First jacket

I've been madly hand stitching all weekend, finishing this off, so here is our first pass at a denim jacket-y kimono thing, with hand stitching (and yes, I know there must be a better way to describe it...)

This started life as a quick and dirty make.  When we first discussed making something using the stitched denim we weren't sure how the stitched pieces I have been making would affect the weight, and hence the drape, of a garment.   We decided to start with a very simple, kimono-style shape, and thought we'd run through, see how everything went together, tweak it if necessary and then get on with a proper version.  In the end we grew to like this as we went along, so it got more care and attention that planned.

Of course there were mistakes/problems, things we will do differently next time, but there were also happy accidents.  The piece of denim we used was not quite long enough, so we patched in some big pieces cut from a pair of jeans.  This is something we would do deliberately another time.  Then one piece was cut twice the same way (instead of one left-handed, one right-handed piece), so we just flipped piece B over and used the reverse side of the fabric - hence the red. Again, we might consider repeating this if we were using a fabric with a good-looking reverse.  

In the end the stitched pieces worked fine, but they were a hindsight here, so next time we will sew them into bigger bits, we think, and then cut pattern sections directly from those, rather than attaching them afterwards.

I also wonder, looking at the photos now, if I would like more of the stitching, especially on the front panels.  (I also wonder why I didn't iron this properly - but ironing has never been my forte).

This is planned as the first of several, though we are going to attempt a different style of jacket next time round, so if you have any observations, please feel free to chip in.

And finally, my favourite bit of the whole thing?  My darning!  Go figure.

PS: If you have a couple of minutes go and check this out.  Some great buildings that would make great quilts.

Linking up with Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Sewing