The Red Suit - Introduction

I appreciate all of you nice comments on my recent jacket! Thank you!

I finally get to start my red suit! The fabric is a red suiting which came from Gratacos in Barcelona by way of Paco. In the photo below, the fabric looks like a print, but it is actually a textured woven fabric. You will be seeing more of it in the weeks to come, so there will be better photos of the texture. I've bought red Ambiance Bemberg rayon for lining and matching thread so far. I have not purchased buttons yet because I need to find ones that I like. I did not find anything suitable at Jo-ann's, and I need to go back to look at Martin's again. If I don't find anything there, I think I will need to make a trip to Windsor Button in Boston. That should be a fun adventure for the children next week when they are on winter vacation.

The pattern I will be using is BWOF 1/08 #127, shown below, photos from Burda's website.

This is such a lovely suit and I think it will be perfect for this fabric. This suit was even designed to be cut on the cross-wise grain of the fabric, which is how I intended to cut it when I first took a look at the fabric.

So far, my jacket muslin is almost complete. I will finish up putting in the other sleeve tonight along with the shoulder pads and start fitting tomorrow. Right away, I know I'll need to make at least three changes: shorten the body length, shorten the sleeves and shorten that shoulder seam. Just by looking at the shoulder seam I can tell it will be too long, and with a previous experience fresh in my mind, I think I'll fix it *before* mostly finishing the garment! Fortunately for me, this jacket has princess seams that extend from the shoulder to the hem, making the alteration very easy.

I'm excited about this suit - it is my favorite color and a great style. I just hope I can do the fabric justice. BTW, if any one can think of a better name than The Red Suit, please feel free to suggest it. I've got a few ideas, but they're not hitting me quite right, so I'll call it The Red Suit until something better comes along.

Tomorrow there will be a Rabbit Report!

Parting Shot: For the Birds. My son made a popcorn heart at his Valentine's Day party at school last week with popcorn, wire and red ribbon. He hung it in a bush so that the birds could have a treat, too.