OK, I had not planned this post at all, but then I got a course announcement email from Craftsy for Gertie’s Sew Retro: Starlet Suit Jacket course!
Gertie is one of my sewing heroes and I have learnt so much from the Bombshell Dress course (even if I haven’t made the dress yet…) that when she announced that she’d be doing another course I was quite excited! When it was revealed that it would be a suit jacket I was a little dubious. I know. I committed the heinous crime of doubting Gertie. But, oh boy, was I wrong to doubt her! The jacket is so cute with Gerie’s retro flair. It looks gorgeous as a suit but the jacket on its own would be great with jeans too.
She’s drafted the pattern herself and its in sizes 2 to 24 (there were a lot of comments on the Bombshell course about the limited sizing of the Burda pattern). Not only that but there is a skirt pattern included so you can make a complete suit!
So, here in bullet points so that I don’t go all hyperbole on you all is the stuff you need to know:
- Gertie designed the jacket herself (princess seams and a flared waist)
- It comes with a skirt pattern (although I think I’d go for a pencil skirt instead)
- It’s got a 1940s vibe
- Two levels of sewing: the full on tailoring including pad stitching, bound buttonholes, welt pockets; or the less intense fusible interfacing and machined buttonholes
- There’s currently 50% off making it $39.99 which is about £25.50 (according to Reuters just now) if you get the Craftsy newsletter – if you don’t, leave me a comment or send me an email and I’ll forward it to you! (I don’t know when the offer ends though…)
As its payday tomorrow, I think this will be what I spend my sewing budget on this month! It’s such a cute jacket and as it has bracelet length sleeves it’ll be perfect for me. Sleeves that end at my wrist really wind me up and I spend my time constantly pushing them up my arms! On a coat I’d rather they were half way down my hands – what can I say, I have strong opinions on sleeves!
You never know, with Gertie’s help I may actually end up wearing a suit to work… I just need to find some way of shoe-horning it into my crazy ‘to sew’ list!
Vicki Kate Makes 
I love that feeling just before payday when you can play with all the ideas for making you have for this month… 2 more days to go! I’m thinking pincord pinafores this month.
I know, it’s such fun! I just wish the budget was a little bigger, but we can’t always have our cake and eat it 🙂 Besides I have enough fabric to last me all year really…
I know! Me too. A bigger sewing budget would be awesome. Food, water, mortgage repayments and central heating are overrated really, aren’t they?
Yeay! I got the email this morning as well, and it took me about a second before I had paid for the course! I’ve been dying to see what Gertie’s jacket would looks like and now that I’ve seen it, I’m thrilled and cannot wait to get started. But like you, I have a very long ‘to sew’ list…so I won’t be diving straight in. I do have a jacket on my 2012 goals list though, so hopefully I’ll get it made up soon enough.
I had to be restrained and wait for pay day! Otherwise it would have been done in a heart beat… I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
I know! I am so up for this I’ve gone and bought me one! It’s just the cut I’ve been looking for! But am also with you on ” how and when”!!
I just know it will be gorgeous! I think mine will be made from a very dark grey with slightly lighter striped charcoal cotton drill as a first go… Now that I’m signed up I’m having to apply a level of self restraint to finish my Jasmine (just the sleeves to go…) and Minoru first! Oh, and there’s the small list of supplies to obtain too… I suspect the horsehair canvas will have to be a mail order purchase! Yep, I’m thinking of going head first in to water so out of my depth it’s incredible and attempt the fully tailored version!
Oh, I want, I want!
Me too!
I love the bracelet length sleeves and while I think I wouldn’t wear a suit, a smart jacket may be just the thing…. ooooh I am very seriously tempted, now!
You’re showing more restraint than most of us at the moment!
I really may have to sign up for this, as I wear suits to work! Plus some are in desperate need of replacement, and I always said I wanted to make my next suit. I get the Craftsy emails, but my most recent one was about quilting, not Gertie’s course. Can you forward me your email?
Will do when I get home!
Aah – so exciting! I really want to try Gertie’s new course, but don’t know that I’ll be able to fit it into my sewing schedule any time soon. I know Craftsy’s coures can be bought now and actually used later/whenever, though, so maybe I’ll just go for it!
Either way, I can’t wait to see what everyone sews up 🙂
Yup! Craftsy courses are a come as often and when ever it suits you which is one of the reasons I like them! Plus 50% off is too good, I don’t think I’d shell out the whole $80 for it, even if it does contain a Gertie Original pattern – but then I may be developing tight-wad tendencies!!!
Yes please do forward me the email – I’m mid- Sew Colette but I really want to learn how to do a jacket with couture details and I love the look of this one! 🙂
It’s on its way…
I held my breath and jumped in! Also signed up for the bombshell course, but I can’t actually do either for a while – I like the way it’ll be waiting for me when I’m ready though! 😀
There are sooooo many craftsy courses I want to take! This one, the couture dress, and the jean-ius workshop! There are also some knitting courses I would to take on there too. They are gonna have all my sewing budget!
Oh dear me I feel my credit-card about to be flexed again (LOL!)
I too have signed up for the other 2, but when they’re this good (and when you consider how much learning you can get for so little spend) it really seems a bargain to me 🙂
Eeekk! I just this second signed up too (hehehe)! 🙂
Yay! It seems a common theme of mass excitement today! I’ve just managed to get to my rss reader and Dibs is there too and so many more! I can’t wait and may well now shove other items down the list to make this! I’m currently thinking that it’ll be a March, April, May project with simpler ones running along side… Ambitious? Moi?!
I’m so excited to see your jackets! I think I will skip this class just because I don’t wear jackets or anything that dressy (and we’re not going to talk about the fact that I fact that I haven’t sewed my bombshell dress yet!), but I really want to see yours! I’m tempted to take Kenneth King’s new “Jean-ius” course– it sounds amazing!
Im intrigued by the Kenneth King course but I think I’d rather concentrate on actually fitting my own as I’ve never had a ‘perfect’ ready to wear pair that I’ve wanted to immortalise! If they fit the bum, the legs are of and vice versa! Now, if I could combine two pairs into one, that would be another think! I’ve found too that as the stuff I want to make is dressy, I’ve started to dress in a smarter way too… One has caused the other! And don’t worry about the bombshell dress, I haven’t made mine yet either! I think the jacket will be done before the dress as I’ll have more occasion to wear it than the dress…
That’s a good point– the bombshell dress isn’t really a wardrobe staple like the jacket will be. I’m starting to think that maybe I will take the class… I can probably find a way to make it in a more casual fabric so I can wear it to work.
Yay, I think it has the potentail to be a really versatile pattern…
I would love if you could forward on theemail to me. This class looks amazing.
I’ve sent it!
I signed up as well. I can’t wait! When are people thinking of making their jackets? As an FYI to anyone who’s collecting Craftsy classes (like I seem to be doing), you can get the class for $25 if you’ve registered for another class recently. Craftsy always sends out a $25/class coupon right after you register for a class. Just click through that link instead of the 50% off one. I can’t get it to work for the Jean-ius class though.
Thanks for the tip! Even more of a bargain!!! I’m all signed up now, can’t wait to start watching…