Kalamkari Jacket: my last Make Nine 2020 finish

The last Make Nine 2020 project squeaked in with four days to spare in this Make Nine year. This is my kalamkari jacket.

Kalamkari Jacket. Hand stamped with vegetable dyes on cotton fabric.
Fabric from Diamond Textiles.

I have been savoring this kalamkari yardage from Diamond Textiles for some time, so included it in my Make Nine list for this year. My appreciation of the kalamkari technique deepened after taking a virtual workshop through Selvedge magazine this year. 

In the photo below, the individual block print designs can be seen. Each block is stamped by hand and is skillfully registered with the each image across the fabric. 

Kalamkari jacket, front view.

Matching the designs

Because the pattern in this fabric is prominent, it took extra time and thought when laying out the pattern pieces for the jacket. The design needed to line up across the front as well as at the side seams. (There were also a few re-sews at the top and hemline to make the pattern match.)

Kalamkari jacket front.

Kalamkari jacket back.

The collar pieces were also cut with the print design in mind. Here is a back view of the collar. 

Kalamkari jacket back collar view.

Hand finishing

I do enjoy the hand work involved with garment making. For my "quilted" jackets, I leave about an inch of the lining extending out at the fronts and back side seams to cover the raw seam allowances once the side seams are sewn. 

When cutting out the pattern pieces, the lining extends out at the side seams.

After the pieces are sewn, the lining is lapped over the raw seam allowances and hand stitched down. This is done on the side seams and the sleeves.

Enclosing raw seam allowances of the sleeves.

At the shoulder seams, I insert a binding strip.

A 2.5" strip of lining fabric is cut for binding the shoulder seams.

The binding strip is hand sewn over the raw seam allowances after the seam is sewn.

Hand stitching the shoulder seam bindings.

A bias strip covers the raw edges at the sleeve hems. Sometimes I use a contrasting fabric for this detail—to make it show. However, I opted not to introduce another (commercial) fabric into this garment.

Bias binding at the sleeve cuffs.

The button loops are of the same kalamkari fabric and the buttons are sewn on by hand. 

Buttons and corresponding button loop closures.

The inside collar, front facings and bottom hem are sewn by hand.

Jacket lining.

The fussier aspects in the making of this jacket were worth the extra time and effort. Don't ya think?

Kalamkari Jacket. Make Nine 2020 finish.

That's it for Make Nine 2020! 

I checked all the boxes... and colored in all the worksheet diagrams.

My Make Nine worksheet for 2020. All items complete.

Here is the 2020 recap:

• Wild Card: Odette knit top 
• Kalamkari Jacket (this blog post)
• Wild Card: Bristol knit top—a new pattern for me 
• Pillowcases: one set for Valentine's Day and another using a double border print fabric
• Knitting project: Improv Garter Stitch Wrap, a stash buster yarn project
• Rayon project: the MixIt Top with a new fabric substrate
• Yarn project: slip stitch colorwork knit dish towel
• UFO finish: Kantha stitched zipper pouch. Two UFOs were combined to create this useful zipper bag.
• Charity: 12 kitty quilts made that supported the Chattanooga Cat Clinic and the Pet Placement Center.

My Make Nine completed projects for 2020.

Make Nine 2021

I've been contemplating and planning for Make Nine 2021. I will be taking the Challenge again next year. Here is a link with more details, helpful hints on choosing your list and a printable worksheet. Anyone else want to join me?