Sew-Along #32 - School Days Jacket - Preparations

The School Days Jacket by Oliver+S

Items to Collect 

*Note: Links to products within this post are either links to our website or affiliate links. 
 

1. You must have the School Days pattern to be able to take part in this sew-along.  If you have not yet purchased this, please do so here. This pattern is an instant download and you will have access to download it as soon as your purchase is completed.

2. If you do not have fabric for the project you will want to purchase some.  At the time of this writing we have have lots of fabric kits available.  We also have lots of nice fabric selections on our website.

Note: We greatly appreciate your purchase of patterns and kits from us.  These purchases help pay for the sew-alongs and allow us to continue to offer them, along with the great prizes we give away. Thank you for your support!

3. The jacket requires three 3/4" buttons.  Again, fabric kits came with buttons, so if you purchased one, you are set.

4. If not using laminate, the button tabs require fusible interfacing.  All non-laminate fabric kits come with this.  If you have not purchased a kit from us you will want to make sure you have enough interfacing on hand to complete the project.

5. You will need Velcro for the inside of the jacket.  All kits came with Velcro coins for this purpose.

6. You will also need pins if you are not using laminate fabric.  If you are working with laminate it's best NOT to use pins. Wonder Clips will be your friend.

7. A disappearing ink fabric marker. This will be important to have on hand if working with the laminate. 

 8.  When working with laminated fabrics it's very helpful to have a nonstick presser foot.  If you do not own one or can not purchase one you may also use scotch tape and tissue paper.  Sharon will be going over this method in our sew-along lessons.

9. And finally, you will need a sewing machine, a good iron (if NOT using laminate - DO NOT iron laminated fabric!), a pair of fabric shears or a rotary cutter and mat, and a quilting ruler. 

Things to Do 

 1. Make sure to download the pattern PDF onto your computer, tablet, or smart phone. Your pattern will be located in your order history on our site.  Log into your account, then click on the My Account at the very top right hand side of our site.  You will then see a list of your orders.  Click on the correct order and a download link will be available.

2. Please make sure to have printed your pattern pieces and taped them together before lesson 1.  We have not included this part in the lesson. Do NOT cut out your fabric yet.  Sharon has a tip about cutting out your fabrics that she will be sharing in the first lesson.

3. To prewash or not to prewash?

Laminated Cotton Kits - If you ordered a laminate kit DO NOT prewash your fabrics. You CAN NOT wash laminated cotton or you will ruin it. If your laminate becomes dirty later, just wipe it down with a damp cloth.

Twill and Denim Kits - If you ordered a twill or denim kit please make sure to prewash and preshrink all of your fabrics. I wash my fabrics on warm or hot and then I dry my fabrics in the dryer with no softeners. I always preshrink in this way when I am using fabric for clothing construction. I would hate to work hard on something only to have it shrink and not fit when I was done.  

I also prewash my fusible interfacing to preshrink it. This will prevent any wrinkles or waves that might arise when you iron or launder your garment.  To prewash your interfacing simply soak it in a sink for about 5 minutes in very warm water.  You don't want the water too hot to avoid removing the iron-on finish, but you do want it warm enough to shrink the interfacing.  After soaking, just pat it with a clean towel and hang it to dry. 

4. Don't forget to join our Whimsical Fabric & Me Group so you can post your progress pictures.

The Prizes

Did someone say something about a prize? I love prizes and I know you do also. At the close of the School Days Sew-Along we will be giving away a year's worth of Oliver+S PDF patterns to one lucky winner! The winner will receive 4 patterns of their choice upon winning and then 1 pattern of their choice each month for the remainder of 2016! Make sure to join the Facebook Group so you have a chance to win this amazing prize! This prize package is worth over $200! Wow!

We will give out entries for the prize drawing at the end of the sew-along. There are three different ways to earn entries into the prize drawing.

1. At the end of each lesson posted on this blog there will be a link to add a picture of your completed lesson into a photo album on our Whimsical Fabric & Me Facebook group. Each day that you turn in an assignment on time you will receive 1 entry per item you create. Thus, the more items you make, the more entries you will receive.

2. We will also award 1 entry for purchasing the School Days pattern from us using the coupon code SewAlongSavings from the Sew-Along #32 Category. 

3. In addition, if you purchased a kit from the Sew-Along #32 Category we will award you another 4 entries for each kit purchased. That's twice as many points as you normally get, so grab yourself a kit (or two) today!  *Note: Patterns purchased within the kit count as pattern purchases outlined in step #2 above. 

 
Happy Sewing,
Danielle Storm
www.whimsicalfabric.com