Updates: M5523 (skirt) & J2559 (jacket)

McCall's 5523
Sewing this skirt the second time around has been a pain in the ass lesson in patience.  I started this skirt almost three weeks ago and it is still not finished.  My serger chewed the fabric horribly which prompted yet another trip to the shop.  It turns out that the blades were dull and needed to be replaced.  What, these things don't last forever?

The type of lining I'm using (polyester stretch charmeuse) is not cooperating at all.  It has an insane amount of static and sticks to everything.  I shocked the shit out of myself on more than one occasion and I have to remember to "ground" myself before I touch the sewing machine.  Grr.

Once I tamed that electrical beast, I assembled it backwards after checking...twice...and just realized last night that I serged the lining to the skirt at the waist seam...inside facing out.  It's hard to describe in words, but trust me, it is all kinds of wrong.  I'll need to unpick the serger stitches and reinsert the lining correctly.   After that, all I need to do is face the waist and sew the hem.  I don't even want to touch this darn thing right now.  =)

Jalie 2559
The jacket is coming along nicely.  I've sewn the sleeves and am now thinking about what to use for sleeve heads.  My choices are thin cotton flannel, polar fleece, and cotton batting.  Below are a couple of pictures of the two samples basted in: one is fleece, the other is cotton flannel.  Can you tell which is which?

I want the sleeve cap to be adequately supported without looking too bulky.  The cotton flannel doesn't produce a lot of bulk, but I don't know if it is strong enough to prevent the cap from collapsing.  The polar fleece will definitely support the shoulder cap as well as stop it from caving, but it is it too bulky for this material?  Hmm...  I'm going to get a piece of cotton batting and compare its thickness to that of the two samples I have.

I don't know what I'm going to do about lining.  I could use the electrical polyester stretch charmeuse, but I am not looking forward to it.  I might take a risk and use my non-stretch rayon Ambiance with smaller seam allowances.  I'll have to think it about it some more...

In the meantime, I am going to sew some quick knit tops and dresses.  I need some sewing success so that my sewjo doesn't make a run for the border.

 I'll be posting my year-in-review next.  Until then, be well!

L

Jalie 2559 (jacket): Take 2

Remember this?

I started this jacket at the beginning of the year with the intention of including it in an old SWAP. Unfortunately, due to poor fabric choice and an silly error in adjusting the pattern, the jacket remains as shown in the picture:  a genuine UFO.  This project is a lesson in paying better attention to the list of suggested fabrics printer on the pattern envelope.  While it's probably not impossible to use a thick wool flannel with this pattern, it may not be the best choice and more hassle than it's worth.

Fast forward to today.  I corrected my flawed swayback adjustment and cut out the pattern in a charcoal gray RPL woven.  I had to think about how to approach this jacket because the fabric has a great deal of 4-way stretch (about 25% in each direction).  Based on the responses I received when I asked about stretch versus non-stretch linings, I decided to go with the stretch everything:  stretch lining, stretch interfacing, and stretch cotton poplin for the back stay.  I wanted to preserve as much of the crosswise stretch as possible for comfort, but still maintain some amount of structure.

My only concern going forward is with the notched collar.  The problem with the first version was that the fabric was too thick and made for unsightly corners as you see above.  No amount of clipping made that look any better.  I hope this works the second time around.  If so, be prepared to see at least three or four more versions of this pattern!

Here are photos of the front and back (shown with in-progress McCall's 5523).  I serged the front and back princess seams together and pressed them toward the centers. The bubbling that appears near the upper back only showed up after I added the back stay.  I don't know why this happened, but hopefully it's not too visible while worn.  It's bugging me, though...hmm...

The entire front and side front are interfaced with stretch interfacing.  All hems are also interfaced with  a 2-inch strip of stretch interfacing.  This is recommended by Jalie in their instructions.

Taking a cue from my Lady Grey coat, I drafted and added a back stay to help support the back, shoulder seam, and armhole.  To make the back stay, I traced around the assembled back and cut out the piece on the fold.  I used stretch cotton poplin to preserve some of the fabric's stretch, as mentioned above.  You can do this directly on the fabric without making a separate pattern piece.  I opted to make a separate pattern piece since I plan to make this jacket a few more times. 

I decided to sew a small strip of muslin selvage along the shoulder seam so that it wouldn't stretch.  There are some areas of the jacket that really don't need to grow!

Look at those matching princess seams!  Woo.  I think this is the first garment where both match at the same time.  Seriously!

That's all I have to share for now.  The McCall's skirt is still in the works.  I just received my stretch polyester lining today and hope to have it in tomorrow.  For the jacket, next up is the sleeves and lining construction.  That's going to have to wait until after I finish the skirt.

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I want to wish everyone a joyous and safe holiday.  Be well and take care!

L