Peony remake

Sometimes I make something and it just hangs out in my closet. I reach for it, put it on, and then return it to the hanger. This version of the Peony was one of those. I decided that the problem was that it was too flimsy.

So I took it apart in order to insert a middle layer of cotton batiste. I had hand understitched it around every.single.edge and those had to be removed one stitch at a time. And I had added some sashiko, so that had to be taken out too. Lastly, my comfy 5/8 seam allowance was gone.

Several times I considered tossing it. But I just love a good linen. And this is one of those linens. It is lined with a pretty Marcia Derse cotton print in the front and cotton/silk solid rust in the back.

So I kept at it. I left the shoulder seams in the face fabric, as well as the lining. Using the original pattern, I cut each main piece from the batiste and attached it to the face fabric using Jude Hill's invisible or glue stitch. I find that stitch so handy. Thanks, Jude!

Above you cannot really see the glue stitch, but below you can see the long stitches on the batiste that holds it all together. It really functions like a single piece of cloth with this stitch. And I find it easy to remove here and there, as needed.

I returned to the Peony written instructions, having forgotten that it has a bagged lining, cleverly pulled through the side vents. That was great fun to execute.

To make it a little different, I added an un-square pocket and a button closure, as well as my beloved sashiko.

It feels almost like a new garment.