Carpenter's Jacket

I recently bought Built by Wendy, Coats and Jackets by Wendy Mullin and was inspired by the Carpenter's Jacket. I bought some bargain fabric from Fabricland in Southampton in a sort of milk chocolate colour and a contrasting sugar pink. The fabric feels like suede but it's very thin and soft however it was easy to handle and let me make a good attempt at a jacket.

 I did the collar and slanted welt pockets in the pink. I had wondered if this would look good with a belt but realised too late that it would cover the top of the pockets. You may wonder why I placed them so high in the first place but this was because I like deep pockets that nothing is going to fall out of so naturally they need to start highish to get the depth.

 I did have to modify the pattern quite a bit as I didn't want patch pockets and the neckline on all the basic patterns in the book are too low for me. I like a jacket or coat to be up round my neck comfortably so re-drafted the front, back and top of raglan sleeves to do this.

Close up of Collar

I found some brown buttons that were just the right size for the look I wanted and used pink thread to do the buttonholes as a small feature.

 This is my first attempt at lining a jacket and I must admit I learned a lot in doing it. I mitred the corners at the hem and had to study a couple of You Tube videos to get the hang of making them.

I have enough fabric left over to make a pair of trousers so maybe that's my next project.

It's my birthday on Monday and I've bought myself an Electric bike to celebrate. We are going to take our Motorhome down to Gosport for the weekend as there are plenty of traffic free cycle paths around the peninsular so I can gain some confidence. I must admit the experience is a little scary to start with and as my previous cycling career included me falling into a canal, I aim to take things carefully.

Have you got an electric bike? Do you have any suggestions for traffic free cycling in the South East of England? Let me know.