The Making of Lorelle's Black and Purple Wool Jacket part 2

I must confess, this isn't really a "making of", but I wanted to show you the finished product to the last post, which was The Making of Lorelle's Black and Purple Coat.

So here it is. Doesn't Lorelle look great!? I love it how she paired it with a pair of black pants, but brightened it up with a blue mosaic printed bow tie blouse (the pants and the blouse are all Penelope Red too!).

The lady has style!




As you can see, the brocade is outlined throughout the jacket with piping in purple.

The jacket was made from a black wool twill (with a tiny bit of elastane for comfort), a vintage floral brocade in black, blue and purple, and fully lined with a purple silk.

It is so great to see this design being worn by its owner in such a fun way!

The Penelope Red Black Latin Bolero Jacket

I have been busy making a few more handmade winter pieces for the markets recently, and I wanted to show you this brand new style, the Penelope Red Black Latin Bolero! I call it "Latin" as, for some reason, when I tried this style on, I thought the cream appliquéd lace gave it a very Spanish type of feel.



Sometimes my designs come to me at the most unusual times... when I am sleeping and I dream it; when I am cooking or walking; basically when my mind is somewhat shut off from the constant design process. I guess you could say they are like instant snap shots that kind of appear in my brain for a split second, then disappear. I usually can't do anything else until I draw the idea on paper.

This design came to me in one of those moments!



Above, cutting out the black jacquard wool fabric.



Next, I cut out the interfacing. The whole bolero is interfaced. A much better finish, and it will be much more durable.


Above, sewing the sleeve together.


I apply my Penelope Red label to the inside back facing.


I used silk lining for these jackets. The size 8 and 12 have black silk lining, the size 10 has pale blue silk lining.


I love the lace I used on these jackets! It is a very Art Deco styled lace- the lace I used for my wedding dress! I had a fair amount of it left, and I had been looking for the right design to use the rest in... so here it is.


I applied the lace in parts to the centre front, the shoulder seam, the sleeve hem and the centre back.



It was lucky that I could use the machine to appliqué all of the cream lace pieces on.


Above, clipping and trimming the seams- I do this on every seam!


Attaching the lining and facing to the main outer side.






The lace on the sleeve cuff/hem.

I will hopefully have some nice elegant photos of this design in the next week or two, and will add it to my etsy shop soon. I currently have a few bolero's already in the Penelope Red etsy shop, so please take a look, and visit again soon!