Sunday, September 3, 2017

The Classic French Jacket - Days 5 to 7

So far I have discussed my preparation and the first 4 days of the class, now to continue.

Next up were the sleeves, as I used Susan's pattern I already had the 3 piece sleeve and Susan pins one of the toile sleeve to my jacket which got a nod of approval so I could cut out my sleeves in fabric, quilt the lining, and finished the sleeve placket.


I then basted the under am sleeve seam together for a final check by Susan.  This is where there was a huge difference between the calico and the final fabric as Susan took out 1cm to 2cm off the underarm seam.

Once this seam was machined, pressed open, trimmed and the lining seam fell stitched in place the sleeves are then pinned in place by Susan and this is where my fitting challenge arose!


Can you see how the fabric is collapsing on my left hand side where the fabric is sitting very nicely on the right hand side?

It appears I am rather hollow there and it was very obvious in the soft structure of this jacket.

Luckily I had taken some slim shoulder pads to class and Susan took one of them and reshaped it it to look like this,


which when pinned in place filled out the fabric very nicely.


Oh and disregard the extra fabric I have at my under arms, this is not pinned in, you just can't do it so it is left up to me to fit the fabric in the armsyce that "is left" after Susan has pinned in the sleeve cap.

Now back to the hollow in my back, I have covered the shoulder pad that Susan had put together and here it is in the lining fabric,


and it will be hand sewn in place at the shoulder seam and this will let the edge of it sit beside the armsyce curve.


Once the sleeves are pinned in place, I then had to sew the sleeve in by hand, which feels quite insufficient but it is very solid and the drape of the sleeve is so much nicer.


The next challenge was to attach the sleeve lining to the bodice of the jacket without getting yourself into a mess.  This is where the wooden sleeve head padded block that I purchased from Bernina Chatswood came in very handy.



It is the last few hours of our course and a final try on



Yes, finding trim was proving to be elusive in Sydney so I sent a piece of fabric to my sister in Brisbane who took it to Sckafs Fabric and I was absolutely blown away by what they chose for my fabric


which consists of


So at this stage my jacket is looking like this


To finish the jacket I still have to handsew:
  • all the jacket hems
  • sew on the hooks & eyes
  • sew the trim on, 3 layers so 6 rounds of sewing
  • finish the lining around the edges of the jacket
  • sew the chain to the back hem
  • find the buttons and sew them on
  • make the pockets and sew them in place
At this stage I'm not sure when I will be able to finish my jacket, but my hand is getting better and if I take it a bit at a time it will get done.

******************
2017 Stash Out - 11.6
2017 Stash In - 6.5



8 comments:

Vancouver Barbara said...

Well done. The trim is perfectly gorgeous.

Jane M said...

Loving these posts so much. That little shoulder pad is so interesting. I have a dramatic difference between my left and right shoulders so "little" differences don't happen when evening out my asymmetry. And your trim is going to be the "jewelry" on your beautiful jacket.

sewTreefrog said...

I'm enjoying reading about your jacket. It is looking great and I love the trims you have for it. Hope your hand continues to improve

Therese said...

Wow, I am impressed how much care you are taking for a perfect fit! I am looking forward to the finished garment!

poppykettle said...

But, That TRIM! What a stunning match they achieved for you. Without even seeing it on I can just tell feel how beautifully that is going to work with your jacket!

Anonymous said...

You must be thrilled with the fit of your jacket. And that trim - absolutely stunning! I can't wait to see the final thing.

Vicki said...

So close but still so far to go. The trim is lovely and the jacket will look amazing. Good luck finishing off.

Sarah Liz said...

Hello Sharon, I may have missed commenting on a few of your posts - I have been away. What a fantastic experience going to these classes - such a lot of work, but fantastic learning as well - especially about your shape. Looking forward to seeing the rest of the jacket take shape.