This was such a fun and satisfying project!
I pieced this jacket entirely from linen and linen-blend scraps from my previous sewing projects, and then I hand quilted it.
I have been saving linen, linen-cotton and linen-rayon blend scraps for years in the hopes of doing something fun with them. Solids, plaids, prints, yarn-dyed, indigo-dyed and iced dyed... so many memories with all of these fabrics...
I've been so inspired by the organic feeling scrap, improv and crumb-quilting so many folks have been doing... Minimalist Machinist, Sew DIY and many others. I love the organic look of the odd shaped pieces and mix of colors, prints and textures.
For some reason I was slightly intimidated to get started with the improv piecing, though. But luckily I was able to take a workshop locally with Josephine of You Should Open an Etsy Shop at Stash, which got me over the initial hump of breaking the "rules." Then I couldn't stop! Once the pieces and colors start coming together it can be addictive.
Initially I was thinking I would make an actual quilt, but then I decided I should make a quilt coat before quilt coats go out of style!
For my pattern, I chose the Cashmerette Fairfax Jacket from the book Sewing the Curve. The Fairfax Jacket is a simple, loosely fitted, quilted jacket. Because it's Cashmerette, the jacket has bust darts with cup sizes. It has bias-bound edges, and a hip-length view with patch pockets or a cropped view. I sewed the cropped view in size 20 C/D, which worked out great.
I kept piecing until my patchwork sections were big enough to accommodate the Fairfax pattern pieces, with a little bit of extra room on the edges in case the quilting process caused shrinkage. I used a poly/cotton blend batting and more leftover linen pieces for the backing.
After I had my quilt sandwiches together, I started machine quilting the pieces. However, I wasn't liking how it looked, so I ultimately unpicked it and decided to hand-quilt for a more organic, rustic look that I thought coordinated well with the improv piecing.
I went with parallel rows of running stitch, inspired by the stitching on kantha quilts. I used black DMC pearl cotton thread in size 12. I just drew one chalk line down each pattern piece roughly along the grainline and started my stitching there. Then I just eyeballed the rest of the lines.
The texture of the stitching turned out so beautifully- so lovely and crinkly! And the act of hand stitching was pretty relaxing, too.
After I was done with my hand quilting, the Fairfax Jacket went together pretty quickly. I ended up serging the seam allowances on the jacket's inside; I thought it would be too bulky to bind them.
Speaking of bulk, the bust dart area is a smidge bulky for my taste; next time I might strategically cut the batting out of the dart to reduce the thickness in that area.
I am so happy with my Fairfax jacket! It was such a fun project and the end result it so unique. I think Tim hates it (he asked me if I was going to quit my job and join Bread and Puppet Theater, which is honestly very tempting these days), but I love it. It's fun and loud and joyful and cozy and artsy-fartsy, and, I think, kinda chic.
