Pillow cases, Atenas jacket, rain pants

This week marks week 1 of my year off! Self-funded leave, and my colleagues are all back at work (school) ! Lots of sewing, and some travel planned! First trip: camping on Vancouver Island, and that is coming up quick.

I "needed" a new pair of rain pants for this trip, so that was in the queue. But first I wanted to get the birthday gifts for my nieces (summer birthdays) done. And then, hopefully, I might have time for a pair of wool leggings for the trip. I got to the collar of the Atenas jacket, and will put that away in favour of the other projects.

SILK PILLOW CASES

Such pretty colours

After waiting hopefully all summer for G&S Dye to restock its white 19 mome satin silk, we decided to go ahead and order coloured silk. I made an error in my calculation of how much I needed, doubling both the width and the length 🙄but that was okay in the end; I have some left over, but not double.

The silk I bought is a crepe-backed satin, meaning that one side is less slippy than the other side. I decided not to do a zipper closure, but rather a tucked-in evelope style, and copied a pillow case that I have in that style. 

Flap to hold the pillow in

I thought I would like to personlize it, and added some embroidery (Sweet Dreams) on the inner flap, where it would not rub against the face. On impulse I bought some embroidery thread. Guterman 'Dekor', made of viscose (rayon.) It kept breaking... turns out rayon is fairly weak, so I bought another brand of polyester embroidery thread and this worked out. 

Sweet Dreams

I also used wash-away stabilizer under the lettering, for the first time. It really does just dissolve as you wash it out. But hey... what is that? The colour was bleeding! (IN spite of having been pre-washed). Someone on a Pattern Review thread had warned about that! So I put the finished pillow cases in a dye-fixative bath, then through the wash with a random piece of white cotton... the white cotton came out with no additional colour, so crisis averted!

Silk is wonderful to the touch! It just felt lovely and luxurious. It was not too bad to sew, either. I did French seams, of course, so overall I am very pleased with the results.

ATENAS JEANS JACKET PROGRESS

welt pocket

I got quite a bit further with this. I installed the chest pockets and the side welt pockest.

The flat-felled seams reall did add a lot of bulk, and so there is a bit of a wrinkle where the fabric probably stretched just above the chest pockets. I think it will be fine, only really noticeable to me when I examine my work. So those pockets turned out okay. The pockets are optional, and one option is to make a false pocket (installing only the flaps). I can't really find examples of makes where they made the full pockets, but there is obviously more bulk... and I am not sure the flap is lined up as nicely as other people have done.

But I am super happy with the welt pockets. I was able to cut perfectly into the corner, which allows them to fold in with no puckers. The topstitching is also working out with few gltiches on the Juki. YAY!

I have prepared the collar, but want to give it my full attention, so that is on hold for now.

nearly done!

RAIN PANTS

I had purchased some recd neoshell from Our Social Fabric, at a very good price (even with the shipping), and had considered making myself a cycling jacket, like the previous one. But my current rain pants are bulky, and no longer entirely waterproof, so I decided to use the Carolyn PJ pants to make rain pants.

I wanted the leg narrower, so did the pattern work, and had the good sense to make up a one-legged muslin. GOOD THING! They were WAY TOO NARROW. So... I did a much more subtle narrowing on the lower leg, and went ahead and cut into the neoshell.

It is giving me a few more problems than it gave me on the cycing jacket.... not sure why. I have also decided that I do need so topstitching, and that I won't worry about the potential for leaks. (A quick test suggested that I am okay. I don't plan to submerge myself with these on!) I added reflective piping to the side seams, and am adding a tab with snaps at the bottom (to mimic the MEC River wind pant I am inspired by.) It isn't perfect, but it will do!  I have added snaps and reflective tape to the bottom hem... these pants are ready for 'weather' !

reinforced bum

reinforced knees

 

reflective tape

tab and snap

elastic and drawcord waist