FabricLady: Sapporo Coat

Showing posts with label Sapporo Coat. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 5, 2018

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!

Friday, March 30, 2018

Breaking the Mold with Sewing Your Destiny Wardrobe

I came from a family of mold breakers.
Dad rebelled against traditional sales in fabric business and opened up a hippie fabric store in 1967 in Hollywood. Mom became a trail blazer in the record industry and was the highest paid woman for Promotion at A&M Records. She was a huge stand for women’s rights and equality and power and broke many barriers and molds in the 60's and 70's.

And I continued their legacy. Sewing, fabric, and music have always been my canvas for breaking molds. Through them I broke the constraints of expressing myself as a woman. Through my store I have championed women to express fully their creativity and their passion – beyond the molds of corporate patterns and what society thought they should wear on their bodies.

I started breaking existing molds early in life...

My Sunday playground was The Fabric Emporium, a ground breaking retail fabric store my father, Bob Steinberg, founded in West Hollywood in 1967. My love affair with sewing and fabric goes all the way back to the impressionable age of eight. Feeling the cotton drape over my young hands, seeing the paisley dance in the collective vision, loving the colorful and progressive embroidered patches, experiencing the smiles of customers as they found treasures to spark their dreams and hopes - all blew my mind open and expanded my imagination.

I would pick my favorite African cotton prints and my father would have dresses made for me. I can still feel the soft colorful cotton on my skin while admiring the deep bells of the sleeves and the way they flowed when I walked. Wearing these dresses, fitted for me, I felt special and loved. I was breaking the molds of my own imagination.

A child of the '60's breaking the molds of mainstream fashion
Through my handmade garments, I became a unique expression of the late 60’s — a child of the flower-child movement. I was turned on to fabric that ignited and symbolized a whole movement of alternative, “hippie” fashion.

Sewing brought with it a whole new level of expression. I revelled in the freedom to make something personal to me. To completely free myself of someone else’s vision of what I should wear or be limited by what was in the stores.

Love all our cottons from India!

Many of us may remember taking sewing in school. My own experience was very positive. I loved the strawberry embroidered appliqué from my Dad's store that I sewed on my bib overalls back in 1969. I struggled with straight stitching and fit, but felt so excited I had made something I could wear and share in our class fashion show. Finding just the right fabric for each of my projects was such a thrill. I have always found the fabric "talked" to me and guided me to what it wanted to become.

Sewing enables us to break the molds of what we should look like and instead make clothes that fit us and truly support us to be who we are. Think back to your relationship with your clothing. Not many of us can fit "off the rack" when buying clothes. How often have you felt that you have "nothing to wear" – just because your body did not fit some imagined norm. Many of us do not want to go out in public and feel self conscious in our clothing. Trying clothes on is frustrating and often traumatic. Gaining sizes contributes to us feeling anxious in our clothes.

I want to feel good, creative, and safe in my clothes, and I want you to as well! With sewing you can create something personal to you and perfect for your shape and style. Beyond what is in the stores, what garment do you wish you could create for yourself?

Championing sewists worldwide

From that first experience of wearing garments sewn for me, my passion for individualistic fashion and garment sewing has never wavered. Finding wool, silk, linen, rayon, and knits from designers around the world makes me so happy. Connecting sewists with fabric and patterns fuels my journey.

We are ready to dream again and create garments that are creative, self-expressive, and flattering!

Even when sewing garments started to become a lost art, I stood strong. When schools stopped teaching sewing, Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics stepped up to keep the flame of garment sewing burning. For twenty years, 1996-2016, we taught all ages how to sew and quilt. Running a school that has influenced and impacted many thousands of people in their relationship with fabric and sewing has been one of my life’s greatest contributions.

Celebrating 37 years in Berkeley and a new story

The current story of our industry and all retail is one of the shrinking and closing of brick-and-mortar stores. Over the past 30 years, many home sewists have left garment making for quilting, or stopped sewing altogether.

My personal mission is to change this story, to break through and amplify the fabric world that my family started 99 years ago in California. I am here to empower and serve sewists — to champion their transformation, creativity, and passion.

During the month of March 2018, we have been celebrating 37 years growing and evolving in downtown Berkeley. Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics has always broken the mold of other fabric stores and now a new story is coming to life. This is the time to break through, be visible, and reach a wider audience. My Dad used to jokingly say, "we are a well known secret."

Sewists around the United States and the world are discovering our vast collection of fabric, patterns, notions, and expert service. Everyday I give thanks to the talented and creative women who broke the mold of corporate patterns and began drafting and marketing their own patterns to fuel our Indie Pattern movement.

This is our time to actualize our full potential. This is our time to break the glass ceiling that has been limiting our self expression and visibility.

This truly is a grass roots, feminine powered movement!

What constraints are you ready to break through with sewing?

Picking out Kantha cloth and an ikat for my Kalle shirt!

Can you see how your relationship to your own creativity, to sewing, and your Destiny Wardrobe is a metaphor for breaking molds in your life?

Whether you are curious about sewing, already sewing your own garments, or wish to collaborate with another sewist (largely my path), the time is now. If you are feeling a call for something more, let your curiosity guide you to sewing.

Of course, it would be fun to receive a compliment on a dress you have made and be able to say "Thanks, I made it!". But beyond that, ask yourself ‘What is the next mold that you want to break in your life?’ And how could sewing help you break it? What kind of fabric would you choose – sensual velvet, comfy knit, or soft silk? What would be just the right pattern for a top or dress? And what would it mean to you to have made it and be seen wearing it?

And if you sewed that destiny garment, what impact would this have on your life?

I get chills when I look back and see the impact created by the 200+ garments I have blogged about and displayed in my store. It is clearly time to sew a garment or more. Your garments can make an impact too!

Through sewing, I was part of the movement that broke the mold of mainstream fashion. Beyond the constraints of store bought clothing, we seeded a new era of natural fibers and art-to-wear. We are creating clothes that fit our individual bodies, styles, and personal comfort. And through this we can let our vision and creativity fly wild and free.

We can let our authentic color explode into the world. And through our destiny wardrobe, we can fully express our new story of resourcefulness and possibility. Enabling us to show up authentically in the world, and to sew garments that matter deeply – as they reflect all that we are.

Now is the time for which we have endured and survived. There is a new movement of sewists and makers around the world creating on a level new to all. Join us!

As always, I am standing with you celebrating your creative potential.

From the heart,
Suzan
email me at fabriclady3@gmail.com

Please join me on instagram - fabriclady3 and my store can be followed at Stonemountainfabric

Sharing and supporting boosts and helps us all with our creativity, right livelihood, and prosperity projects :)

#destinywardrobe #clothesthatmatter #garmentsewingrevolution

#stonemountainmagic #keeponsewing #handmadewardrobe #handmadestyle #slowfashion #creativeprovocateur

Thanks for being a part of the Stonemountain Magic!

Visit my store in person!

Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics

2518 Shattuck Ave. @ Dwight Way

Berkeley, California 94704
510-845-6106

Tuesday, October 24, 2017

Celebrating the Sapporo Coat - A Style for all Seasons!

The moment the Sapporo Coat pattern by Papercut Patterns was put in front of me, all of its potential flashed through my mind. Its superb silhouette and angled seams are ready to show off any textile in my store, Stonemountain & Daughter Fabrics!

It's truly a coat for all seasons!

Laurel and Fabriclady's Linen Sapporo Coats - so pretty!

This sculpted coat is reminiscent of my Issey Miyake coat from the 80's - more unstructured but lots of ease and can go over any outfit. That Miyake jacket was 5 yards and this Sapporo is a perfect 3 yards of 55" wide quality fabric.

Here's a blast from the past! How many of you remember this pattern?

Everyone wanted to try on the Sapporo

when it came in for a fitting!

Looks so great on everybody!

It can feel a little big but it's a super easy style to wear. Even at the smallest size, it might be best to trim it back.

Be sure to choose the right fabric to show off the design and fit details.

Here are a few of my favorites:

We chose beautiful cross dyed linen for our first versions and they will look great over Ikat outfits.

TIP: If you choose a heavier fabric, like a wool melton coating, Sandra Betzina has a great suggestion in her book More Fabric Savvy: Use a teflon presser foot and a 90/14 needle. Use stay tape at the shoulders and neck, leaving off the interfacing - sews super easy! (thank you Chuleenan for sharing Sandra's tip)

Let's explore some details that may make your sewing experience easier...

The Sapporo features a unique front piecing design which conceals a pocket. The seams are curved slightly toward the sides.

To sew a curved seam, you will need to clip the one concave edge so it can be eased around the curve.

In a lighter weight fabric like this linen, the interfacing around the neckline and coat fronts is very important in order to maintain the shape of the coat. We also added a strip of interfacing along the edge of the pocket to help it maintain its shape.

Great pockets which you can make larger if you like!

Another great tip for finishing curved seams is 1) clip the curves first, then 2) while serging the clipped curved, gently pull it straight, spreading the clipped seam and serge right through. This allows the curved seam to be able to stretch.

The Sapporo is a fully lined coat as designed, but it can be made in an unstructured manner as well. We finished off the sleeve hems by adding a bias tape...