Many thanks to all of you who dropped by and commented on my skirt! Here is a photo of me wearing both the skirt and jacket.
I super heart this look! At first I thought the color combo was too stark, but now that I've sewn and worn the garments, I think these colors work very well together. In fact, I am adding one more piece to my mini wardrobe: a lime green tank top to go under the jacket and pop with the skirt. Though there are more shades of blue threads in the boucle', the few green threads are the same color of my intended top.
Fabric/Notions
- 2 yards of medium navy cotton twill
- 1 cotton fat quarter for self-made bias tape
- 2 11" x 2" bias cut fleece for sleeve heads
- fusible weft interfacing
- 3 5/8" buttons, 1 1" button
- twill tape for the lapel roll line
Machines/Setup
- regular sewing machine with walking foot for seams
- 80/12 universal needle
- serger and thread
Since I wasn't going to line the jacket, I had this grand idea of binding the seams together and then topstitching. I tested the idea on the center back and side back seams and realized that I would be sewing each seam four times. Then I thought about this...
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| O_o |
Yeeeeeeaaah. I ain't got time for all of that. I picked out those stitches with the quickness and proceeded with the serger. =D I did bind the facing edges and hem with bias tape, so at least there is a little bit of pretty on the inside. On a simple jacket like this, going naught-couture works for me. Honestly, naught-couture pretty much describes my sewing style!
Alterations/Fit
Sizing
I started with a size medium and made very few fitting alterations. I compared the bodice center and side front to that of Jalie 2559 and found that they were VERY similar - so much so that I considered ditching the Kwik Sew pattern and winging a peplum draft from the Jalie pattern. I decided against it because...um...hmm...I really don't know why I decided against it.
Alterations
The Kwik Sew back bodice pieces were much smaller than Jalie, so I first did a 5/8" broad back adjustment. Remembering that the Jalie pattern was a bit blousy in the back, I removed the back adjustment and stuck with a straight medium. The fit is spot on!
The two significant changes I made were to add a center back seam for a 1" swayback adjustment and an addition of 1" to the hem. The muslin's cut length was where I wanted my jacket to end. Adding the extra inch gave me the length I wanted.
The waist was a bit snug, so I added 1/4" to the front and back side seams for extra room.
The shoulder seams for a medium were very long. So I took 3/4" seam allowances at the front and back princess seams, tapering to 5/8" about an inch or so below the seam. This corrected the problem and placed the shoulder point closer to mine.
Lastly, I added one inch to the hem since I wanted the cut length as my finished length. In cutting out the pieces, I forgot to add the extra inch to the facings. At first, I thought I needed to remove the extra inch so that the jacket and facings would have the same length. After looking at the directions again, I realized that I needed to trim the bottom of the facings after they were attached to the front. So my not adding the extra inch saved me a step in trimming! In the future, I'll add a 1/4" seam allowance to the bottom of the facing as insurance.
Construction
All seams except the sides were sewn, pressed to one side, and topstitched with regular thread. I meant to press open the shoulder seams but had a duh moment and serged them together. By the time I realized what I had done, I was attaching the collar and not interested in correcting my mistake. The shoulder doesn't lie as flat as it could, but it's not that bad either.
Tailoring
I did a tiny bit of tailoring by taping the lapel roll line. I didn't think to tape the collar roll line, but I will the next time I make this or a similar jacket.
Pattern Instructions
The instructions are very straightforward, though I followed a slightly different order. I assembled the complete front and back, then attached at the side seams for fit. The instructions have you sew the bodice front and back first, then attach the completed peplum.
The collar instructions are confusing at first. Having sewn a couple of jackets, I expected to sew the jacket, attach the collar unit, sew the facing unit, and
then attach it to the jacket. Kwik Sew, on the other hand, has you construct
the jacket, add the front facings, add the collar unit, then attach the
back facing. I was nervous about following Kwik Sew's instructions but
am glad that I did. For once, I sewed a notched collar that doesn't
have any pulls, puckers, or gaps and lies completely flat. I think I
will follow these instructions from now on when sewing a collar like
this.
Sleeve Heads
In any structured jacket, I like to set my sleeves using sleeve heads. Not only do they help ease the cap into the sleeve, they provide great structure for the cap area.
Sleeve and Back Tabs
The sleeve tabs are clever and give a casual look to the jacket. I will have to re-do one of the tabs because the buttonhole is poorly placed and causes the tab to stick out. Right now I have it tacked down, but I won't keep it like this for long. I'll probably re-do one of the back tabs as well. The buttonhole is too far from the point and makes the tab pull the left side too much.
Conclusion
I am very happy with my outfit. The "scarf" is actually the fabric for the knit top! If I have enough fabric, I will try to eke out a real scarf to wear with this look.
Now I need to find some shoes to wear with this! I have a pair of cloth navy pumps, but no sandals. I suppose this is a more pump-wearing outfit, but still. It's summer and panty hose are not happening in this heat.
Up next: McCall's 6078 in the floral rayon knit and the silk suiting skirt.
Until next time, peace!
L
