On a recent trip to The Netherlands, Kathy King had the opportunity to explore Amsterdam and the surrounding areas in search of textiles. She attended a fantastic workshop at the Dutch Couture Academy in Doesburg, organized by Threads Magazine. With the weather wavering between summer and fall, a lightweight wrap proved to be the perfect choice. These photos were taken inside the cozy Stadsbierhuys De Waag (established in 1478), where it’s perfectly acceptable to have a Dutch pancake with caramel syrup for lunch!
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This fabric is from Italy (@EBTfabrics) and is 100% cotton with black and white letters on a pine green background. While this gorgeous cotton is lightweight enough for a blouse, it is also heavy enough to offer a layer of warmth during a shoulder season.
Pattern:
For this lightweight wrap, Kathy used the Tremont Jacket pattern from The Sewing Workshop. This loose-fitting, unlined, A-line jacket is both easy to fit and a pleasure to sew. Kathy added a pocket on each side in the front, because—who doesn’t love pockets? While she opted not to add a button to the front, she noted it as a perfect opportunity to use a statement button from past travels. The asymmetric angled front hemline and side vents give this jacket a unique look, making it an interesting piece to both create and wear.
PATTERN ALTERATIONS AND CONSTRUCTION:
For all her garments, Kathy King makes a high round adjustment at the neckline on the back pattern pieces, ensuring each garment hangs properly without pulling to the back. For this particular jacket, she also added two inches to the body for extra length and determined her preferred sleeve length before cutting the fabric. Given that the jacket is unlined and cotton tends to ravel, Kathy opted for a clean finish on the seams. While French seams were a possibility, she decided instead to serge each seam allowance and press the vertical seams open for a polished look.
KKSEWING TIP:
Kathy King had a small mishap while serging the armhole seams, accidentally catching part of the garment body in the process—an “oopsie” many sewists can relate to! Luckily, a tip from Threads magazine came to the rescue. Instead of unstitching the entire serged area (since re-serging can look messy), she recommends this method: straight-stitch through the serged seam allowance to secure the stitches, taking care not to catch the garment body again. Then, carefully unstitch the serging around the snagged area, releasing the garment body. The straight stitch will keep the serging intact!
Note: if the serger blade accidentally catches the fabric, that's a whole different level of oopsie...message Kathy for sympathy!
Happy Sewing, Kathy