It’s a Sew Easy Jalie Dolman

There’s a saying; “when life throws you scraps make a quilt”.  And I do, I LOVE scrap quilts.  But sometimes the scrap is a garment fabric!  So then it becomes a challenge to see if I can get a wearable out of it.  My late mom was a wizard at this and love the challenge too.  This summer I’ve made a few of Jalie’s Dolman #3325 and here’s another one.  I love the extended shoulder and high/low hem and have streamlined the sewing process. A sew easy Jalie dolman.

The scrap (remnant picked up at Fabricland) was 60 inches wide and 24 inches long at one end.  Like this.

So this is what I made! It’s a sew easy Jalie dolman!

I’ve customized this Sew Easy Jalie’s Dolman to my own taste:

• it’s 3 inches shorter than the pattern.
• the neckline is 1/2-inch narrower at the neckline.
• the bottom of the neckline is raised by 1-inch
• the neckline is finished with a folded neckband.  I measured the neckline at the seamline then multiplied the measurement by .8 (point 8) (this fabric has very little recovery.)  My neckband was 2 inches wide and 21 inches long.  After serging it on, I top-stitched it 1/4-inch from the seam.  
• I added a front pocket.  It’s just a 6-inch square of the same fabric.  3/4″ of an inch is turned under at the top and top-stitched.  Then I used fusible thread in my lower looper and serge-finished the other 3 sides.  After turning the edges under and pressing, it was stable enough to top-stitch into place. I held the front on me and put the pocket where I thought it looked right and made sure the pocket sides were parallel to the center front.
• I finished the sleeve “hems” before serging the side seams
• the hem is fuse-basted into place with Heat ‘n Bond Featherlight, then narrow coverstitched. Here’s a link to my YouTube video.

This was another satisfying project for me.  I love the colour, the feel of the fabric and although it;s a bit shorter than I’m used to, it’s very wearable.  The methods I use are what I teach regularly and they make sewing fun, fast and easy. 

reminder: my Jalie Garment Sewing Retreat has been rescheduled to November 18-19