Monday, November 16, 2015

A Reversible Topper- ( V1465 by Donna Karan, sort of )

I've had a beautiful two sided knit bought on line at Mood.com for about a year now, trying to decide what to make . IMO, a two sided fabric is useless unless you show both sides and that was the dilemma. I have two other pieces of two sided knits on my shelves as well and I'm having the same problem in deciding how to use them.

As soon as I saw this beauty from Vogue's Fall patterns (V1465 ), I knew I would make it my own.


The problem I had was that I thought I should make a reversible garment with my fabric and for me that means as few seams as possible. I had the idea of blending the two front and two back pieces together to make one front piece and one back piece.

I was hesitant because of the princess lines but I overlapped the front pieces and traced , repositioning the side front as needed. When I was finished, I wasn't confident that the new front would hang properly. I remembered this pattern, M 5937, now OOP, that I made up here.

The collar was too extreme but I thought I could compare the front piece with my newly drafted one. Guess what. The two were almost identical except for the collar. The McCall's front piece had a bust dart which I drew onto my draft and all I had to do was add 10" to the length and I was all set. I used the back of the Mc Call's pattern  which had very moderate princess seams and was easy to blend and
I also used the McCall sleeves.

Here is what I came up with .


And on the reverse side



How did I make my topper reversible you ask!

By using flat felled seams and lots and lots of Wonder Tape and when I ran out,  lots of Steam-a-Seam.

Have a look at some of my seams.





Every seam I sewed , including the top stitching on the collar . got a little help with one or the other of the above mentioned products.


I should mention that The Donna Karan pattern had a great way to deal with mitered corners and I even used that technique when I decided to face the hem so the grey side would not have black showing. I do admit that mitering that corner was not necessarily a good thing in retrospect. But the corners were cut like this, you see



and I intend to use this again next time I want mitered corners.



I really am happy with this jacket and I really prefer it open.


and it will be in my closet for many years to come.
However, someone has to stop me from making more black, grey or red clothes ! I seem to be obsessed with those three colours !

This is how I'll wear this piece.












I guess you can tell I prefer the black side!

On to doll clothes making now for my Riley's birthday.

Happy sewing to all.


18 comments:

SewCraftyChemist said...

Alright. You win! :)

This is so beautifully done. And you will get so much wear from this!

Vicki said...

Before you said it I was thinking I like the black side best. And I love it with the belt. But perhaps it just suits you best without? Great jacket and very versatile!

Barb said...

A beautiful job as always, and such a versatile piece.

Tany said...

Simply magnificent, you did an outstanding job!

Coco said...

Gorgeous, both ways! your beautiful work really shines on this jacket.

Ann Brodsky said...

This is perfection! I have just ordered the Donna Karan pattern, and now that I've seen yours, I can't wait to find the perfect fabric for it. I also made that McCall's pattern, and I love that you merged the two together for this jacket. Really beautiful!

Tut said...

Beautiful! I so appreciate your detailed comments on the construction elements. And as always, the sewing joy you radiate.

Jeanette said...

The topper is beautiful and goes well with so many of your other garments. You look great in all of those outfits.

Sara in Stitches said...

Ooh, I have this Vogue pattern and have been waiting for the right fabric to make it! Looking forward to learning how to do mitered corners. Love the look of this jacket with the red top!

Aisha Johnson - SewCouture said...

Love the jacket and its versatility...very, very nice. You won't mind if I copy, would you?

Sew-To-Fit by AD Lynn said...

Keep on making the black. It is gorgeous on you, especially the winter white and red look.

Unknown said...

Amazing post! You have a wonderful blog:)
What about following each other on Instagram, Bloglovin, Twitter?..

www.bloglovin.com/blog/3880191

Sharon said...

The perfect pattern for your fabric and you looked thrilled with it.

Sew, Jean Margaret said...

This jacket is fabulous. Such a versatile piece to add to your wardrobe and so beautifully sewn.

Jane M said...

I just gasped out loud when I saw your jacket, Diana. Love it so much. I think the Donna Karan jacket has the perfect collar proportion and so will definitely add this to my list. I too have some double sided fabric and love that mitering....how it looks, not having to do it:-0

Amanda S. said...

Very nice! Aren't you clever to make it reversible!

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

This is fantastic! Love this piece on you!

Joyce in NC said...

I have to agree with the others, you did a great job. The jacket is so lovely!