Vintage Vogue Suit, completed

Time to post this finished blazer and move on to spring projects. I started this jacket back in late November, as I was looking for a time consuming project that would keep me busy during the winter months. As it turned out my stay-at-home time increased even more, with the weather making most outdoor socialization not possible and the surge of cases here in California very serious. So it was a project for the dark days of December and to be honest, I'm not all that wild about this jacket. In fact since I have so many other jackets which are more colorful I feel like I will probably never wear it and plan to see if any of my friends would want it. 

But onward to discussing the finishing touches. If you want to see the pattern look at my first post which was back at the end of January. The pattern is a vintage Vogue designer pattern, Vogue 1987 Yves St. Laurent suit, I think released sometime in 1978. I also made the blouse in the pattern but I don't like it at all, and then made some trousers using a different pattern however they have a very similar look. 

If you look at my previous posts you can see that I used most of the traditional tailoring methods for this jacket, with horsehair canvas, pad stitching, hand sewn patch pockets etc. In fact the pattern instructions specify all these techniques which was one reason I decided to use them. I haven't made anything using those techniques in a long time and probably won't again. It was rather satisfying to see all those pad stitches creating a shape but I do prefer using modern fusible interfacings.

I finished the jacket a few weeks ago and on a rainy day when the light was nice I stopped by a friends and she took some pictures in the park. On the whole the fit of the jacket is ok, I did make a muslin and I feel that it is the right measurements on me, but I don't care for the exaggerated and lower lapel shape, plus there is something about the hang of the sleeves on me that isn't quite right. 

It needed some zing so I used this rose colored bemberg lining and with some remaining silk charmeuse from the pocket linings I made some flat piping for the edges. 

The sleeves do have a button opening but it is different from that you see on most jackets as it is a rounded end and just one button. The pattern was great to work with as it had every pattern piece for the lining, interfacing and jacket included. 

I noticed on the pattern envelope it was one that came with this label, however my pattern which I got at at a Bay Area Sewists Meetup swap didn't have it in the envelope, perhaps the original owner used it on her jacket. In any case, I had a few of these Vogue designer labels but not this exact one so I ordered it on eBay. I added that welt pocket inside the front lining, it's not on the original pattern but I often add pockets in the lining of coats or jackets. 

Back view, it's a more boxy shape than I've made in a while.  

Here it is worn with a silk blouse and my Tatjana trousers made in black wool crepe. The trousers deserve their own blog post but I think that will wait until I make them in a fabric that shows up better in photos. The pattern is from my friend Delphine's pattern company, Just Patterns and this is the Tatjana trousers. It's a really great pattern and for experienced sewers it includes all the info you need but can skip the instructions, or if you are a beginner the instructions are quite thorough. 

I think this is the combo of fabric and pattern that would become a slouchy and comfortable blazer, getting softer and more worn in over the years, and due to the wool tweed will probably last for ages. 

In the photo above I'm wearing it with a turtleneck sweater and black jeans, not the pleated trousers. 

A look at that lapel crease and the upper pocket. I'm very happy with that pad stitching and the built in shaping it gives the jacket, it was a perfect combo with this nice herringbone wool fabric. 

Back lining view which shows the center back pleat. I think the sleeve lining is a bit too long, as it wants to peek out when worn. I will go back and fix that. I didn't shorten the sleeves when I made the jacket (as I usually do) since I had a sneaking suspicion I would pass this one on to a friend.

Yeah baby, the 70's are back. As the expression on my face says, No thank you to the fashions of that era. Big shoulder pads and pleated trousers, not something that I think looks right on me but perhaps it might with some modifications. I've seen so many ruffles, pants shapes and dress styles from that decade reviving now - not one of the best fashion eras but perhaps a lot better than what came next, the 80's which don't deserve any repeat!

Next up some jumpsuit sewing, or actually boiler suit and/or flight suit sewing, as our Hello Stitch Studio class in April is just that. Plus I've a few silk fabrics that are just longing to be sewn up into spring tops. 

Happy Spring Sewing,

Beth

Today's garden photo - some very reliable dianthus that are blooming right now. Dianthus are also called pinks and I think they are the most sewing themed flower, with the edges looking like they have been cut with pinking shears. 

Vintage Vogue Suit part 2

Time to pick up where I left off on this vintage Vogue pattern. It's all finished and on a rainy day (one of our few) I took a couple of outdoor shots. That may be all there is. I'm actually not crazy about this jacket, while I'm glad to have it finished it might just be another one of those 2020 items I give to a friend. However it did pass the time during the winter and reminded me why I like to use the quicker tailoring techniques to make things. Further down in this post I will pick up where I left off with sewing details in my previous post.

It has been finished for a couple of weeks, but it just feels so strange to add substantial items to my wardrobe with basically nowhere to wear things. In fact I was at Trader Joe's this week, wearing my bright blue wool blazer (here's the link) and one of the guys stocking the freezer cabinet turned around and said "great jacket - love the color!" So perhaps I need to wear some of these items for my mundane outings. Fingers crossed that summer is a lot different around here - I don't even want to talk about it (going on 12 months of social distance here in N. Calif 😩. 

As to what I've been sewing - not all that much as I just finished a month of teaching several online classes  via Zoom for Hello Stitch Studio. I can say they are a lot more to prepare than teaching in person but I'm happy to do them. We structure the classes as part instruction/learning time and part social time. I think we all miss our sewing social events so much and while I talk often and even see some friends periodically most of my friends don't sew. (and think that making clothes is a mysterious and unfathomable activity).

We have two classes in our monthly sewing club starting this week, the Button Front Shirt class which is an early session (4-5:30 pm pst ) and you can use any shirt pattern.  Also we have the  Myosotis Dress class 7-8:30pm. If you want to join in this class it would be fine to use shirt dress pattern that you already have. One upside of this whole situation is that people from outside the bay area can join in so it's been great to meet (virtually) some new people.  Here's the link to Hello Stitch Studio for all their other offerings. I made this chambray shirt in the class a few months ago, so I will be looking around in my stash tomorrow for fabric to use in new shirt project in the class. 

OK, back to jacket construction. In my previous post I ended with the start of pad stitching on the lapels. The next pattern piece to be pad stitched was the collar. I really feel I am out of practice with this stitching technique but wool tweed is a very helpful fabric and my stitching seemed to work. I like to use a contrast silk thread color as it make me happy to see the stitches marching along in turquoise rows, plus it doesn't show on the other side since the needle takes an invisible bite into the wool on the right side. 

Next step is attaching the under collar to the jacket front. At this point it is sewn on but not trimmed nor the seam pressed.

My next step is to press that seam which joins the collar to the lapel, trim and catch-stitch it down with silk thread. I do this same process also when I have made a jacket using fusible interfacings, it keeps the seam allowances smooth inside the jacket and then the upper collar and lapel can overlay with out any seam allowance getting in the way. 

Onward to the upper collar and lapel. Here is where in deviated from the pattern instructions, they didn't have any interfacing on the upper collar but I don't like the way that looks, although in this fabric it might not have been as noticeable as it might be on a solid or light color fabric. In any case I put some lightweight fusible on the upper collar and the jacket lapel facings.  The seam there was also trimmed and then catch-stitched down.

Time to sew the upper collar/lapel facing to the jacket body. I have no reservations about marking my stitching line on curves, angles etc. It just makes the machine sewing more accurate and avoids having to redo things. Soft lead pencil, chalk or Frixon pens all work fine for this purpose. 

More trimming. Grading the seam of the collar.

Pressing open the seam on the edge of the collar and lapel, and notching the curves which need space when the seam allowance is on the inside. 

Collar and lapels done. Onward to a couple of steps that I have never done before. Hand sewn patch pockets! I had doubts but I do like them. So sleeves, pockets and a few finishing details will be in the next post which I intend to do later this week. I like to blog projects as I go and this has been lingering a while. 

That is a very satisfying lapel :)  The herringbone stripes show off the collar angle nicely. So that's the mid-point on this jacket construction. I did make the shirt that is shown on the pattern but it is just way to 70's for me (the collar puts it out of the range of wearable for me) but I will post it you can see how it looks. The start of this jacket as well as a look at the Vogue pattern and the muslin are in my previous post here. 

Stay well and Happy Sewing,

Beth

Today's garden photo, not a lot blooming right now although the roses are all trimmed and sprouting their new leaves and stems. There were tomato plants for sale at the nursery this week. I have a new neighbor who has moved here from Michigan and she was saying that this California garden thing is quite confusing - I can imagine. Apparently they have plenty of snow on the ground in her former neighborhood while we are out walking in shorts and dealing with our drip irrigation in anticipation of the dry year to come. Here's a camellia that always puts out so many of these huge red blooms, filled with nectar for the bees and hummingbirds. 

Pattern Whisperer creation and tailoring sneak peek

Happy Holidays and welcome to so many new readers. I noticed a whole lot of clicks the other day and then Karen's post on Tailoring Resources popped up in my blog reader. Thanks for the compliments, Karen! As it happens I have a tailoring project in the works right now with another one planned.

Holiday party season is approaching - or actually upon us and I selected Rachel of SewSouthLondon as my first Pattern Whisperer choice for some party dress pattern advice. I gave her a bit of a challenge by recommending Vogue 1342 but knew she could do it. And wow, has she ever !!! Gorgeous. I love it on her and especially love the color which looks fantastic. I won't spoil the details but just give you a sneak peek at her and urge you to pop over to her blog to see the full effect.

Rachel of Sew South London in her Pattern Whisperer dress selection

If you are in the midst of party dress sewing, there are plenty of other recommendations in my post for party dresses patterns that have lots of opportunities for a good fit so check it out.

Now making a u-turn from party dresses, moving on to tailoring. In between sewing other things this December I decided to make a wool jacket. I had a piece of plaid wool flannel that just seemed very holiday-ish without being red and green so I decided to extract it from the stash and sew it up. And I thought OK, this will be a straightforward project, no fitting, using an old pattern...However, plaid !

That is guaranteed to add extra work to any project. Thankfully this is an even plaid (here is a link to some plaid tips from an old post). But I was able to sew this up fairly quickly and now it just needs the lining sewn in. 

I find the key to getting a good result on jackets is all about the interfacing. Well that, and trimming and grading, pressing, basting....ok a lot of things are needed. 

Below you can see the various interfacings used, all from Fashion Sewing Supply. Note that I have stitched down the neckline seam allowances using a catch stitch. Here is a link to an old post with some details on doing that.

And just a hint of my pickiness on small details.  I have the sleeves basted in  (I always baste sleeves first)  and see how the shoulder seam got caught flipped back on the one on the right. I will unpick that section and restitch flat. Might seem like a small detail but it is an easy fix and if not done there might be a slight bump there that cannot be eliminated later. 

When I was doing the collar I noticed this and thought it made the one of the best illustrations of the turn of the cloth that I have done. Collars are three-dimensional (duh, all clothes are but you know what I mean) Collars don't lie flat on jackets, they rise up from the neck and fold over toward the jacket back. So the upper collar needs to be longer than the under collar and that difference needs to be maintained when sewn but even more importantly when pressed.

That's all for this jacket now, I hope to finish it by this weekend and start wearing right away. Under my rain jacket when out and about - as it is raining a lot. This is our holiday gift for California this year :)

Happy almost Christmas sewing,  Beth

Here is today's garden photo - the bright red camellia blooming just in time for the holidays. These blooms are so big and are adding a nice spot of color to the otherwise drab winter garden.

Winter Wool Jacket completed

It seems our winter is almost over and spring is starting early, so I am glad to say I have finished my winter wool jacket project, and I wore it last week. I have enough fabric remaining to make a matching piece, either a skirt or pants but I am not sure I will. A skirt would be nice but I probably would get very little use from a skirt suit.  Pants are more practical but maybe just too much plaid (even though the plaid is subtle).  Either way pants will have to wait until I perfect my pants making, which is my number one sewing goal for 2012!

So can I say it?  I am really happy with that plaid matching!  Check out the sleeve/sleeve cap/jacket front.  I was very careful when I cut out the jacket - but sometimes the sewing fairies sprinkle magic dust on a project and it works out perfectly.

This is an even plaid, so I was also able to match on the collar and lapel seam.  

In my last post I outlined a number of steps required to finish a tailored jacket, but giving it more thought I realized that each step actually consists of many small steps. For a look at sewing the collar and lapels on a tailored piece, check this post for my dressy winter coat from last January, or this post for my corduroy blazer jacket.

Sleeves have their own issues, and while easing in the sleeve cap is one step that can be confounding, there are lots of other small steps that contribute to success.

Here is a quick outline of steps I go through:

• mark sleeves, notches and dots
• chalk mark inside of each sleeve - helps to prevent sewing up 2 lefts or 2 right sleeves!
• stitch sleeve seam or seams in the case of a 2-piece sleeve
• press sleeve seams
• run gathering stitch from notch to notch along sleeve cap
• pin sleeve into garment, start at center bottom, pin notches, pin dot markings and then ease sleeve cap into place.  Pin inside the circle created by the sleeve. I disagree from some sewing books on this, but it works for me.
• sew sleeve using long basting stitch, turn garment right side out and check the placement, fix any ripples and re-stitch.  
• Sew with regular length stitches all around sleeve.  Run second row of stitches inside seam allowance 1/8" from from first row.  Sleeves get a lot of strain when you move your arms so this is important in a coat or jacket.
• Trim the seam allowance under the arm to 1/4" from front to back notch.
• Press the seam cap allowance only, do not press the seam allowance into the sleeve. 
• Stitch in the sleeve head, I always hand stitch.
• At this point, I let the jacket "rest" a bit on the dress form, and play around with various shoulder pads (if required) to see which ones work best.  Often the ones that I least expect are the best choice which I define as disappearing but supporting the garment.

Another whew! no wonder it takes so long to make this type of jacket.  But on the plus side this type of project lends itself to lots of small sewing sessions.  You can see the double row of stitching, and how I have trimmed the seam allowance at the underarm. On the left is the sleeve head, pinned on and being stitched. Below is the finished sleeve head, the wider portion is up against the sleeve cap, so it supports the 
sleeve and smooths it out.

Here is the jacket without the shoulder pad, so it is evident that the pattern is designed for using one, and if you omit it the shoulder kind of sinks and creates those drag lines. On the left is the jacket is nearing completion, still needing hemming, buttonholes and pressing. On the right is the shoulder pad that I used.  I tack it down along the shoulder seam, and then sometimes a few stitches on the sleeve seam allowance, but less it more, it should kind of float inside the jacket and if it is the right shape and size it will be invisible.

Finished jacket, with lining completed and machine buttonhole. Looking at this photo I think I need to do a better job on the pressing, I was rushing to get it finished and take photos while the light was just right in my sewing room. I found a nice black leather button in my button box, always rewarding to find just the right button!

I am ready to move on to spring sewing - there are so many great patterns calling me. However my next project will be the one selected by blog reader Ruta, Vogue 1143 Guy Laroche suit, in a lightweight stretch fabric that will make a great all season outfit.  I looked over the pattern this past weekend, and while it has a zillion pattern pieces it looks fairly straightforward.  Except that it has pants ! EEEK!  I will persevere and get them accomplished. . . I hope.

If you are interested in this tailoring project here are links to the previous posts on this project.  Post 1, Interfacing and other details and Post 2, details going on inside the jacket. 

Today's SunnyGal garden photo - the first daffodil of the season plus some violas and a white primula enjoying the early morning sunshine.

Winter Wool jacket progress

Yesterday the temperature in my part of the world was around 72ºF with plenty of sunshine and people walking around in shorts.  OK, I can probably see someone in shorts here 365 days of the year, even when it is in the 40's. But it is January, which should be the season for hibernating, wearing my cozy winter sweaters, and looking longingly at gardening catalogs.  But not this year, the January without winter.  So either we will have a excessively rainy spring or jump straight into hot summer with too little water in the reservoirs.  Which is a long way of saying that I am trying to speedily sew my winter wool jacket so I can actually wear it this season. This is a Vogue Anne Klein pattern V2853 from 2005 which is a great pattern and goes well with some tailoring techniques.


This weekend I hope to sew together all the components.  I like to make jackets in units, a system which I am sure I have seen in some sewing books.  

I tend to sew a jacket using my own mental checklist, no matter what the instructions say. Here is my order of tasks for making a lined jacket.  First step, of course is cutting out the fabric.  

• Mark tailor's tacks on all pieces, chalk mark wrong side of fabrics
• Apply interfacings
• Jacket fronts - finish welt pockets, bound buttonholes if needed
• Jacket back, sew seams and apply upper back shoulder stay
• Shoulder seams, sew fronts to back
• Attach under-collar, trim and tack down seam allowances
• Sew and press sleeves, set aside, sometimes stay tape on this seam
• Cut out lining - using pattern pieces now removed from fabric
• Attach upper collar to upper lapel, trim and catch-stitch down seam allowances
• Sew collar and lapels together, press and turn
• sew side seams
• attach sleeves, with sleeve head and shoulder pads if required
• sew lining pieces together
• sew in lining, by machine or by hand
• jacket hem, lining hem
• tack lining down at shoulder seams
• machine buttonholes and buttons
• hem sleeves and sleeve lining
• final pressing!

Did I miss anything?  whew, it does seem like a lot of steps, but a lined tailored jacket has a lot of components, inside and out. The reason I do the jacket in this order is mostly to be able to work "in the flat", possibly one of my made-up technical terms? But I like to be able to sew the collar/lapel and then do that pressing without the side seams sewn up, which restricts the way I can move the jacket over my ironing board and tailor's ham. Just so much easier.  If you are interested in tailoring or just want to make a jacket using a great method, I recommend Sherry's Ready-To-Wear Tailoring Sew Along, on her fantastic blog, Pattern-Scissors-Cloth.  She is a great instructor, and I really appreciate her analysis of fitting and the fixes to apply. 

Here the jacket back with undercollar, so you can see the way I have tacked down that seam using a catch-stitch, which is a hand stitch that uses an X pattern to keep the seam allowances flat.  I used turquoise silk thread, so you can see it better plus it is fun to sew with a bright color that will later be hidden. You can also see the back stay which is cotton and I cut out on the fold using that back pattern piece. I find the back stay makes the upper back nice and smooth, so if there are any shoulder pads they disappear under the fabrics.  This pattern calls for shoulder pads, and I think they work well in a tailored jacket, to help it hang on the body better and support the jacket weight. Also the sleeves look very good on a well-designed jacket pattern with shoulder pads.

The woven interfacing is cut on the bias on the undercollar, same as the fabric, however I did add a crossgrain piece which you may be able to see in the photo, at the lower part of the collar.  If I had used hand-stitched hair canvas for the interfacing that is where the extra shaping would be, to give the collar a roll line and structure.  Time now for a brief rant on patterns, which never include the roll line on collars. If you look at this post from last year on my black wool coat, I had a little rant on this topic and showed the roll line I created. 

Even though I love this grey fabric I need some pop of color somewhere, so I put a line of bright blue piping inside. I cut a bias strip 1.75" wide, folded in half, stitched at 5/8" and then have a nice line of blue on the black lining. On the upper lapel and collar I used Pro-Sheer Elegance fusible knit interfacing, see photo on the right.

So what's next?  According to my list above I am about in the middle:  Sew upper-collar/lapel to jacket, then press and turn.  And onward!


This morning I took a quick trip to Britex Fabrics in downtown San Francisco as I am making a dress for a "creative black tie" event for someone and we were in search of some interesting fabric.  Driving in over the bridge the city was spectacular and I wanted to get a photo of it all but for once there was no traffic and we were zipping in too fast for a nice photo of the Golden Gate Bridge with hundreds of sailboats and a cruise ship docked at the pier.  So instead, despite the "no photography" signs posted in the store here I am among the lovely rainbow of fabrics that is Britex. Wearing my blue/black houndstooth jacket, same pattern as the one in grey I am making now. 

No purchases for myself there, a triumph. I averted my eyes and thought about all that fabric at home!  


Happy Weekend Sewing, Beth

Interviewing the Interfacing

It was a great weekend for sewing, lots of cold and rainy weather plus a nice collection of unwatched stuff on my Tivo equals some quality sewing time. While I have many, many projects on my to do list, I did spend more of that time than I should have on my winter wool jacket. Now that winter has arrived here (sort of) I want to wear it soon.


In the second part of my previous post I showed the pattern and fabric selected for this jacket.  Doing a tailored wool garment is one of my favorite projects, so throw in a little plaid matching and I am in sewing nirvana. I cut it out about a week ago, rather slowly for me, taking about an hour which is a lot for a pattern that is already fitted. This fabric has an even plaid but it is very faint and so it took some deep staring at the fabric to get it all matched. 


Picking up this project on Saturday, the first thing I did was interview my interfacing.
Sounds a bit silly but this is one small task that has a big payoff.

Pinned to the wall is the interfaced jacket front piece, paper pattern piece, and right side of the jacket front showing all my lovely tailor's tacks.  (I have written before about my obsession with thread tailor's tacks).  The jacket front is completely interfaced with Pro-Weft Fusible from Fashion Sewing Supply.com.  I am now a total convert to using these interfacings, they really are fantastic and one of the best things about them is that they FUSE properly with very little effort, as opposed to other fusibles that need to be practically cooked on to get them to fuse and even then leave some bubbles or peel off. 

Before I get to this point, with all that fun fusing, I test various types of interfacing on my fabric.  In this case for the under-collar and under-lapel I tested the Pro-Weft and the Pro-Tailor Deluxe. You can see my test sample here, the photo is lightened a bit so the samples are visible.  After I fuse the samples, then I stitch a fold in the fabric to simulate how it will feel under the two layers of fabric, as well as how the edge feels.  I haven't used the Pro-Tailor Deluxe much and thought this was just the project for it, but as it turned out it gives a slightly stiff feel, and the Pro-Weft felt better. This fabric is a very soft Italian wool and just didn't need the crisp interfacing but I think the Pro-Tailor will be perfect next time I make a coat.   I keep the labeled samples stapled to the instruction page for easy reference. 

This may seem like a lot of fuss but it takes just a few minutes plus some fabric fondling to see how it will feel when all sewn up. The fold and stitch is important as sometimes the fabric plus interfacing feels just right but then when seamed gets too springy or stiff.  OK, don't laugh, but I do this test with closed eyes so I can see which one really feels the best - sometimes I am surprised by the winner.  

I completed the jacket fronts, with their darts and welt pocket. The pocket flap is also interfaced with the Pro-Weft. It is NOT pressed so it looks a bit wonky but I am satisfied.  The plaid matching so far is coming out nicely, but perhaps sharp-eyed readers will notice that there is no way the seam on the right could match both above and below the pocket (see pattern piece above, dart and small cut-out wedge which creates pocket welt) so I chose to match the sleeve and jacket back with the jacket upper front and the rest of the seams below the pocket, going around to the jacket back and so far it is working out fine. Note if you are trying out your first plaid matching project - choose a pattern with continuous and even up and down seams, not one like this!  A skirt is a great place to start, and for a jacket Simplicity 3628 has good seaming and nice collar options.

Today is Monday and I think this project will have to be put aside for a few days but I hope to finish it by next week as well as catch up on my blog reading.

Reaching back to last August, here is today's SunnyGal Garden photo.  I was looking through some of my camera roll and don't think I ever posted this one.  When I was barely upright last August due to my back problems, I took a slow early morning walk around the garden and saw this dragonfly on the rose. I carefully returned to the house, retrieved my camera and approached the rose bush again, and he was still there.  The result is one of my favorite garden photos ever.  I just planted 4 new bare root roses so who knows what will be seen this spring.  Is it here yet?

Happy Sewing, Beth