The Second Art Jacket…

My second art jacket was another one of those “years languishing on the project shelf” while I decided what form a beloved thrift store skirt needed to take in its second life. I love this skirt and bought it more for its embroidery than its fit, and subsequently only wore it a few times. So, fittingly, it now becomes a jacket.

I cut the embroideries out, and at first had just planned to mount them to a new garment ‘as is’. But what’s the fun in that? So I combed through my beads and trims, and started adding another layer of detail.

For the jacket, I had remnants of a perfect shade of red wool, and spent some time piecing those together to make enough yardage for the body. But there wasn’t enough for the full jacket, so the sleeves decided they would be black.

I fused the appliques to the wool in order to seal the cut edges, and to keep them in place while I added the additional detail. But I found that the appliques were stiff and affected the comfort and fit. I took a gamble and put the jacket into a hot dryer, which softened the fusing, and didn’t wreck the embroidery, and allowed the jacket to hang properly. Whew!

This jacket is cut from the same pattern as my previous one – long and dovetailed in front and short box-cut in back. My miscalculation on this jacket was the pockets, which interfered with the embroideries. So I moved the pockets to the inside, after a night of much cursing and coercing of a cantankerous Egyptian cotton lining. I also added trim to that free hanging lining, and a fun applique to the center back – little couture touches that will make the jacket look nice on a hangar.

I completed this jacket by my November 8 deadline after after about five weeks of working on it. My submission has been accepted to the Gallery section of the RAGS Wearable Art Sale and Show, March 8-10, 2024 in Fife, Washington. Participating artists donate 33% of their proceeds to support the YWCA’s mission of ending domestic violence in Pierce County, Washington.