Lekala 4466 in a textured knit

I bought this gorgeous textured knit from my “local” indie fabric store at the same time I picked up the pixel plaid wool.  The pattern I had in mind was Lekala 4466  which is designed for knits and has a shawl collar, princess seams and two piece sleeves.

The original pattern has a binding around the open edges and patch pockets.  I had trouble finding a good binding to match the fabric so I went with a standard sewn seam and added a 4cm hem allowance.  Because of the texture in the fabric, I didn’t topstiched the edges.  The facing and hem was catch stitched to keep it in place.

I did make the pockets. But when I tried on the jacket with them pinned in place, I thought this jacket would look better without them

The construction was fairly straight forward and quick to make.  From laying the fabric to starting to hand stitch the hems in place was about two hours.

The buttonholes have been corded to stop the fabric stretching out.  I did quite a few sample buttonholes using the different buttonhole type on my machine.  The one I used was for moderate weight knits with the cording.

Do you like the buttons?  They are ones I’ve had in my stash for ages and I think they give the jacket a bit of class.

Lekala patterns are drafted to your body measurements.  I did order a pattern preview to check the measurements but made up the jacket without any changes.  I think the fit is pretty good!

Plus a designer knock-off top

This top is my first draft at knocking off a top that I saw.  For the base I’ve used Kwik Sew 2694, view B.  I made changes to the upper bodice – adding a yoke, extending the wrap to the side seam; and adding pleats at the yoke and side seam.  It turned out reasonably well, although there are a couple of changes I’d like to make for the next version.

The photo here makes it look a little boxy, but IRL it has a very flattering shape.

 

One pattern – 3 very different pants

Working out the fit of a pant pattern can be really testing.  Once you’ve done it though, it is very easy to change a few details and get very different results – all without having to worry about the fit.

These three pants are based on my favourite Patrones trouser block.  I’ve already made a lot of variations on the basic design.

Variation 1 – Pull-on Black bengaline pants

I used a stretch bengaline fabric that I got from Style Arc when I was given a membership as a Christmas present.  The fabric was pre-washed because of the rayon content and there was a really scary amount of dye come out of it – even after 3 washes.    It is a fabric I normally wouldn’t buy as I much prefer natural fibres.  But so many people rave about it, I thought I’d give it a go.

For these pants, I combined the waistband with the main piece, extending the darts to the top of the waistline.  The pockets and fly front were omitted.  The waist has elastic and a facing. The seams were stitched an extra 5mm wider to account for the stretch in the fabric.  All very plain and simple looking.

I like the look of the finished pants but I’m not liking the feel of the fabric

Variation 2 – Patch pockets

For this variation I’ve used a stretch cotton sateen in a chocolate-grey.  Ahh, so much nicer than the bengaline!

The pockets have been changed to be a patch pockets.  The front opening is still slanted, but the bottom corner has been rounded.  The back pocket is also rounded, and has a button closure.  To get an even shape, I sewed basting stitches in the seam allowance around the corners.  I made up cardboard templates for the shapes & pulled the basting stitches so the fabric gathered around the curve of the template.

Variation 3 – Cargo pockets with webbing trim

The fabric is a dark red canvas so I was looking for a more casual look.  The pockets are the same as for Variation 2.  Instead of facing the front patch pocket, I’ve used cotton webbing on the front side to enclose the seam and stabilise the opening.  I added the same webbing to the back pockets to give them a cargo pocket look.  I added pocket flaps with snap on the tab.  The photo on the dressform has a more accurate colour

 

 

Lekala 4466 At a Glance:

Pattern	Lekala 4466
Fabric	Textured knit
Difficulty	2/5 – very quick to put together.
End Result	5/5 –  love the final look
Cost	AU $30.