My Lightweight Jackets for a California Climate

California lives up to the hype of its Mediterranean climate, along with its temperate forests in the North, arid deserts in the interior, and snowy alpine regions in the mountains. We boast beautiful beaches, spectacular cityscapes, and millions of acres of the richest farm land in the world. We call ourselves the Golden State, famous for our golden sunsets, beautiful poppies, and of course, our dry wild grasses that take over the landscape in the summer.

We rarely see a savage winter and for the most part, we don't need heavy wool or down clothing for everyday wear. Unless we are enjoying the ski season in the mountains, our outerwear tends to be lighter in weight. For those of us who call the Bay Area home, we are even more blessed with mild weather for much of the year. We can wear sweaters and jackets all year round instead of the heavy coats so necessary in the Northeast.

I love picking out fabrics that will work in all seasons and with layering. Linen is one of our favorite fabrics for clothing, and with the variety of weights and textures that have become available at Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics, there are many choices for jackets. Linen is one of the oldest fabrics and is great layered over other fabrics such as ikat, silk, rayon, and more.

Be sure to use the tried and true linen prep recommended by Sandra Betzina before cutting out your pattern.

Tip for Pre-treating Linen

If you want your linen to wrinkle a lot less, do the following: 

• Before you preshrink, iron the linen with the hottest dry iron possible to set a wrinkle-less finish.

• Next, throw in a little detergent and wash and dry in the hottest water and hottest dryer you have. 

• Take out of the dryer when close to bone dry. 

• You will notice that smaller softer wrinkles have replaced the hard crease sometimes associated with linen.

Before ironing and washing...

After...fabric has soft "wrinkles" so attractive in 
natural fibers and ready for ironing.

Three's a Charm Jacket

Some patterns are timeless. We come back to them time and time again in our wardrobes.  Decades of Style's Three's a Charm Jacket has a cropped silhouette, perfect for our California weather.  We've  previously made it up in our denim & eyelet. This Spring we used beautiful Indian Kantha cloth - it expresses the side of me that loves organic, natural fibers with a handcrafted feel.

So gorgeous in a denim novelty - this pattern can be dressed up or down and is perfect for layering!

The Sapporo Coat

The Sapporo Coat by Papercut Patterns is among our favorite lightweight jackets when made unlined.  We love its simple lines...and of course the pockets!

 

Kochi Kimono Jacket

Another Papercut Pattern favorite is the Kochi Kimono Jacket. It's a very fast make, even for beginners.  We have chosen Cotton Ikats (shown here), linen (shown below), soft rayons,  wool, and even cotton flannel to make this versatile must-make jacket.

Merchant & Mills' Strand Coat

Linen is perfect for the Merchant and Mills Strand Coat...

Pilvi Coat

And if you need just a little more warmth for the colder days, why not try a Pilvi coat by Lotta Jansdotter? We've made this coat several times in 100% boiled wool (really warm if it's lined) as well as unlined versions in boiled wool blends.

The Cocoon Jacket

Transition pieces in the Spring and Fall can be as simple as a sweater knit cardigan.  The Cocoon Jacket by Jalie Patterns is easy to make and super cuddly, for work or play — it just keeps the chill off.

In the end, it's all abut finding patterns that work for you and the weather outside. Many of the indie patterns that we feature in our blogs are versatile and can be made with fabrics that are lightweight, as well as heavier for added warmth. And if you are a more intermediate sewist, many of them can be lined as well.  

Laurel's Kochi Kimono

Laurel and I love our handmade wardrobes and each other!

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There have been a lot of changes this year. Through the ups and downs and challenges of life, I am so grateful for the people in my life that support me and my store. Lauren and I just got back from a fabulous buying trip to Quilt Market up in Portland where we got to buy all the pretty fabrics and deepen our relationships with all the fun folks in our industry. It's such a profound joy to share this with her and the other members on our team. Through this next generation of fabric lovers, I am finding great hope for the art of sewing garments and for Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics.

At Quilt Market in Portland with
Lauren and Mr. Domestic!

I have been feeling the shift back to garment sewing for many years, but thanks to these amazing women who work tirelessly to grow our online presence, we now are feeling how much our quality fabric and store is appreciated around the United States and the world. This last month of celebrating our community of indie pattern lovers over on Instagram and Me Made May was so much fun. If you are not on Instagram yet, I urge you to come on over and join the fun. We are all sharing and supporting each other like never before.

Our amazing management team at STM&D from left to right:
Catherine, Lauren, Liz, Me (Suzan), and Olivia
All working on social media, website, and all
the orders coming through daily!

A big shout out to my father and founder of Stonemountain & Daughter as we get closer to Father's Day. I love you Dad and it's been an amazing journey with you. Looking forward to many more years of love and fabric.

Celebrating with you!

Suzan Steinberg

Owner, Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics

In Berkeley California

fabriclady3@gmail.com

I would love to hear from you!

The One-Hour Wonder...and More!

Women are busy people.  Between working, holiday plans, self-care, volunteering, taking care of kiddos and/or parents (or in my case a kitty and husband), running errands, exercising, preparing meals, and shopping we are challenged to find balance. We may love to read a good book, but we don't always feel that we have the luxury of just sitting. We may want to go out at the end of a busy day, but frankly, we're already beat from the the day's activities. For me, maintaining a regular exercise routine and eating healthy is important. I'm so lucky to work in a fabric store where lifting and walking are a part of my day, but I do try to get to the gym when I can.

For those of us who sew, we are especially challenged and could use more hours in the day.  Our list of me-made projects keeps growing faster than we can execute.  All that fabric wants to be made up! And if we get a day to actually sit down to sew, it's a real treat. So naturally, we want to actually finish a garment. Quilters often get great enjoyment, one block at a time - it's usually a long-term project that can done in bite-size pieces, if they only have a free hour to sew.

As sewing time is a treasure, think about planning ahead for your next block of free-time. Start by picking a pattern that you can finish in one sitting - something relatively simple.  After all, "finishing" is much more fun than just "starting".

Taking time to look through our binders for each Indie Pattern line we carry!

For instance, think about one of the T-shirt patterns from Jalie Patterns.  If ever there was a one-hour wonder, it's this short sleeve turtleneck. Any of our stretchier knits will be perfect!

Look at all the options with this Jalie 2805!

Choose a knit with 4-way stretch. Assuming you have a serger, all the seams are serged together, even the attachment of the sleeves and the turtleneck collar. We also used a twin needle to hem the sleeves and the bottom edge. If you don't own a serger, then just use a tiny zig-zag or stretch stitch. - it's still a quick make.

One-hour wonder!

Jalie 2805 - I highly recommend this pattern!

If you have a couple of hours planned, then why not try a Kochi Kimono jacket?  This pattern by Papercut is another simple design - a boxy cropped jacket with or without pockets. 

Paper Cut Pattners new Kochi Kimono - of my dreams!

 Woven fabrics tend to be easier to handle for some sewists, so we chose an ikat. (I know what a surprise, right?!)

Two-hour perfection! Hmmmm...so many possibilities with this Kimono, yeah?

We added pockets cut on the bias!

I'm not the only one who fell in love with this jacket!
Catherine looks fantastic in it and has already finished one of her own!
You can follow her on Instagram @threadsnips

Or you could make one of my new favorite patterns by Grainline Studio, the Hadley top.  Most of the timing issues for the Hadley depends on the fabric you pick. Finer, silkier fabrics (which would work up beautifully in a Hadley) take more time as they tend to be slippery and harder to handle.  If time is of the essence, then chose a fabric such as cotton, silk noil,  or other sturdy woven fabric.  

Hadley Top - love both necklines!

We chose a silk noil which is very easy to manipulate, but it adds a certain luxury to your wardrobe. Do any of you remember how popular silk noil was a few years back? There are so many colors and possibilities for this great silk - the people's silk!

Two-hour perfection! 

My fabulous Hadley Top out of Silk Noil

Hint: Don't forget to IRON silk noil on the inside of the garment to avoid scorching the fabric...thought we'd show the inside of the Hadley.

Inside out, she's a beauty!

If you have a whole day to sew (lucky you!!!), then you can chose a pattern with a little more detail or a finer/softer fabric, such as a rayon challis, cotton lawn, or silk.  Sew House Seven's Tea House Dress is a favorite, and if you're a faster than average sewist, it might take three hours to complete. 

We chose a very soft rayon print for this dress, and as Laurel would say, "making it that much more exciting to sew!" She's kidding of course, as softer fabrics take a little more time to work with, but making this dress out of a rayon or silk fabric is SO worth it.

Three-hour + masterpiece! 

Tea House Dress out of a lovely rayon!

Our Indie pattern designers have whole collections of one, two and three hour makes.  The trick is to plan a project ahead of time, so when that me-time window comes around you are already to go.  Cutting out patterns ahead of time also cuts down on sewing time.  Laurel keeps a stash of ready-to-go projects in her cabinet, so that when the creative urge strikes, she's already half way there.

Whatever your preparation methods are, good planning will ensure a richer sewing experience. Some sewists keep diaries and project planners, complete with drawings, fabric swatches and detailed notes on me-makes that they want to tackle when they get that extra free-time.

Check out this amazing sewing planner to help catalyze your sewing this year! The Colette Sewing Planner is amazing and fully shown in a blog earlier this year by Lauren, one of the managers and buyers at Stonemountain!

The Colette Sewing Planner! Read about it on the Stonemountain Blog!

We at Stonemountain & Daughter just want you to enjoy the sewing experience, whatever your strategy might be. Picking out patterns and fabrics can be a real zen-time for you and we want to feel free to take all the time you need, browsing, touching, asking questions, etc. in the store.

There is nothing better than picking up a fabric, "trying it on" and feeling it!

And by all means, bring in your me-mades to share with us. You inspire me and our community!
What story are your clothes telling? What fabric and style are you ready to create with? This is the time we have been waiting for - great indie patterns, interesting fabric, and a community catalyzed by them being made and worn!

Peace, Love, Prosperity, and Collaboration
Suzan

Great times with Laurel and Sonya at our recent "Pants Party"!
Celebrating the amazing contribution and patterns of 100 Acts of Sewing
You can follow Laurel on Instagram @laurelsquill and Sonya @100actsofsewing,
and of course me, @fabriclady3
Remember to hashtag #stonemountainfabric on your me-mades :)

One of our front windows on our store!