Monday 20 June 2016

Style Arc Estelle Ponte Jacket


This is a fabulous jacket that I have been itching to make for a while now. Megan and Sue have both recently made this jacket and after a long wait the pattern finally arrived from Style Arc and I couldn't wait to get started. (This delay seems to be an Australia Post issue.)


As described on the Style Arc website "This fabulous jacket is not just easy to wear but it is very easy to make. The knee length and the gorgeous waterfall collar makes this jacket a great trans seasonal addition to your wardrobe. A project you can complete in an afternoon."

Style Arc Estelle Ponte Jacket

I had this gorgeous indigo renewal wool ponte purchased from Knitwit with intentions of making some sort of warm jacket. I work in a chilly office and I am determined to make some warmer things to keep me from freezing this winter. At $49.95 a metre I was nervous of making a wadder, but after doing lots of research and knowing that Style Arc patterns generally fit my body shape quite well, and that this was a loose fit style, I went ahead and cut a size 12.



And I am very happy with the result. These photos were taken in a rush this morning just before I left for work. I am wearing it with a Colette Mabel Skirt and a Deer and Doe Plantain Tee. I can see it working with lots of other things in my wardrobe too, and after wearing it today I am happy to say it was warm and comfortable...just what I needed.


This is a photo I posted on IG on Saturday night, with all the edges left raw. The general consensus was to leave the edges raw, which both Megan and Sue have done. I left it overnight but Sunday morning I decided to finish off those raw edges. It just didn't look right or feel right to me, left like this. Even though I had used a rotary cutter and the edges were quite neat, they were not perfect.


The instructions say to sew the seams as "flat seams". This means sew the seam, then trim away the left seam allowance, then turn the right seam allowance over the cut away left seam and stitch the seam allowance down. This creates a nice flat seam, similar to a flat felled seam, without tucking the raw edge under. Can you spot the huge mistake I made in the photo above? Yes, I sewed the back collar seam inside out so that the raw edge is visible when the collar is folded down. I was too far into the construction before I realised my error...but I think I can live with it.


I deliberated long and hard about how to finish off the raw edges. The ponte is quite bulky and I could see it would be difficult to do a neat job of turning a 1cm hem twice and stitching. I quite like the look of the flat seams on the inside so I embraced this look and simply turned a 12mm hem in a single fold and stitched very close to the raw edge. Although this is quite a simple technique, it took me ages to accurately measure, press and pin the entire edge of this jacket. I knew this finish would only work if it was done very neatly and I am very happy with the result.


With the waterfall front on this jacket the wrong side shows below the turn of the lapels. If I continued to turn the hem the same way around the bottom edge of the jacket, the wrong side would be showing, so I decided to switch directions at the bottom front corners. You can see this corner in the photo above. I trimmed a square from the corner to remove some bulk and I used some Vliesofix-bondaweb-tape to help hold them securely. This resulted in a nice neat corner.


I finished the sleeve hems exactly the same way, which meant I didn't lose too much length, and they visually match the rest of the jacket.


Above is a shot of the inside showing the flat seams at the shoulder and armhole and also the wrong side of the lapel edge finish.


And another inside shot showing the in seam pocket. I finished off the side seams with the overlocker because it was late and I was getting tired and I couldn't think how to do flat seams with the pockets.

This jacket took me much longer than an afternoon to construct, but if you leave the edges raw it is an easy and quick sew. I am so glad I spent the extra time finishing the edges...to me it was well worth it.

Happy Sewing


32 comments:

  1. Such a beautiful jacket, Jean. The colour is glorious and the finish is perfect. I just love it!

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    1. Thanks for your lovely comment Kathy. This is one of my favourite garments at the moment.

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  2. I love this jacket! Beautiful! I love the shape of the collar and the colour is gorgeous :)

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    1. Thanks Hana. The collar is quite generous and drapes very well. I love the colour too.

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  3. Nicely done Jean. The color is gorgeous on you! Your hems look wonderful...I wouldn't have been able to leave them raw either! :)

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    1. I must be a bit "old school" but raw edges just seem wrong. The hems added that bit of extra substance that I felt was needed. Thank you Meigan.

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  4. Looks lovely in that wool. Perfect match of fabric and pattern. Love the edge treatment as well.

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    1. Thank you Vicki. The wool ponte was great to work with and has created a lovely warm jacket.

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  5. That fabric is so stunning and your jacket looks beautiful. I wondered what you would decide about the raw edges. I'm pleased you were able to finish them without affecting the look or drape. That method gives a really neat finish. Great job!

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    1. I ordered this fabric online from Knitwit...so I was taking a big gamble on it being great. So glad it paid off. It was a lot of extra work finishing the edges but I am so pleased with the result so it was well worth it. I have just cut out another one in a ponte from Style Arc (not wool) so I will see how that works out. Thanks for your lovely comment Megan.

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  6. It looks fantastic and the fabric is lovely.

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    1. Thank you Andrea. I thoroughly recommend the fabric...renewal wool ponte from Knitwit in the colour indigo. It's also also available in charcoal and black.

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  7. This is just beautiful Jean Margaret including all your seams and that colour!!! . I love it and you look sooooo stylish in it.

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  8. Oh my! It's perfectly sewn!!! I love it!

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    1. Thank you very much Nakisha. I did take my time with this one and it has paid off.

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  9. Beautiful jacket, and it looks like we're in for some chilly days, so just in time too. The raw edge thing is something I'm debating now with Style Arc Elita. I'm leaning toward embracing the raw, as wrong as it feels, because I want to wear it on Sunday! I've had long waits too for Style Arc patterns from Melbourne :(

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    1. Thank you Paola. Being wool it is lovely and warm and I'm sure it will get a lot of wear over the next few weeks. Good luck with your Elita. I look forward to seeing what you decide. I think Australia Post is causing the delay in receiving patterns from Style Arc. It's so annoying as I hate taping pdf's together and would much rather receive the printed pattern.

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  10. What a great shade of blue! Estelle looks really classy and sophisticated, thank you for showing us how to hem it.

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    1. The indigo is a lovely colour. Thanks for your great comment Ebi.

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  11. Sounds like the perfect jacket and love the colour on you. Great idea to finish off the edges.

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    1. This is such a simple pattern and it creates a lovely jacket for little effort (unless you decide to finish the edges). Thanks for your nice comment Sharon.

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  12. What a glorious colour. Such a beautifuljob on this coat, although I'm team raw edges, the way you've finished this is excellent.

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    1. I love the indigo blue too Barbara. I have just cut out another Estelle in a ponte from Style Arc. I may leave the edges raw...we'll see. Thank you.

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  13. Jean, this is really beautiful! Thanks for all the photos detailing your work! I LOVE this!

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    1. Thanks Sue. I'm glad you enjoyed the details.

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  14. Absolutely beautiful! Your pink scarf really sets it off nicely.

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    1. Thank you Ann. I do love a bit of colour in my wardrobe.

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  15. What a beautiful waterfall cardigan jacket. With such a lovely quality of fabric you did the right thing by hemming the edges - I'm not a fan of unfinished edges, they just look cheap and unfinished, but then I suppose that is my taste. Still, I think for a quality fabric, a good finish is essential. And this style also shows your lovely sewing skills.

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    1. This fabric did deserve a quality finish and I am very happy with the result. Thank you so much Sarah Liz for your lovely comment.

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  16. Thank you for the detailed review. Love this blue on you.

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    1. Thanks Sue. Looking forward to wearing it again soon, now the days are getting cooler.

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