Cropped Denim Jacket

Sometimes you just have to let the fabric speak yo you. It knows what it wants to be. And that's exactly what ended up happening with this denim jacket project. What I set out for in the beginning grew into a completely different product in the end. I originally imagined a loose fitting cropped jacket with flowing sleeves. But when I searched through my fabric stash, I came across some leftover denim from another project.  I didn't have much so this could work out for my cropped jacket. Well..... now that changes everything because the denim is way more stiff than my original design.  Almost immediately- I felt a structured jacket was the way to go!  A couple of snips and tucks and this jacket started coming to life. My goal: keep things simple to allow the eyes to be drawn to the clean style lines and defined sleeves. Descrete pockets, a crisp top stitch and covered buttons finish the garment.

What I love most about this jacket is its versatility. Initially it feels dressy but I can easily dress it down with some jeans and a tee.  Throw in a cute clutch and some earrings and I am good to go! That's the beauty of being an artist! YOU can bring your vision to life!!  

Bella Clutch ~ "Grey and Stripe"
Available at www.thegreybutton.com

"Fanned Out" Leather Hand-Painted Earrings in Silver
Available at www.thegreybutton.com

2015 is off to a great start! What projects will you be working on this month to start off the new year?  You can follow my journey as I sew my way through my portfolio and into a brand new wardrobe! I've created a Pinterest board just for my looks and you can also see what I'm up to on Instagram. I'd love to hear from you!  Bye for now buttons!!

Pleated Peplum: Done!

Last week I draped the beginnings to this top with absolutely NO idea what I was going to do with the sleeve.  As you can imagine, whatever I decided to do with the sleeve would determine the entire look of the top and ultimately make or break the design.  No pressure, huh?  Well it always helps me to grasp a look by sketching out all of my options.  It seems to always open up my imagination.  So when I sat down to draw, the first thing that came out was this dramatic sleeve.

I did really like it.......but I still wasn't sure.  And so I asked the question in a few groups on Facebook and I got so many responses.  THANK YOU!!!!     {Side Note:  I love the new sewing groups I am a part of!  Finally a whole community who is on what I'm on!}  I sketched out the top suggestions and put a poll on my website.  Here were the choices:

Over any other design, the majority agreed with me with the dramatic sleeve. Yay!  Now to make it!!!  I have to mention that I did not use any patterns on this entire garment and certainly did not want to start in having to plot out the sleeve on pattern paper.  So I didn't!   Here is the finished top with that amazing sleeve.

 I love it!  I styled it with a pair of turquoise skinnies (is that a word?) and even found a pair of earrings that went perfect!  2015 is going to be fun and this was just the jump start I needed,  If you missed the first part of this project, like the fabric I chose and a look at the pleats click here.