Stitched Damask Tremont Jacket

Every time I go to teach at Mulberry Silks in Carrboro, North Carolina, I come home with more inspiration than I can possibly give to my students. The work of Nancy Quaintance never fails to just bowl me over.

Nancy was a guest contributor for Sew Confident! 2016. Her tutorial called Artistic Piecing shows her range of artistic talents. I love how she has an eye for using elegant fabrics and combining them with ease. I have never seen Nancy look anything but totally put together, and she is a person who wears what she sews and is not afraid to experiment.

Nancy's latest creation is a Tremont Jacket made in a drapery fabric by Waverly that is printed with an allover silvery damask motif. The base fabric is a gutsy texture and the printing is tonal and subtle. She wanted to preserve the printed motif in case it rubbed off with wear, plus she wanted to enhance the texture to give it a hand-crafted look.

Nancy is a big fan of the stitch work by Alabama Chanin, so she used one of their techniques to enrich the surface of the fabric. After cutting out each piece of the Tremont Jacket, she used a 1/16"-wide silver metallic ribbon by Kreinik to stitch around all of the damask motifs with a simple running stitch and added a few beads and sequins to highlight a few strategic areas.

Nancy attends many work-related formal occasions throughout a year, so with the addition of the metallic ribbon and the exquisite rhinestone button, she is ready for her next soirée.