Bolero me Over

I have several more garments made from Loes Hinse patterns to show you over the next little while. I figure I had better get them posted now, as the weather seems to be warming up and spring is approaching. So, I need to post the remainder of my winter sewing endeavours.

First up is another work combo - pants and a jacket. The pants are more Loes Hinse Hepburns (view A), made from some lovely dark caramel wool broadcloth I purchased from Fabric Mart. This pattern has quickly become a TNT for me this winter (at last count I have made five pairs). I can see myself making it up in linen for the summer as well.

The jacket is a Loes Hinse Bolero jacket (view A), created using some fabric remnants I had left over from other garment projects. This was my first attempt at making this jacket (although I have made other LH jackets) and even though I was pretty much certain of the correct size and I flat pattern measured carefully, I still wanted to check the fit. I grabbed the couple of pieces of leftover fabric and got to work. In the end, not only was the fit pretty darn good, I ended up with a great looking jacket. I got tons of compliments when I wore it to work, so I knew I had a winner. The next time I make this jacket, I will nip it in a smidgen to help define the waist area, as it is a little more boxy than I prefer. My favorite part of the jacket? The closure - it is a nifty vintage metal clasp that I found on eBay and it makes the jacket special.
















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As a final note, whenever I see the LH Bolero pattern, it reminds me of seeing Torvill & Dean perform at the 1984 World Figure Skating Championships in Ottawa. I was a huge figure skating fan in my early teen years and my aunt was kind enough to take me to the Worlds. I will never forget seeing their bolero performance live and in person - to say it was magical is an understatement. I can actually remember people around us holding back tears at the end of their performance.