Throwback Thursday #24 - Jackets

This is the last TBT for 2019 and most likely the last one as an official linky party. I still plan to write up and document my pre-blogging quilts, so you may see these posts still in 2020. Thank you to those of you who have pulled out and photographed and written up the story on your older quilts, and thank you to Andrée of Quilting & Learning - What a Combo! who has hosted every other month this year, and who is hosting December's party.

Wow, it seems just a couple of months ago we were still recovering and reminiscing about Dayna and Tyler's wedding, making plans for me to go for Christmas to Brianne and Brady's, and getting excited to go to Mérida, Mexico in January. How can twelve months have flown by so fast?

I've wanted to write up these jackets for some time, but I either forget about them or I spy another older quilt I write about. So at last, here is the quilted jackets post. These go back to the early 2000s.

As you may recall, I was a garment and home décor sewer/sewist from the age of 11/12 when I was allowed to use my mum's old green Kenmore machine; prior to that I'd sewed by hand and knitted. When my friend LuEllen and I happened upon a pattern for a quilted jacket, we decided, on one of our quilt shop hops (we'd do them together for a couple of days in the summer, and sometimes for a day trip), to start collecting flannels to make the jacket. Then we got together, something we did on a regular basis in our school breaks (she was a teacher too) and sewed. This was the first one we did.

It needed fat quarters and quarter yard cuts. Here is the back:

At least three quarters, maybe more, of our fabrics we chose were the same. We wanted a fall vibe.

I bought a beautiful flannel-backed satin at Fabricland which I used for the lining. All the seams of the lining are French for a beautiful finish. You can just see part of one side seam in the photo below on the light fabric.

When I was photographing this, I thought, what kind of quilting motif is that? Upon closer inspection, I saw that I had done two meanders, in two different threads, both Sulky, one burgundy rayon and the other a rust metallic. You might be able to see in the photo below:

The lower sleeves, collar and edges were all bound with a bias binding. It was applied as for a quilt, stitching the double-fold to the front by machine and hand-stitching it down on the back. I decided to model this one for you!

It's a boxy fit as you see. Popping the collar gives it a bit of a pizzazz.😜 Speaking of pizzazz, I got new glasses last month, and I really like them. They have a bit deeper of a frame and this makes the reading part of the progressive lens that much larger, and so I have been enjoying not taking them off or peeking underneath them to thread a needle or a sewing machine!

From there, we found this next pattern, and collected eggplant and black cotton fabrics to make this jacket. We liked the monotone look of this one. I don't think I have these patterns anymore so I can't tell you whose they are.

I really went to town on this one, using several different fancy threads, variegated ones and a black wild very thick one that I used in the bobbin. I think it was one you could knit along with yarn to give a sweater that added bling. It actually sits on top of the fabric, it's that thick! The variegated silver and black one you see bottom right is a cool thread, polyester or rayon as it has a beautiful sheen to it. I would stitch a flowing line and then use an appliqué-style zigzag to go back over it. It was one of the details the designer had in her pattern. I should revisit that on a quilt methinks.... I always got a ton of compliments when I wore this jacket.

The sleeves and back are a beautiful soft Minky-like, but low pile, plum jersey knit. It's of high quality and has worn exceedingly well. I cannot for the life of me recall where we got it. Again the edges and sleeves are bound with a scrappy bias binding as for a quilt. It's a shorter jacket than the first one.

For Christmas that year I made one in off-whites and creams for my sister-in-law, Sue. I'd found a beautiful Minky-like ivory knit at Fabricland that I thought would make great sleeves and back. She loved it. She told me she wore it to her Christmas party and got a ton of compliments! I later made myself one and I love this one as much as the purple one.

The jersey knit for this jacket is a little shinier than the purple one. It is really similar to Minky. Maybe the purple has some cotton in it? This one has worn just as well as the purple. I used some fancy stitches on my Bernina on this one. The jackets are all quilted onto a muslin foundation without batting. You make three strata, one for the back and two for the fronts. Once the rectangles are quilted, you cut out the actual pattern.

Many much-loved fabrics here: Jennifer Sampou's birch trees, some batiks, one heart from a scrap of a fabric used in my second kaleidoscope quilt...

The final jacket we made together is this black hoodie. Again, we collected fabrics over the course of several shop hops (such fun!) and our jackets are very similar. We used a jersey which closely resembled the purple one, but it isn't as good quality; it has pilled a bit and feels less stable. Still, it has worn well.

This one had really fabulous quilting all over it, more than on any of the others. I used a variety of crazy threads, both gold and silver Sulky Holoshimmer metallic, a Sulky variegated rayon, and a thicker metallic one that I don't know anymore what brand, but it's the one used in the fancy leaf stitch. I couched a ribbon-like 'thread' all over the jacket as well, and used some more of that thick black thread from the purple jacket. This one has front pockets, very handy.

Here's the back:

I took this one to Florida on our first trip in 2004, and again on several trips after that. It's the perfect December jacket to have down there in the evenings.

Last year I did a Marie Kondo on my wardrobe, and I got rid of a ton of stuff. However, these four jackets, although I rarely wear them, and haven't worn the first patchwork one in over seven years, will stay with me. They don't 'spark joy' as in I want to wear them all the time, but they will stay with me for some time yet. They evoke memories of pleasant, joy-filled times, collecting fabrics, sewing together, and bonding.

Linking up
Throwback Thursday at Quilting & Learning-What a Combo!