I started with a Kantha bedspread which I’d purchased six or more months ago in preparation for doing a workshop on making garments from these textiles.

I did the workshop at the end of February. I started by cutting out a jacket for myself – two fronts, a back, two sleeves, two cuffs, a collar, two pocket backing pieces. Then I cut out front facings, a collar facing, a hem facing, and narrow bias strips for binding the seams.

Prior to the workshop, I sewed the bound/double welt openings for the slash pockets – so I could show the gals attending the workshop how I did that. I bound each pocket back piece, and attached one to each front behind the pocket opening. Then I attached the front facings, sewed and bound the shoulder seams before adding the mandarin collar. I bound the collar seam. That was as far as I got with the jacket – I didn’t want to finish it, I wanted to be able to use my garment to show how I stitched and bound the seams, how I faced the jacket hem and so on.

Since the workshop, the jacket has sat on one side of my cutting table waiting for me to complete it. First I finished the Moons/Planets quilt, then I constructed the baby quilt. This week I got back to work on the Kantha jacket.

I set up and sewed the buttonholes on the right front “placket”. That’s easier to do when the fronts are relatively unattached to the rest of the garment. (In fact I should have added buttonholes before sewing the shoulder seams and adding the collar!) Then I sewed in the sleeves, bound and top stitched them. I sewed the sleeve underarm/side seams, bound and top stitched those seams as well. I sewed the side seam of each cuff (to which I’d already added an edge facing), then serged the cuffs to the sleeve ends. I didn’t bother binding that seam since it’s concealed under the cuff which folds back over the sleeve.

I finished the bottom with a facing and then I added five buttons – all 23mm metal buttons, each one different. (You can see that if you click on the jacket front to get to an enlargement of the photo.)

The thing I had to be careful of were the beads that were either glued or sewn to the heavily embroidered Kantha. I removed any which were in the way of the seam allowances – I didn’t want to hit one with a sewing machine needle! I left beading in the centre of the pieces alone.

The jacket is now finished. All I need is an opportunity to wear it. I will likely just put it on one day with a pair of jeans.

PS – With the jacket on: