Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Winter Sewing: Janet Jacket Takes Shape

But not without incident. Of course.

For starters, in case you think I'm always organized (my great goal in life, which generally I don't suck at), behold a photo of my head space a mere 30 minutes ago:


So many things to trip over...

Mind you, I've been quite productive already today. This thing took 3 full days to prep and one day of sewing to get to this point (very sketchy photos of the "in process" moment to follow):

I've pinned it closed (as it will hook together at the centre front.
Remember that my body is not the same as my dress forms (will I ever stop saying this?) My boobs are bigger (hence the gaping around the bust seam). My shoulders fit this better too. Do you see the vertical bust dart? Not so noticeable...

Of course, the shoulder pads are just hanging out under the jacket...
The reason that the back is weird around the waist is cuz I decided I did opt to re-remove about an inch of the 1.5 inches I removed from the side and centre back seams below the waist (and then put back, after adding the sleeves to muslin 1). I haven't removed the original stitch lines yet...

And on the subject of "muslin always fucks you over cuz it's fucking muslin", there is a fatal error in this version of the jacket, the majority of which I like VERY much, btw. You can't see it cuz my dress form doesn't have the problem I do: A short upper back where it meets the neck (is this even a thing!?).

I suspected this would be the case -  so I muslined and checked for the issue. No probs, said the stiff fabric. Alas, when using drapey wool crepe, it's all too evident. And there's nothing that can be done to correct this version. This jacket didn't show the problem till the facing unit went in and now, what with the shell being all but complete, I'd have to literally start over to fix things.

Mind you, that's why this version is my wearable muslin - a palatable result given that I didn't muslin 7 times before getting here - and, nonetheless, I wouldn't have been able to resolve this challenge till it brought itself to light in the final garment.

Indeed I will make this jacket again - maybe right after I finish this one. Because it has some serious potential.

Before I get into that (coming soon, I suspect), check out how I made the "short upper back" adjustment:

That piece of paper taped atop the piece is the removed wedge. I'll keep it till I'm sure it works.
Note: I have no idea if this is the right thing to do. I know I didn't want to fuck with the shoulder seam length so I took out a wedge, starting 1 inch below the cut line (where my issue asserts itself). The wedge starts at .5 inches in width at the centre back seam and tapers to nothing at the side seam. A tiny bit of truing was required.

A few other things:
  • I highly recommend that you take the time, with any tailored woven garment, to alter the upper sleeve and armsyce (and the 8000 other bits that go along with them). Even if that means you have to learn how to do this, bitch of a process though it is. As a result of a few hours of finicky work, I was able to inset these sleeves in one go. There was NO ease to worry about because the armscye and the sleeve have exactly the same circumference. And really, I had to take inches off the sleeve to get it to fit.
  • Even though this is really "tailoring lite" I did catch stitch the facing unit to the body of the jacket (while it waits for the lining). That will help to retain the turn of cloth. Because this fabric is very light - and there's only interfacing on the facing unit - I may end up pick stitching the facing to the shell. But the lining should take care of this for me. We'll see.
  • This pattern is BEAUTIFULLY drafted. The turn of cloth is easily established, the lines are crisp, seams are exactly the same lengths as their partner seams.
  • If you don't know tailoring - I urge that you stay away from this until you know the mechanics somewhat. Apparently, I know the mechanics, because the 12 bullet points of instructions provided with the pattern are enough for me to go on. For what it's worth, those 12 bullet points are very clearly written. And I'm very pleased to be at a stage in my experience that I can roll with it. Note: One of those bullet points is something to the effect of,"Bag the lining." That's what I mean about the level of brevity you'll encounter.
Now I'm off to alter all of the lining pieces such as I altered the shell. That should take care of a couple of hours...

17 comments:

  1. Great start on your jacket! And, I love your sewing room!

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    1. Thanks so much Pam! I want you to know that usually, it is much neater than this!

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  2. AHahahahahahahaha hahahahahah HAHAHAHAH! You think that sewing room is CHAOTIC? Omg. Never ever plan to sew in mine! I'm generally quite pleased when my foot touches only floor as I step, instead of the usual piles of fabric, scraps, patterns, pins and offcuts!
    Now that I have that out of my system - That jacket is such a good step! I feel like you used your need for precision wisely, so that you made a lot of logical changes and ended up relatively quickly (for a tailored jacket) with something you like. Have you got fabric planned for the next version?

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    1. LOL! I could barely bring myself to post this photo - but I'm trying to "get real" in 2014 :-)

      And I'm really enjoying this project. It's detailed, but not complicated. I'm just taking it one step at a time and trying not to get too fussed. If it's not perfect this time, so be it. I just don't have it in me to perfect muslin which will, no doubt, not lead to a perfect final garment. Once I've figured this out in wool crepe, I can keep making it in wool crepe.

      (A little concept I think you're familiar with :-))

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    2. I'm with Gillian! I was thinking what a lovely tidy calm workspace you have!!!!! I actually have to climb over stuff in mine to get to the table since the sewing loft became Christmas Present Central. I need an hour and several large rubbish bags to clear a path.

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    3. OK, to each her own. But I could have tripped over wine OR slippers, Evie. :-)

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    1. Thanks Faye! It's looking much better now that I've catchstitched and pressed and removed those extra back stitches etc. I'm liking it a lot - despite the upper back flaw!

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  4. oh wow, that is adorable that you think *that* is a messy sewing room... bwahahaha! and the jacket looks awesome so far. i really need to try some style arc, they sound like just the thing for my sewing style and love of brief directions!

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    1. Do you see how many things I could have tripped over and killed myself on???

      You should totally try Style Arc. I think it will suit you very well.

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  5. Your jacket is looking so great!

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    1. Thanks! It looks a lot better now that I've removed the extra row of back stitches and got a bit farther along in the process. So. much. work :-)

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  6. Looking good, Kristin. I may have to borrow you in the future to be my fitting buddy. I've been trying to apply some of the techniques I learned in class, but seeing as I only have to arms and they are attached to my body (hence, limited in their ability to reach back) I'm failing miserably. I'll pick your brain on Saturday.

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    1. I am happy to help you fit but we should involve Sara and my fitting friend S. It'll be a party!

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  7. Sure thing! It's really tricky to figure these things out without more hands, I totally agree.

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  8. I love your sewing room, Kristin! The jacket looks great!!

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