Have you ever read a book that has stayed with you over the years? One that you return to again and again, finding something new each time? The stories we love have a way of weaving themselves into our lives, surfacing at just the right moment with just the right insight. And sometimes, they can inspire us in ways we never expected, including our sewing.
In this month's Storyteller article, Chelsea Fremming shares how a beloved book sparked a meaningful make: a Bloom Jacket sewn from a fabric rich with symbolism that speaks to her heart. We love how she has transformed that connection into something wearable - a garment that acts as a touchstone, carrying the themes and imagery of the story with her every time she puts it on.
Chelsea also discusses the technical side of the project, including how she approached sewing an unlined Bloom Jacket and navigated the challenges of working with woven jacquard fabric. The result is a beautifully unique and meaningful jacket.
I love stories and books! The characters, conflict, resolution and insights in between fill me up. A book that I have loved for some time is The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. It's a children's book with interesting characters and a compelling story that I have come back to read time and time again. I have been surprised that in different chapters of my life, different things have stuck out to me and I've gained new insights that have been meaningful to me during that specific time. The last time I listened to it, I ended up sobbing over a new insight while jogging on the bike path (luckily no one else was around!).
My love for this story recently took a different turn when I saw a woven baby wrap come up for sale with symbols and patterns from this beloved book. The second I saw it I knew I wanted to sew it into a jacket. The Bloom Jacket had just come out and I knew it would be a perfect fit for the fabric!
The baby wrap is called "Paravel - Glistening Eastern Sea" and represents Lucy the Valiant. I love Lucy’s character because of the hope she brings to the story - the golden yellow color shows this hope. There are many symbols from The Chronicless of Narnia in the pattern of the fabric including Peter's sword and shield, Susan’s bow and quiver, the Dawn Treader, and others. But the ones that mean the most to me are those of Aslan the lion, Lucy’s cordial, and the lamppost. I love Aslan: in the book he is a redeemer character that sacrifices his life for a traitor. This has always touched me because like the child Edmund, who makes some big mistake and yet is still saved by Aslan, I make mistakes and have hope of being forgiven and saved too. I also am drawn to Lucy’s cordial because it is a gift of healing, which I think we all could use. For me, the lamp post represents a guiding light of hope.
I wanted these symbols to feature prominently on the jacket, which took very careful planning and placement of the pattern pieces. Having Aslan centered on my back and on the two front pieces puts the focus on him. I also positioned the lamppost and cordial in as many places as I could. When I wear it and look at it, the symbols remind me of the story and the parts that have been particularly meaningful for me.
The fabric is a jacquard weave fabric that shows the same pattern on both sides, but in opposite colors. I wanted both sides to show (at least to myself), so I decided not to line the jacket. This also makes it a little lighter in weight, which is nice for the warm climate I live in. Not lining the jacket meant that I had to do a lot more planning and problem solving to finish the edges on the inside of the jacket. I originally planned on finishing the seams with a double fold bias binding. Jacquard weave fabric is made up of two separate layers of fabric that only intertwine/ cross each other where you see the pattern. When I started sewing with this beautiful fabric, I realized that jacquard is harder to sew with than more traditional woven fabric. Because the fabric wasn’t woven together everywhere, it started to unravel and fray when I sewed pieces together. It quickly became apparent that trying to bind the edges would likely be a nightmare. So, I got out my serger and just ended up serging most of the edges as well as doing a double fold hem around the bottom edge of the peplum and on the front side edge of the center front pieces. I’m happy with how the serging turned out and am grateful it was an option.
I loved getting to sew this jacket using fabric that was so meaningful to me. It ended up a lovely weight and design.
While sewing this jacket, I thought about how just like this book has meant different things to me at different times in my life, so has sewing. Sewing for me during my different life chapters has been a way of connecting with my Mom and learning a useful skill, a way to earn money for my family and help young women, a way to save money, a way to make something special for one of my children, a way of expressing my creativity and many more things.
In each chapter my relationship with sewing has been different, but the love I have for it has brought me back again and again. I can't wait to see what my next chapters of sewing hold for me.
What has sewing meant to you during your different life chapters?
