Jalie 2559 (jacket): Complete

Welkom aan boord vlucht 2559.   The KLM jacket is finished!  I think the buttons are a little high, though, so I might redo them.

I don't have any pictures of me wearing the jacket, so dress form photos will have to due for now.  Here's the review:

Fabric & Notions

• 2 yards of medium-weight wool suiting (from the stash)
• 2 yards of navy Bemberg rayon lining
• fusible interfacing for the front, front facings, and all hems
•  11" x 3" strips of bias-cut fleece for sleeve heads
• 80/12 universal needle for shell
• 70/10 microtex needle for lining
• pre-washed muslin for back stay
• covered buttons kit
• regular sewing machine, serger, and walking foot 
• 2 metal snaps

Sizing & Adjustments

Having sewn this before, I worked out the fit already.  I traced a size Z according to my full bust measurement.  I narrowed the shoulders by taking a larger seam allowance in this area, tapering back to 5/8" in the upper chest.  I did a 5/8" sway back adjustment and shortened the sleeves 1.5".  I also took slightly bigger seam allowances across the upper back because I thought the jacket was baggy in this area.  Judging by how it looks on me, I could stand to take a bigger seam allowance or cut a smaller size. 

Even though the undercollar is cut on the fold and with a CB seam, it's the same size as the upper collar.  To encourage turn of cloth, I trimmed 1/8" from the side and long edges.

When I made this jacket for the second time last year, I wrote a list of changes to make for the third iteration:

• No interfacing in the seams:  Not having interfacing in the seam allowances reduced a lot of bulk in places that didn't need it.  Since I intend to make this jacket a few more times, I made separate interfacing pieces that don't include seam allowances. 
  

• Flannel or fleece for sleeve heads:  Fleece is my friend for sleeve heads.  Cotton batting is nice, but even on the bias it has NO stretch. 

• No polyester lining:  I'm a lining snob.  No shame in my game.

• Finish edges and press seams open:  Done and done.

Construction
Nothing special here.  I sewed everything on my machine after finishing the edges first.  The lining seams were sewn first, then serged together.  

The covered buttons are for decoration only.  I chickened out of doing proper buttonholes and used snaps instead.

Pictures

jump pleat

lining

undercollar/turn of cloth
This is photo shows the color better than the others.

 

 left:  zebra print cotton stretch sateen

right:  black and white wool tweed

The type of bottom can take this from nice suit to hubba - not hubba hubba...it is a blazer after all.  

I don't know why the right side is pulling at the bottom.  It doesn't do that on me. 

Conclusion

The only thing I don't care for on this version is the topstitching around the edge of the front.  Since there is no topstitching anywhere else on the jacket, it seems out of place here.  It doesn't stand out too much, but should I sew this again I won't topstitch around the edge.

I'll certainly make this again pattern again - maybe with welt pockets.  The draft is very well done and everything matches precisely. 

Up next:  I'm still working on the Burda bells.  I'm going to sew them to the point where I can try them on; I have some concerns about the fit and length.

I took this picture on 6 Jan.  It's 5 Feb and after the last few snow storms, the deck looks the same.  The snow isn't going anywhere anytime soon since the temperature is forecast to be in the single digits for the next week.

Until next time, peace and warmth!

L