Silver’s Jacket

With the finish of my two Esther Aliu quilts, it is time to move on to a couple commission projects. The first is a smoking jacket for my friend Silver, who is an artisan carver of beautiful jewelry and uniquely beautiful tobacco pipes.

The fabric chosen is a wonderful Essex cotton/linen blend shot with metallic thread. This fabric is washable and sews so beautifully and comes in such a wide range of colors, some shot with metallic or pearlesence threads. I know I will order it to use over and over again. It could even be used as a background for applique quilting.

Silver is a statuesque and prefers a clean, classic look. She chose the black with silver metallic option for the coat body. The contrast collar and sleeve and pocket trim are the Essex in a black with black metallic. Contrast stitching on the collar and cuffs is done with Superior Threads silver metallic. I am still waiting for the custom order frog closures.

The second is a tote bag for a friend who travels a lot. She needs a roomy bag, with pockets and a shoulder strap. And I decided to add a strap on one side that will go over the telescoping handle on her luggage. It is lined with a pretty swan print.