Star Quality
By Stephanie Corina Goddard
Create a luxurious boiled-wool jacket with hand-sewn accents.
Boiled-wool fabric has a luxurious drape and a soft, spongy texture. Although cut and sewn as a woven fabric, boiled wool is actually machine-knit yardage that's been radically transformed by shrinking. Traditionally, the edges and hems of boiled-wool garments are finished with binding. This single-layer construction eliminates bulk and conserves yardage. Cut edges are self-healing and don't roll, so there's no need to clean-finish seam allowances.
MATERIALS
- Kwik Sew 3116, or other unlined, dartless jacket pattern with bound edges,
- Boiled wool, with matching trim and yarn
- Heavy-duty, separating, plastic sport zipper slightly longer than jacket center front
- Pattern tracing material
- Fusible stay tape
- Chalk fabric marker
- Tapestry needle
- Seam sealant
- 1/4"-wide basting tape
- Zipper foot, walking foot (optional)
Pattern Options
Make a muslin of the pattern to test both fit and garment length. If bust shaping is preferred, choose a princess-seam garment rather than one with darts that can interrupt the appliqué patterning.
To modify a pattern with hems and facings, trim off the neckline and front-opening seam allowances, and shorten the front, back and sleeve pattern pieces to the desired finished length.
To convert a button-front pattern to a bound-edge, zip-front closure, trim the pattern on the center-front line. Square off the upper and lower edges of the center-front opening (1).
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