Carole & Colleen Interpret the Loes Hinse Capri Pattern

Colleen · Sawyer Brook Staff Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 17

Carole and I are planning to create our own artful designs using Loes Hinse Capri pattern. Our goal is to have them ready for the show. I have chosen Sidewalk Gallery fabric for a Coldwater Creek Artiful look. Carole has yet to select hers.
We plan to meet up for the first time on Fri April 6 in the afternoon to fit patterns. Hopefully the Sewable tracing paper I ordered will be in from Clothilde by then or I'll be using sheets of freezer paper!

Ready, set, sew it!

Janee · Sawyer Brook Staff Joined: 05 Apr 2007 Posts: 64

I have some pattern paper I can bring in for you tomorrow, in case yours doesn't get here on time. Sounds like fun!

Janee

Colleen · Sawyer Brook Staff Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 17

Carole and I got together and traced the pattern, sewed up the muslin and I tried it on. We have a few adjustments to make -like widening the sleeves and contouring the back for a bit more shape. Carole said she saw someone in church that had a jacket of similar colors to sidewalk gallery and she really liked it. She hasn't picked out her fabric yet but she is thinking about one of the galleries now. The jacket comes in two lengths.
My tracing paper and supplies came in Saturday's mail (a day late of course) so I told Carole she can trace hers out on mine!

Thanks for the offer of the tracing paper-- that is some cool stuff! I had not heard of it before!

Colleen

Janee · Sawyer Brook Staff Joined: 05 Apr 2007 Posts: 64

What pattern is it that you used? Is there a jacket in it also?

The pattern paper I have is Swedish tracing paper, 29" wide, that I first heard of thru Gale Grigg Hazen as "monster paper". I bought the last 3 rolls that Birch St. had for sale at last year's expo. It was a really great price - like $15 for all three, I think.

Janee

Colleen · Sawyer Brook Staff Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 17

Actually, just yesterday, we switched to a Peggy Sagers pattern "the Princess sheath Dress" and chopped off the bottom. This pattern has a 2 piece sleeve which will give us better fitting capabilities and shape.
We were experiencing just to many alterations with the Loes Hinse Capri pattern for my shape.
We have also altered the neckline to a "v" so it more closely resembles the original Capri jacket pattern. We sewed up the muslin yesterday afternoon and with a few minor adjustments its already contouring nicely and fitting great!
We were hoping to get both jackets finished for the upcoming Expo but it's looks like now we will present them in an Online Swatch together instead. Carole will most likey have hers ready for the Expo.
She has also been really busy designing 8th grade graduation dresses with her daughter and her daughters friend!

The deal you got on the tracing paper was great! I got mine at Clothilde for $9.95 a roll with $6.00 MAPS.

Carole · Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2007 12:28 pm Post subject:

We've moved away from the Textile Studio Capri pattern for Colleen's jacket. Now we're using Peggy Sager's Princess Sheath Dress pattern, but cut off for jacket length. We've altered the rounded neckline of Peggy's pattern to mimic the graceful v-neck on the Capri jacket.

We worked on a muslin yesterday and have a much better fit than the muslin of the Capri jacket. When we made up the muslin of the Capri jacket, there just weren't enough seams to accomodate different fitting issues.

I made a test muslin of the Capri jacket and the size Large fits me well. I'm cutting mine out today of some purple tencel, from a recent SB collection of course, that will feel luxuriously and hang softly. I'm going add a lining (the pattern doesn't call for it) to help it slide on and off easily.

I know I can count on Dixie helping me find great buttons next week. The project looks really quick - I think I can get it made on Sunday.

Carole · Posted: Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:37 pm Post subject:

My Capri Jacket is turning out really well! I sewed the fronts and backs together and set in the sleeves yesterday. I also spent time cutting out and inserting a lining from Ambience. The pattern doesn't include a lining, but I wanted to be sure that my jacket would not get caught on the back of my pants or skirt.

I have to say that this purple tencel is just gorgeous. It is so soft and drapey. Surely this is the type of fabric that Loes Hinse had in mind when she was creating this pattern.

I'm a little bummed that I don't have shoulder pads or buttons here tonight, otherwise I could have finished the jacket. I'm working tomorrow so I'll pick up those items then. I hope I can find the slim shoulder pads that are specified in the pattern.

Colleen, we have to schedule another time to work on your jacket. My daughter and her friend finished fitting their graduation dress muslins today. We'll cut out the linen for the dresses on Friday!

Colleen · Sawyer Brook Staff Joined: 03 Apr 2007 Posts: 17

Lets schedule a morning or afternoon soon!
I ordered 2 of the Kathllen Cheetham patterns Petite Plus Question

-- the Shapely Shirt and the Skort. Kathleen has been in touch with me by email about the Hideaway fabric. The pattern calls for a fabric with 25% stretch---I wonder if the Hideaway stretchy white crinkle pleats will do the trick... or look ungainly!

Carole · Posted: Thu Apr 26, 2007 9:29 pm Post subject:

Finally, tonight, I got back to the sewing room to work on my Capri Jacket. I hemmed the bottom and tacked in the shoulder pads. All that's left are sleeve hems and attaching the lining at the bottom hem and sleeve hems, buttonholes and buttons.

When I was at work on Tuesday, Dixie helped me pick out cool buttons. We picked out the Metro buttons, 11/16" in purple. The look great with the fabric.

This jacket is working out so well, I've got plans for at least two more.

Carole · Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:06 pm Post subject:

Today I secured the Ambience lining to my Capri Jacket. As they are written, the pattern instructions don't include a lining. I was interested in adding the lining so that the jacket wouldn't cling to my pants and/or shirt. The Ambience is so nice and soft, it is just a joy to feel the lined sleeves on bare arms!

I made my own lining pattern from the jacket fronts, back and sleeves. It wasn't super smooth sailing as I was securing the front corners to the front facings because I hadn't allowed an extra wide seam allowance there. I looked up some real advice in Sandra Betzina's Power Sewing book and she recommends something like a one and a quarter inch seam allowance there and I was gently trying to get my meager three eighths seam allowance to cover. It worked out okay in the end, but required a lot more patience than I expected.

Tomorrow I just need to put in my buttonholes and sew on the buttons. I like to practice about ten buttonholes before I start on the real ones.

I love, love, love the style of this jacket. It's been in my pattern drawer for a couple of years and I don't know what took me so long to get to it.

Hopefully Colleen can come over on Monday and we can continue making progress on her jacket out of that gorgeous Sidewalk Gallery fabric.

Lois · Posted: Sat Apr 28, 2007 8:30 pm Post subject:

I've really enjoyed reading about your jacket. It sounds like the results exceed your expectations - always a great thing isn't it? I look forward to seeing a picture of you wearing the jacket. Thanks for all the details about your project.

Carole · Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 8:13 am Post subject:

Last night I finished up my Capri Jacket by adding buttonholes and buttons. The jacket is so cool, somewhere between a structured jacket and a blouse, like nothing else I have in my closet. The fabric is so drapey, it lookes good over a blouse, a turtleneck or a tee-shirt. And the color is one of my favorites - deep purple.

On Tuesday, Dixie helped me pick out buttons for two more of these jackets. Now I just need to get them going and this time I will remember to add more ease for the lining, to make sewing faster.

Lois · Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 11:31 pm Post subject:

I'm happy to hear about your jacket. I have a question. Is the shoulder seam extended or dropped; or does it sit on your shoulder as a normal set in sleeve? The pattern photos make it look like it's a dropped shoulder. I'd be interested in your evaluation. It's such a cute jacket and I'm glad to hear of your success. This is a very popular pattern - one I need to give a try.

It's a pattern designed by Loes Hinse before she branched off on her own. Her designs are relaxed and flattering - up to do date with today's styles. Soft tailoring at it's best. I've had a lot of wear from her Retro Jacket which I've made several times I've used silk tweeds which are very comfortable in the summer. I only line the sleeves (with china silk) for ease of wear; but leave the body unlined - perfectly comfortable to wear in warm weather. Have you tried her patterns?

Carole · Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 8:38 am Post subject:

Hi Lois,

The shoulder is kind of a funny one. It definitely doesn't sit up on my shoulder like a tailored blazer/jacket and it is not dropped. There is not really any excess fabric anywhere. I used a shoulder pad that was shaped. It padded the shoulder lightly and then the sleeve cap some too. It's just very subtle.

The jacket just suits my rather large frame size very well. The jacket just sort of skims over me and doesn't cling anywhere. It's not at all tight, but not baggy either.

I have used her skirt patterns with a lot of success. Even my 12 year old daughter uses them. At the Expo in Worcester last month I bought Textile Studio's Santa Monica Tee and Loes Hinse's Bistro Jacket and Variations on the Bistro Jacket. I'm not sure when Ms. Hinse left Textile Studio to go off on her own, so I don't know if the Santa Monica Tee will have the same fit idea as the Capri Jacket.

I'm going to take a look at the Retro Jacket pattern. And thank you for the idea of lining only the sleeves. That would have saved me some grief when I was trying to make an almost too short lining cover the body.

Carole · Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 9:14 pm Post subject:

Colleen came over Friday afternoon and we made a lot of progress on her jacket. We had cut out the fashion fabric earlier in the week, so on Friday we stitched together the body and sleeves. We fine tuned the fit of the sleeves and the armhole, always a difficult thing, and then called it quits for the day.

I'm really pleased with how the jacket is turning out. Despite the fact that we are using a more structured pattern than the Capri Jacket pattern, Colleen's jacket is retaining a lot of the flavor of the Capri. We haven't over-fit the jacket and it is a lot less stiff than the new pattern photo would indicate.

The Sidewalk Gallery fabric is gorgeous sewn up. The green/blue/black colorway looks great on Colleen. On Friday she even wore cute black capri length pants so we could see how nice the finished jacket would look over them.

Next week, we'll set in the second sleeve, add the front facing and lining and fine tune the fit of the body. Maybe the week after next we'll get to the hems and buttonholes.

It feels good to be finally working with the fashion fabric rather than plain old boring muslin!