A Little Color Blocked Jacket

For years I’ve seen CNT Patterns A Little Somethin’ Jacket made by my friends, loved it and thought I should make one. I even bought the pattern – twice. That’s how much I loved it. So, when I planned the patterns I used in my Double Gauze Fashions class at the Sewing Expo, I knew I had to include this one!

I’m kind of a rebellious sewist. I think just following a pattern is boring, so I usually mix up views, cut up pattern pieces or use fabric and embellishments in ways the designer didn’t include. It’s not that I don’t like the original design, it’s just that I love to play and I want the end result to match my own vision. So, for my first A Little Somethin’ Jacket, I chose two pieces of Shannon Fabrics Embrace Double Gauze and played with some color blocking.

Do you still call it color blocking when you use a print and a solid? Close enough, I think! After making a sketch in my design notebook, I decided to use Herringbone Royal for the back and upper front and Solid Cobalt for sleeves and the lower front. Oh, my, it turned out great!!!

My pre-sketching was super important to my jacket’s success. It gave me a chance to see what my color/print blocking would look like in the finished jacket and the opportunity to “move” the pieces around on paper without cutting into my fabric first. I really love the page layout and usability of Cashmerette’s Curvy Sketchbook and keep it close to my cutting table. Sometimes I’m really daring with my makes but, most of the time, I do try to avoid potential disasters!

So, let’s talk about this jacket pattern. Wow! It’s amazing!!! I chose the size 20 and found that I did not need to make any adjustments since it’s a loose fit. There are just three pattern pieces, so it’s wonderfully quick to put together. My friends had told me that it only took about 3 hours and they were absolutely right. Quick – that’s one of the things that makes this pattern one of my new faves!

The pattern instructions are really clear and easy to follow. The only semi-tricky part is where the front band/collar joins to the back neck (circled). It’s not hard and if you’ve done this type of join before, you’ll have no trouble at all. If you haven’t done this before though, you still won’t have trouble, because the instructions are great! It’s a good skill to add to your sewing “toolbox”, too.

My sleeves were cut at the 3/4 length that is offered on the pattern and I chose the shorter length for the jacket body. I love it that there are options in the pattern! Both the sleeves and body hems were topstitched with matching navy thread. I used this same color for the bottom hem of the jacket and the topstitching along the front and neck.

My seams were all serged with a 3mm length stitch. The hem edges were finished on the serger, too. This is how my clothes are constructed whenever possible. I love the speed of serging and use a four thread overlock stitch for stability.

A serged finish on the hem edges meant that I didn’t have to turn under the edge, so it prevented bulk. This gave the hems a nice smooth line with no ridge under the topstitching.

And, now for the finale – that’s Rhonda Pierce of Schemtz Needles and I modeling hats for the Sewing & Stitchery Expo Hat Fashion Show. See what a versatile jacket this is?! It even goes well with a phloofy, pink hat. Sort of at least!

So, would I make the Little Somethin’ Jacket again? Yes, Yes, YES!!! Did I say that loud enough? Here’s why . . .

• It was quick
• The instructions were great
• The fabric requirements are reasonable and work well for the lengths I keep in my stash of pretties
• The jacket looks and feels fabulous, dahling…… If you can’t find it locally, click here.
• I got LOADS of compliments as I walked around the Sewing & Stitchery Expo. And, I kind of. . . . . okay TOTALLY, love compliments!

Moment of Further Truth:
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