here comes the second week of vintage may posts; we hope you’ve been enjoying all the wonderful vintage-y inspiration so far! today, Jess and I both have projects for you, and the rest of this week we’ll have guests. keep adding photos to the flickr group, your projects are really wonderful and we’ll do a round up at the end!

i decided my second item for vintage may would be a little swing jacket for Em. i really love making her outerwear, and she was due for a new springy jacket to wear over her school uniform anyway. and hey, who doesn’t love a little gingham for spring(ham)?

i’ve also had this idea stuck in my head to make a swingy little coat with a pleated back panel for a loooong time. so here was my chance.

it was one of those projects that was pretty nerve-wracking as i made it, since it felt pretty off-the-cuff, but luckily turned out pretty well. there are a couple issues (collar overlaps a bit, lining was too narrow so it swings free rather than being attached) but all in all, i like it as a first draft and it’s totally functional for her.

well, not totally functional, i guess. the pockets are just flaps because i couldn’t remember the last time Em really cared about having front pockets in a jacket, but of course the first thing she did when she put it on was lift up the flap to find the non-existent pocket. of course. soooooo i promised her i’d add a pocket underneath (someday).

the pattern…well…it started as a size 4 oliver + s sunday brunch jacket, a long time ago. first i modified it into red riding hood, then into her suzy coat, and now into this little gingham coat, so it’s to the point where only the armhole curves are left from the original. that’s the beauty of a good basic pattern though, it’s so easily adaptable!

the purple gingham is laminated cotton (i think), sent to me by the very generous Tatia. i figure it’s probably water resistant? i put the more “waterproof” seeming side face in, and the more cottony side face out. i thought about adding a hood but drafted a peter pan collar instead, since this thrifted 1967 McCall’s pattern was my original inspiration.

(at the bottom it says “not suitable for chubby girls”!!!!!)

lining the jacket is a floral vintage sheet, sent to me by Lindsay for helping be another set of eyes during Project Run & Play – super sweet of her. she sent me a big box of fun thrifted goodies actually, and this was a fun one to cut into…so soft! i pulled from some blue in the lining to add the blue buttons (with yellow thread for fun).

Em’s dress underneath is a Roller Skate Dress, blogged here, also made from a vintage sheet. she wears it a lot!

Em was feeling a bit under the weather but still pulled off some pretty good poses, eh? It was another of those quickie photoshoots you’ve just gotta do sometimes.

OKAY! now head on over to CINO to see the capital A-DORable dress Jess made for her little gal Charlotte. the floral! the pigtails! the cheeks! the collar! it’s all just too much to handle!