Fashion
PAPERCUT PATTERNS RIGEL BOMBER
It’s been a while since I sewed a new garm so I’m excited to share some photos of my finished bomber jacket today! The pattern is, of course, the Rigel Bomber by Papercut Patterns – a simple, unlined bomber jacket with welt pockets. I chose a pink sweatshirt fabric (rather more lurid than these photos make it appear…) as I wanted something warm, comfy and easy to care for. Also, since it’s super cosy, fleece backed sweat-shirting, I thought it might be nice to see the contrast in texture on the inside of the jacket.
I learned a couple of things while working on this project. One thing, which is blindingly obvious in hindsight, is that (of course) if you choose to make details like ribbing, zips and welt pockets in a contrasting colour then any imperfections will stick out like a sore thumb. But if I stand at a jaunty angle like this then perhaps you won’t notice 
The other is that although this is a simple enough jacket pattern, jackets are inherently more difficult than dresses as they don’t look ‘pretty’ in-and-of themselves and don’t ‘spark joy’ in quite the same way. Also there are more straight lines and corners to match up so if something is slightly off then it’s harder to sort of ‘use the force’ and ease on down the road and lose the excess in the side seams (or wherever – hope it’s not just me that sews like this!).
I’m hoping this will be a good addition to my day to day getup, especially once the temperature drops a little more. I’m already planning a silk version for work but think I might try lining it this time – and maybe skip the pockets to save myself a whole load of time (and a little bit of heartache – my overlocker chewed up two side panels as I tried to make the inside of the pocket situation look neater). Thinking about the pockets just then made my heart feel all heavy and then it hit me – making jackets feels a lot more like ‘tailoring’ and a lot less like ‘dressmaking’ – more mathematical somehow with fewer nice, curved seams and pretty necklines. One thing I have realised though is that I desperately need to sew more every-day things so perhaps jackets are something I’ll come to enjoy more with practice?
One last thing (to do with my upside down feet). Long story short, my tripod is broken. I really wanted to show off these trainers which are by New Balance though as they just go so well with the jacket – what a coincidence
I picked up this amazing piece of velvet at a House of Hackney sample sale about a year ago and have had this project quietly on the back burner ever since…
I was rummaging in the remnant bin when I came across a 1 meter square (minus a couple of chunks taken out of the corners) of the brilliant Leonine amoeba/leopard print for £5. I knew straight away that I wanted to turn it into an A-line mini skirt so set to work using New Look 6106. I changed it slightly by omitting the pockets and added a lining (some lovely and slinky black silk habotai from Ray Stitch). I think the fabric is meant for sofas but it’s got a lovely soft drape and the slightly more structured look is exactly what I wanted. Sewing the velvet was a bit of a headache as it’s so prone to fraying – I’m so glad I have an overlocker! As you can see from the side view above, getting the seams to stay matched up when trundling through the machine was also tricky but I’m rather pleased with the end result (as you can probably tell from that last pic!).
I finished this dress in a three night sewing frenzy back in April when a good friend’s Birthday party (and the promise of a child free night of dancing) gave me the urge for something 60’s and shiny to jump around in.
The fabric is another House of Hackney sample sale bargain (from the same trip that yielded my Leonine A-line skirt). It’s been hanging about in my stash for far too long as I’ve been too intimidated by it’s beauty to cut into it. The detail and texture of the fabric is incredible – the black background is lush and smooth whilst the palmeral print is picked out in tiny green and metallic stitches. Different sized stitches give the palm leaves an amazing depth – it would be a shame to save this fabric for the evening really as you can appreciate the detail better under natural light.
The pattern is Simplicity K1609 – a 60’s style shift that is so simple I had a hard time visualising how it would turn out. I even umm-ed and ahhh-ed about making the bow from view B but as soon as those lovely deep side darts came together I knew I was onto a winner and the pattern would let the fabric shine! The side darts are actually a huge feature on the finished dress but you can’t really see them on the pattern model or the technical drawing on the envelope so they were a nice surprise! I cut a straight size 12 and the only change I made was to skip the interfacing as the fabric was weighty enough without it.
Here’s an easy DIY that’s perfect to kick off the festive season! For those not already familiar with it, needle felting is the art of jabbing wool repeatedly with a tiny, barbed needle. As the little needle works it’s way in and out of the fibres, it gradually compresses and tangles them together so the wool becomes more and more compact. It’s surprisingly easy to mould the squishy wool into whatever shape you would like and oh so satisfying to do because it fuses together really easily – you can layer up the colours as much as you like and attach one shape to another with a few jabs of the needle. I’ve gone for a round robin here because it’s an easy shape to start with and cute too!
You will need…
- A handful of white wool
- A small bit of brown wool
- A smaller bit of red wool
- Needle felting needle
- Two black beads for eyes
- Needle for hand sewing
- Black thread to sew the eyes on with
- Fancy thread to make a loop
Step 1…
Roll the white wool around into your hand, working it into a rough ball. It will still feel fairly loose but as you jab it all over with the needle, it will gradually become a solid ball (really!). Just remember to rotate the wool regularly in your hand so that it felts evenly all over.
Step 2…
Grab your brown wool and tease one end into a point. Use your left hand to place it on the white ball and hold it in position while you jab it a few times with the needle to secure. This point will be the robin’s beak.
Step 3…
Shape the brown wool up in an arch either side of the beak and felt into position. You can leave the remainder of the yarn at the back as a fluffy tail! Felt the brown wool across the robin’s back, head and beak, making sure all the edges are felted securely and neatly.
Step 4…
Take your red yarn (you’ll only need a tiny bit) and tease it out so it’s fluffy with no big lumps in the middle. Place it on the breast of your robin and felt into position. Try to make the edges of the red wool quite diffused so blends nicely.
Step 5…
Sew on the eyes and watch your round robin come to life!
Finished! You can trim the tail fibres if need be then your robin is all ready to rock on the tree!
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