Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Jocole Love

Welcome to my part of the Jocole Love Blog Tour!  This is just the beginning of many stops during the tour.  I made two items from Jocole that I have had for years and never made.  My first item is the Little Miss Derby Jacket.
I still can't believe that I have had this jacket pattern for 3 years and had never sewn it.  It's adorable and if I wouldn't have made it in the wrong size my daughter would have loved it too.  Sizes run from newborn to girls 14, and even comes in doll size!  I am not use to following Jocole's instructions so when I decided on the size to make I made a 7 in width and almost 10 in length.  My issue was that the size chart was for finished product sizes and seeing that this was a jacket I should have stuck with an 8 or 10 to make it a little less tight.
All in all this was a fairly easy pattern to follow.  The jacket has an empire waist with a back ruffle that extends further down than the front.  It's fully lined (I used regular cotton woven fabric), the outer is made with some chambray.  There is also the option to put in an interlining of fabric to provide some extra warmth.  I left off the big bow that can be put on the back of the jacket but I'm pretty sure it's simple to make if you choose to put it on.

The next item that I made is the Sandcastle Halter Top.  This should have been a quick and easy sew but for whatever reason I just wasn't having much luck today.  I am a little more of a visual person and it took me several tries at reading parts of the instructions to get through some of the construction.  I had my seam ripper handy and used it a couple of times.
Aside from my mistakes this was a quick sew and turned out so cute.  The body is made from knit and the top and straps use quilting cotton.  I used some Happily Ever After from Art Gallery's Paperia collection.

The pattern says you can add a ruffle between the quilting cotton and knit, or add some rick rac.  I decided to use some elastic lace trim I had from Riley Blake.  I love the extra detail!

There are a couple of things I may try differently next time (although I'm not sure if my ideas will work or not).  I prefer a casing for the elastic to go through rather than sewing it directly onto the fabric.  I ended up with a section of fabric that wasn't as bunched as the rest of the back.  I didn't feel like using the seam ripper for it so I left it alone this time.  I also struggled with the sides under the arms.  It just didn't seem to look quite right compared to the photos I have seen.
My daughter approved of the top though!  The sizes are great and range from newborn to girls 14 and includes a doll size.  It's very comfy and will fit under a Little Miss Derby Jacket perfectly.

Thanks for stopping and reading!

Be sure to check out all of the blogs on this tour! Which is your favorite so far?
Feb 8- Larissa from Connected By a Thread
Feb 9- Tibeca from Sewing by Ti
Feb 10- Robin from My Little Lady & Gentleman
Feb 11- Patricia from Sew Far North
Feb 12- Linda from Sew Happily Ever After
Feb 15- Larissa from Connected by a Thread and Essence from Amazing Adventures of Bubba and Bug
Feb 16- Amy from Wally and Grace
Feb 17- Melissa from Rebel & Malice and Sharon from Sweetpea & Pumpkins
Feb 18- Ula from Lulu & Celeste
Feb 19- Teronia from Crazy Crafty Haute Mama and Cindy from Cindy Parrett.com