with a 1" seam allowance so you can fit as you go. Its a good idea but if you use the full 1" seam allowance you end up with ridiculously wide shoulders on them, so just keep that in mind if you make one. I added a 1" FBA and 1" bicep width and then muslined this up. Pretty good fit width wise, I used the 1" seam allowances on the upper back and nipped it in at the waist. Added a bit to the hips on the back. I did take in the princess seam above and below the bust and also narrowed the shoulders by about 1". I ...

  I loved Heather Lou's version of this jacket and when I realised I have a similar fabric decided to make a version (imitation is the best form of flattery, right...right?) Fabric is a mystery herringbone from Lincraft. It pressed as if it had some wool content but I imagine it's mostly polyester. Lining is a sunsilky from the stash. I made the binding for the hem out of it too. Because my fabric has a fairly soft hand, I interfaced the entire jacket outer with a medium weft interfacing. I also added a back neck facing. Adjustments; I made an XL, graded in at the waist to a L. 1" FBA  1" wide back adjustment 1.5" to the arm width added 2" to the arm length. Doubled the back peplum width - when I made it up it just looked too flat and I wanted more gathers! Its meant to be a cropped jacket, I'm fairly short through the waist so made the length as is and it hits my waistline perfectly. I would prefer to add a couple of inches to the peplum though if I ma...