It’s All in the Details: When You Sew Your Own Clothes

I love a great detail on a garment. It could be special top-stitching, a bias-cut sleeve vent or (and this may be my favourite kind of detail) a great button or six. What I’ve noticed, though, is that many ready-to-wear pieces lack these details. Sure, you can order some great buttons from your favourite online artisan and replace them, but I think it’s even better if you can design those details yourself when you’re sewing.

Over the years, I’ve tried to make some of my pieces unique.

This year, since I’ve been spending a great deal more time writing new books than sewing, I managed only a few pieces. One of the ones I’ve been most proud of is the jean-style jacket I made for my husband recently. I found this McCall’s pattern last fall …

… and asked my husband if he’d like to choose his own fabric. So, we took a (long) walk downtown to Queen Street West here in Toronto (the fabric district) and wandered in and out of a few shops until he found what he wanted—a grey-mix twill.

I have to admit that I’ve been spending a lot of my time sewing with silks and knits in recent years, and this was by far the stiffest, thickest one I’ve encountered in a long time. But I’m nothing if not willing to take on a new sewing adventure.

I began the project by creating a muslin. There was no way I was sewing this for my husband without knowing it would fit well. So, about those details …

As you can see on the pattern, it has four patch pockets, each of which has a flap and a button. To make the details even more interesting, the pattern designer set one on its side.

I asked my husband if he liked all the pockets since it seemed to me to be quite busy. Surprisingly, he liked them, so I made up the muslin with the pockets. What we discovered (the beauty of making a test garment) was that the sideways pocket with its flap and button looked like too much. So, I removed it and put it back on at an angle with no flap and voila! We had a new detail that we all liked better. Once we had it fitted well, it was time to move on with the creation.

I started by washing my 4 X 4-inch sample. I discovered that it washed well but didn’t dry well, so I prepped the fabric by washing it and hanging it to dry. Step one done.

I started with seam finish and top-stitching samples. I also tried my walking foot (which didn’t work well) and my quarter-inch foot. In the midst of all this, I discovered that there is such a thing as a quarter-inch foot with a guide, and I was ecstatic.

I immediately ordered one, and it made for the most accurate topstitching I could imagine. I also managed perfectly matched seams (I must have been under the magic spell of the sewing godmother!).

In the end, the pockets and the buttons added just the details that made this jacket something different—something special. And, what’s even better, my husband loves it!

Happy sewing!