The completion of Garment #1 was delayed due to the recent death of my mother-in-law, Elizabeth Neuburger. “Lib” lived to the age of 92 and remained young at heart until the end. Though boating was her passion later in life, she sewed beautifully and especially loved to needlepoint. Our family has a treasure of beautiful Christmas stockings and lovely smocked dresses that cannot be bought anywhere. This post is dedicated to Lib.
Greetings 
Well, here it is, the first of 40. In approximately 345 days, I’ll be celebrating the new 40 with 40 new garments made by moi. I’m beginning the challenge with Butterick 6103.
I’ve made only one lined jacket during my four years and four months of blogging which was under the guidance of Susan Khalje. While I adore the jacket, it took 100 hours to complete and I’ve never had the urge to make another jacket until now.
I knew the pattern’s princess seams would allow for easy alterations to easily achieve a flattering fit, and couldn’t possibly take 100 hours to sew.
Not only did I need a jacket to pull a few basics together……. I needed some color to combat the winter drabs!
Mood Fabric’s Green on Black Polka Dotted Polyester Jacquard caught my eye online but nearly blinded me when I opened the package! (more colors here)
I began with View C featuring the long draped back, but switched to a more fitted silhouette 3 seconds afters seeing this photo of the muslin. Donald Duck, perhaps?
Much better!
I truly enjoyed the construction process of this garment. Because I know so little about tailoring and jacket construction, I kept the instructions close at hand along with the 1980 edition of The New Vogue Sewing Book. Rather than attach the jacket and lining (minus the arms) in one fell swoop, I broke it into manageable sections. The Vogue sewing book recommends starting at the center of the collar, attaching 1/2 at a time to prevent slipping and shifting.
Attach lining and collar starting in the center of the collar
Once the collar and lining were stitched together, I continued and stitched the neckline and front facings to the lining. Before sewing the lower edge and lining together, I turned the garment to check for symmetry in the notched collar as well as checking the jacket length before continuing.
Stitch lower edges after checking the collar symmetry and jacket length.
The sleeve lining was attached to the lower edge of the sleeve, then slipstitched to the shoulder. I love this method as it reduces stress points in the lining.
Lining attached at lower edge of sleeve.
…then slipstitched to shoulder
To turn the jacket into a festive winter garment, I trimmed the jacquard using a black velvet on the upper collar and front facing….
…and added black sleeve cuffs.
I’m also digging the pockets of this pattern 
So, #1 is complete, and though it may not be as finely tailored as Hubby’s, it’s added a new dimension to my wardrobe in both style and color.
Happy December to all!
Until soon.