February is coming to a close, which means it is time for all of us to reveal our awesome outerwear! This month, the Sew My Style project had two awesome options – the beautiful, newly released Rumana Coat from By Hand London, and the super versatile Estelle Ponte Jacket by Style Arc Patterns. Although I had been so excited and gearing up for the Rumana, when we chose to add in the Estelle, I was over the moon. Winter in Texas lasts only a short while – in fact, as I write this, we’re just closing up a day in the 70’s (fahrenheit). Now, don’t get me wrong – it’s not all mild and balmy here, but it is closer to mild and balmy than it is to cold by this time of year. I knew that I’d get much more wear out of the Estelle throughout 2018, and I plan on adding the Rumana into my plans in the fall so that I’m prepared for next winter! The Estelle also fell in well with my plans to become more comfortable with knits, and to sew more basics over the course of 2018!
So on to the pattern then! I’ve not worked with Style Arc patterns before, but they have a bounty of great designs, so I was excited to become more familiar with them. I heard lots of opinions about the fact that their .pdf patterns come with only your size, one up and one below. The .pdf version was not HUGE, but it was sizeable enough – I spent a bit of time while on vacation enjoying the scenery on Mammoth Mountain while cutting and taping this pattern. However, once I got past that bit (which is admittedly not my favorite step in the process), the construction of this garment was a breeze!
I ordered 2 yards each of two different but beautiful ponte fabrics, and was able to cut my size 8 pattern out of each with just a tad left over to work with on future projects. I cut them out while catching up on an episode of Scandal, and then set them to the side to work on the next day. Though the 8 was the size that my measurements fell into, I felt that it was a bit big. I made some alterations to my second version to accommodate this, but in the future I think sizing down would be helpful.
My first version was this Blush pink number. I’ve seen some beautiful Spring fashion inspiration floating around mixing this muted shade of pink with light, neutral colors for a clean and airy look. I can’t wait to pull that look into my wardrobe with this piece – I’m thinking beige tops, white jeans, and this perfect spring jacket! To bring this jacket to life, I followed a combination of the provided instructions from Style Arc, this little collar seam tutorial provided by Style Arc, and the awesome sewalong post from Maddie, one of my fellow SewMyStyle project leaders! Truth be told, Maddie’s sewalong post was the most helpful of these three resource. Style Arc’s instructions are straightforward and to the point – there is not much by way of detail or illustrations, and I find that I’m a bit of a visual person when it comes to garment construction. In the end, I was able to whip this lovely thing up, and I’m quite pleased with the result!
I didn’t make any alterations to this version of the pattern, aside from adding top-stitching on either side of the center back seam and on the opposite side of the collar seam from the flat felled seam. I liked the look of it, so I just went to town! I chose to leave all of my edges raw, and it hasn’t bothered me in the least! However, a nice single-fold top stitch hem would’ve looked nice all around, as well, if someone was more nervous about the raw edges!
I was a little nervous when my fabric arrived that it may be a bit too close to my skin tone (a mistake I’ve made in the past with an otherwise awesome stretch suede Ogden cami), so before I actually made it, my husband and I jokingly referred to it as the nakey jacket. In the end though, I think I can pull this color off! If you’re interested in this fabric, I’ve provided my referral link below – full disclosure, if you purchase anything using the link, I get points in my account towards free fabric! I will mention though, that this fabric is only $8.10 / yard right now… Which means you can make a jacket for under $20 that is heavy enough to keep you warm in chilly (but not cold!) temperatures. How’s that for a make it yourself win?
Jacket: handmade by me
Fabric: Rose Rayon Nylon Spandex Stretch Heavy Ponte Roma Fabric from Stylish Fabric
Pattern: Style Arc – Estelle Ponte Jacket
My second Estelle went together in no time at all. Now that I felt confident about the couple of spots I’d needed to walk through slowly the first time around (namely making sure I was matching up the right spots on the collar and shoulders), I made this jacket in about an hour. I did the topstitching in the same manner as with the blush version, though it may have been a waste of time as my light grey thread blends absolutely perfectly into this fabric, making my stitches obsolete!
Due to the arms being a tad wider than I like on the blush version, I also chose to seam my sleeves at ⅝” and then blend back to a ⅜” seam once meeting the underarm seam. I also omitted the pockets on this version. I have them cut out, and may decide to add them in later on if I miss the hands-in-pockets action too much, but I wanted to try out a bit of a sleeker design. This fabric is a bit heavier than the blush pink fabric, and I like the way it hangs quite a bit!
This fabric seems like a nice and easy neutral grey from afar, but if you come closer, you’ll see that it is a teeny grey leopard print! I like that this jacket will match almost anything, but will still give me the pleasure of knowing I’ve added a bit of animal print flair to my outfit. I’m imagining bright colored tops and black skinny jeans with this one in the future!
Jacket: handmade by me
Fabric: Famous Maker Animal Print Nylon Ponte Knit from LA Finch Fabrics
Pattern: Style Arc – Estelle Ponte Jacket
Overall, I’m really happy with this month’s Sew My Style creations. I may even make another, shorter version of the jacket in the future – I’m thinking a cool stretch suede or something neat!
A quick bit of Sew My Style housekeeping – don’t forget to post your Rumana or Estelle by the end of the day today to be eligible to win the monthly prize! You can enter by adding your make to the finished product albums within the Facebook group, or by using hashtag #SewMyStyle2018 on Instagram. The winner will be announced later this week, and will have the pleasure of winning one of Lisa Comfort’s new sewing magazines!
Next month, we’ll be moving along into the warmer months with the Kalle Shirt and Shirtdress pattern by Closet Case Patterns. This one has been on my list for a long time, and I’m super excited that Sew My Style is finally giving me the push I need to get it together! I will be leading the next month’s project, so I’ll be getting a fabric and inspiration post up within the week, and hopefully sharing my Kalle with you soon after.
Did you enjoy this outerwear themed month? I can’t decide if I’ve seen more Estelles or Rumanas! You all have certainly given me plenty of inspiration for my own future Rumana! In the meantime though, I will thoroughly enjoy swanning around in my two weather-appropriate Estelle jackets!
Though the Estelle Ponte Jacket pattern was provided to me as part of the #SewMyStyle2018 leader team, all opinions expressed here are my own, as always!
- XX Elizabeth
Both versions are lovely. I’m a little obsessed with anything blush at the moment, myself, so I think I need that ponte!