Sewing Spring Outerwear Part 4

In Part Four we continue with the Spring Outerwear theme with a look at the Regency period with Shari Fuller...My interest in Rouleaux trim was piqued when I saw examples of it used on Spencer jackets from the Regency Era. It amazed me how such a simple cord made from leftover bits of fabric could turn a simple jacket into a bespoke piece of art. After trying my hand at Rouleaux trim on Keepers 1910s Holiday Coat, I really wanted to apply this technique to a doll-size Spencer so I decided it was time to make up the Keepers Dolly Duds Regency Spencer pattern that I had sitting in my project queue.After going through my fabric stash, I found a smart wool tweed and a pink cotton velveteen that I thought would look great made up as a spencer, but they were a little heavier in weight than a quilting cotton, so I was a little concerned that they would be too bulky for the gathered sections on the jacket. Since this was a new pattern I was working on, I decided I should give them a try to see how they worked. My favorite fabrics for this this project however, were some lightweight cotton sateens I had picked up a while back. They have been sitting in my stash waiting for just the right project. The satiny finish looks quite elegant and the lightweight cotton make them super easy to work with. For a jacket lining, I like a fabric that gives a pleasant surprise when it is taken off. Just about any smooth lightweight fabric can be used for a lining, but silky fabrics work best since they make it easier to slide the jacket on and off.While searching through my stash, I came across a bag full of silk ties I had picked up at the thrift store a while back. I thought the prints had a certain Regency appeal and would give my Spencers that bit of the unexpected I like in a lining.But would there be enough fabric in a tie to line my Spencer? A standard tie doesn't look all that large, but if you have never dissected a tie before, you may be surprised at how much fabric they are made up from! Shari's Tips For Working With Silk Ties:I carefully took my ties apart to preserve as much of the fabric as I could and then steam pressed them flat.One thing to note, ties are cut on the bias, so when you lay out the pattern pieces, be sure they follow the grainlines. Start by laying out the sleeve linings at the widest section of the tie. This is the largest piece in the pattern and if the tie is large enough for the sleeve, it should be large enough for the rest of the lining pieces from this Spencer pattern.I cut the pieces one at a time so I could make the most of every square inch of fabric.Once all the lining pieces were cut out, I simply sewed up the Spencer following the pattern instructions.I am quite delighted with these linings, and now that the Spencers are finished, I can turn my attention to the outside and apply some Rouleaux trim! I could probably make trim with the velveteen and the wool tweed, but because the fabric is a little heavier I would have to handsew it to get it as narrow as I would like, so I am just going to do the sateen jacket for now. I started by sketching out a simple design on the front pattern piece. Some of the original designs I saw were incredibly complex and although I think it would be fun to try my hand at one of them... I think I should pace myself and get a little more adept with this technique first.Once I figured out the design, I carefully transferred it to the jacket using a fabric pen. It is a little awkard transferring the design to the completed jacket, so if your design doesn't go across any seamlines you can transfer your design before you sew it up. Because I applied the Roulleaux trim after assembling the Spencer I wasn't able to tuck the ends of the trim in the seamlines, so I trimmed them neatly and tucked them inside the tube with the point of my seamripper, and whipstitched them closed.I had planned to use just the Spencer fabric for the Roulleaux trim, but I had some leftover tie fabric. Since ties are cut on the bias, they are perfect for making bias cut trims and I thought a second color would add a bit of panache to my trim design.I'm really happy with how this project turned out, but now all my thrifted ties are gone. This project has inspired a few other ideas I could use ties for so I'm going to have to do a little thrifting to replenish my stash!One last note about this pattern... there are tiny thread loops for the buttons mentioned in the instructions. If you'd like to see a hands on tutorial for this technique you can see that below:

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