The black denim jacket, final version, Part 2

Yesterday I did a post titled black denim jacket, final version however I ran out of time for blog writing so here is the real final version. In that post I have links to some of my previous posts with details on how to copy an existing garment and make a pattern. It is a really useful skill, particularly as it gives you a fitting shortcut since the original item usually has the fit you want. Even if you don't recreate exactly you can learn a lot by making a pattern from clothes you already own in terms of proportion and shape.

This is exactly what I wanted in a lightweight denim jacket, something to wear with black pants or prints that included black. I like that the fabric is not a solid but has slight charcoal grey tint and a linen-ish weave. Plus a touch of lycra which is nice as this style is very fitted so the lycra makes it very comfortable and not too tight across the shoulders. I wore this jacket on my vacation to Hawaii where you don't need a jacket in September but I always need something on the plane or airport since the AC is cranked up to ridiculous levels (to me who is always cold).

As I mentioned in the previous post, I made this pattern from an existing RTW jacket that I had in my wardrobe. I made the pattern from that jacket and actually sewed this very fast because the hem length, sleeves etc. were all done exactly as the original, so no measuring, no fitting, just quick sewing and a bit of topstitching. 

Here is the original jacket that I used to create the pattern. The blue denim fabric is a bit heavier and so it holds its shape on the dress form but when worn they look pretty much the same. I never button it, not that type of jacket but it looks nice here so I did. 

Back view of new jacket. You can really see the fabric with all the slubs that make it different from plain denim. 

The original jacket had welt pockets and then pocket flaps that were sewn on above the welts. Which seemed like an odd way to do it, but actually is good because often with thick fabrics and a lot of layers, the pocket flap does not want to lay flat on a welt pocket. So the welt pocket is finished and then the flap is sewn about 1/4" above the welt. 

I did have one oddball issue during construction. I put the sleeve on and it seemed kind of twisted, so I shifted the sleeve head, moving what I thought was the top of the sleeve about 1/2 inch forward. 

In image below, sleeve on left, not shifted and sleeve on right is shifted. Problem solved! I will chalk that up to slight issue with my patternmaking or marking. But happily not a big problem. 

A look at the inside, unlined and all seams serged. I played around with the pockets on the inside and did a bit of improvisation, turning the seam allowances inside so there were no raw edges on the pocket bags.

Lastly the buttons. I think they cost more than the fabric for the jacket but that is OK, I am still under about $ 25 total. I brought my fabric swatch over to Stone Mountain and was looking at all the possible buttons but couldn't decide on anything. One of the women that works there came over and took a look at my choices, thought none of them were working and pulled out their latest shipment they had not even put on the shelf. She dug through the box for this exact button and insisted I use them (in the nicest possible way).  So almost $ 16 for buttons but I am very glad I bought these which are an interesting shade of brushed metal. 

That is the last item for summer sewing, to me the weather is turning chilly (OK I know that is a relative term for all of you in the great northwest or east, not to mention Canada or parts of Europe). So time to change gears and pull out some wools. Confession: I just bought a nice wool tweed at Stone Mountain in a kind of pale plummy mixture, and so far have auditioned a number of patterns from my stash but so far no decisions. 

Happy weekend sewing, Beth

Today's garden photo is gardenias. A big planter box next to the front porch of my house holds 3 bushes so the smell is intoxicating as you come up to the front door. The gardenias in both the front yard and the few scattered around the back bloom profusely in the spring, kind of retreat in the super hot summer months and then go wild again in autumn.  More blooms to come, at least for the next month or so. Intoxicating!

The black denim jacket, final version in time for fall, Part 1

Have you ever felt like Goldilocks with your sewing?  I have been feeling a bit like that lately in my quest to make a lightweight jacket from an interesting black denim because nothing has been "just right." For my first version I tried a Simplicity pattern which seemed interesting and you can see the result here in this post. I even tried a new sorta fancy half-lining technique which was fine but not really worth the trouble. In the end I just didn't like the style or fit on me so I gave that jacket to my good pal Alice and it suited her very well.
Then I made the Jacket Express from Islander patterns, which is available via a Craftsy class. While I liked how it turned out that was mostly due to the red color and super soft denim fabric. You can see that jacket here in this post. I also did a review of the Craftsy class here.
But I still wanted a black denim jacket and every time I put on my old blue denim jacket I thought why isn't there a pattern just like it? That question bugged me and then one night around nine o'clock the proverbial lightbulb went off in my head and I realized the answer had been there all along. Right in my closet. So I grabbed that jacket and made a pattern from it.
Here is the original which is a Ralph Lauren dark blue denim jacket I bought at Macy's ages ago, maybe 7 years? and have worn so often. I like it because it is a shaped like a blazer, not a western style in the traditional Levi's blue jacket look (although I have one of those which is even older and I cannot part with, something so great about an old perfectly worn out Levi's jacket).

The fabric on on this original jacket is a little bit stiff, so you can see it holds its shape very well and give a nice curve at the waist. I realized that the latest version is much lighter fabric so doesn't have that shaping on the dress form but when worn looks just about the same. 

Here is the pattern I created using mostly the method described in this post. I use a combination of the rub-off method and a some educated guesswork, particularly for the sleeves which I find tricky but not impossible. You can see a fold in the main sleeve part where I had too much fabric on my tissue pattern piece so I folded it out.  Now can I say it, "Look Ma, no muslin". Yes, I confess I was in a giddy mood after I made this pattern and went directly to my fabric and cut it out. No testing at all :)

I do NOT recomend this but I just had a feeling it would be OK. Plus I did walk all the seams, and flat pattern measure against the original to check dimensions. At this point in my sewing life I can look at a pattern and judge that the dimensions look right, checking if the shape of the armhole or collar, the sweep of the princess seam seem correct. That is why I do a lot of adjusting on purchased patterns, in particular my pet peeve - dress patterns with a sleeved and sleeveless version, the sleeveless version is often so clunky and needs refinement. 

When you make a pattern from an existing garment it is really important to give yourself a lot of guide marks for placement of things, all those notches and dots that we frequently ignore on a printed pattern are sorely missed when you do a self-made pattern. But it is easy enough to create them. Here is an example of the two front pieces and the collar.

And this is the shoulder seam, I marked a dot where the front princess seam matched with the back shoulder seam, which may seem unnecessary but every little bit helps.

For interfacing I used Pro-Sheer Elegance Fusible, not sure if it was the lightweight or the medium weight but either way that stuff is the best and pretty much all I use now.

My sewing tip for this jacket is to press all the seams open before you press them flat. I hope this photo shows what I mean. That is the collar where I have trimmed the seams down to about 3/8 inch and then press open before turning right side and pressing the flat collar. If this were a wool jacket I would grade the seams but on this type of thin denim it is not really necessary. 

OK, I am going to do it again, leave off here with a sneak peek. I just looked at the clock and need to get moving. I will try to post the finished jacket tomorrow.

happy sewing and I hope you can stay out of the fabric stores - Halloween is just around the corner and their are some frantic costume makers shopping this weekend and next!

Beth

Today's SunnyGal garden photo is the lonely apple. Just three or four on the tree this year, it barely bloomed which was a complete mystery. And there is the colony of bees living in it so it should have been covered in apples. However it is a good thing because the apples are terrible and make a big mess. Thus I can admire the lonely apple and appreciate its pretty color knowing there are not hundreds to pick up!

Garment Clone - tunic top

Sometimes I feel like Goldilocks when it comes to selection of fabric and pattern. Some fabrics are too limp, some fabrics are too bright, and sometimes as Goldilocks found in the story, everything is just right. I just made this tunic top for my mom by copying a tunic top that she bought at Macy's ages ago and has worn many times.  She is one of those people that look really sharp in a bold black and white garment so I was a concerned if a new version could equal the original but she is thrilled with it, and it all comes down to the fabric.

Last week I met up with some fellow San Francisco bay area sewing bloggers, a super fun evening. (check out these posts from Shams of Communing with Fabric and Amy of Sew Well).  Even better, I got to meet someone new, Cindy of Cation Designs. I have been reading her blog for a while so it was great to finally talk and hear about her sewing adventures. She made me laugh because I showed a couple of things I have sewn with fabrics purchased at a local thrift store or estate sale. She was amazed at my lucky finds (as am I) and was ready to go shopping with me anytime. While I don't always find something I do get the feeling there is someone who is my shopping doppelganger slowly doling out her donations to the local thrift store I frequent as I now have more than 7 big pieces of yardage waiting to be sewn up.  Everything I have purchased at this thrift store is blue, ranging from dark cobalt to pale sky blue, with a good dollop of turquoise and aqua.  Interesting, huh?  I tell you, my shopping/sewing doppelganger.  Although she is apparently decreasing her stash whereas I am adding to mine.   

Back to the tunic top.  Fabric content is a mystery, it is 60" wide and has a linen-y texture but is super soft and presses beautifully.  Here is the original black and white tunic top which is 100% linen. It looks great but is just a bit heavy. I do like the white outline on the solid black placket etc. but I didn't have any white fabric that seemed the right weight so I skipped that feature on the blue version.  I also skipped the trim on the bottom because visually it seemed to chop off the look in the blue. 

Here is a closer look at the blue fabric. I happened to have the solid blue fabric in my stash, hurrah.

I made the paper pattern by copying the original top, which was quite easy as garment clones go, since it is a relatively simple garment and can be laid flat.  I run a contrast line of basting down the center front and back of the top, and then just trace the seam lines of the garment, adding seam allowances later. I laid the sleeves flat, and traced the front half and back half, and then taped them together, truing up the sleeve cap a bit.  Normally I would pleat in the dart as I pinned the tissue on the garment for tracing but I just couldn't get the paper to cooperate so I traced the front almost flat, and then went back and added a bust dart using the slash and pivot technique. Then I trued up the front side seam to the back. I marked the neckline placket and then retraced that section to make the pattern piece.

For the placket I did use a lightweight knit interfacing, stay-stitched the seam allowance all around and then turned and pressed. The neckline placket is sewn inside, right side to wrong side, and then flipped outside and top-stitched, so the right side shows. The RTW top was made this way, easy and not bulky.

So I gave it to Mom this week and she loves it. another hurrah!  I have enough fabric remaining to make another one - so I might have one as well.  Which might require some pre-event telephoning, to make sure we don't arrive somewhere looking like twins. Could happen :)

Getting back to my thrift store finds, in addition to this tunic top fabric, here are a few other finds which came from the same store.

My McCalls vintage look, made with a blue wool tweed. Still have a good 2 yards remaining, so I am thinking a jacket will be made this winter.  

This one is a crinkled cotton in a tropical orchid and palm leaf print.  I made a summer sundress (what else?)  using Butterick 5351. Another good one for our 100 degree days.

                      

The fabric shown below I found at an estate sale, not my unnamed thrift store, so it is not blue, but one of my other preferred colors - plum or is it purple?  Blog post: Vogue 1117 Michael Kors dress.  Lots of sewing details in that blog post and the previous one if you are interested in this pattern.  

                          

Total investment in these 3 fabrics is less than $ 20.  How I love a fabric bargain and now I feel I must check my local unnamed thrift store weekly in case my shopping doppelganger has made another donation.  You didn't think I was going to drop the name/location of this retail establishment, did you? We couldn't have that, as much as I like you all, dear readers.  Someone might swoop in and take my next piece of blue fabric.

Sunnygal garden photo in shades of purple to compliment the dress above.
Foxglove, a new plant I tried on a whim and it is a winner, expect to see more of these next year.


Happy Summer sewing, Beth

Shirt Sleeve Placket - up close look

This week I am catching up on projects I set aside in July.  I cut out and started sewing the Liberty of London cotton shirt which is based on an existing garment, posted about here and here. I rarely make shirts, in fact there are a few categories of clothing I never make for myself.  These include jeans, t-shirts, almost any kind of button front blouse or shirt, swimwear, shorts, and gym wear.  There are only so many sewing hours in a week, and being someone that for the most part has made all my dresses, suits, jackets and coats it is a pleasure to walk into a store and select a pair of jeans or a shirt to wear immediately. To tell the truth, shirts are something I should tackle.  I could make a silk blouse for a fraction of the price in the department store.  Perhaps I will, since I have now shed my fear of plackets.
I think I had a bad experience once upon a time with plackets, plus they are so fiddly, consequently I have often avoided them.  With this blouse project, there was no avoiding, so I did some playing around with placket samples and now I have a fool proof placket that looks good inside and out.
This is not an original idea but a recreation of the menswear style shirt plackets I found among the examples hanging in my closet, with a healthy dose of tips from my various sewing books.


To start, create the placket pattern.  This is a case where I don't use the pattern pieces that came witth the pattern, but draw up my own. (Of course for this project I made the pattern myself so no envelope pattern piece to ignore). Below is a sample, in muslin and the sleeve in quilting cotton, so you can see the components.  Make the placket pattern piece longer than the opening you want in the sleeve, you can cut the excess off after sewing.  The widths are noted, then the solid lines add 1/4" to the placket and are also the fold lines.  The smaller white piece starts as1" wide, fold in 1/4" each long edge, and then fold in half, plus fold back top edge 1/4".



I think that some placket fear stems from the fact that you have to slash the sleeve to create the placket.  No good can come from slashing.  OK, an exaggeration, but how many times has the slash maneuver gone wrong.  Don't get me started.  The saying - measure twice but cut once - really applies to the slash. I think also on this slash, in fact on the whole placket, it is really important to work on both sides at the same time, having them on your worktable as mirror images, so that you end up with a right and a left.  No fun to create lovely left sleeve and then another perfect left sleeve, aaargh.  


First sewing step is to apply the under placket piece, rather like a tiny seam binding. Shown below, pinned and sewn. The folded edge of this little piece is at the top of the slash, and creates a nice finish. 




Next step is to apply the upper placket piece. I neglected to take a photo of the inside, to show that the shorter side of the folded placket is matching the top folded edge of the under placket piece. The horizontal pin marks the point where the stitching will be horizontal to catch the two sides of the placket and stitch off the top of the slash point. 




After stitching, this would end up as the left sleeve.  Please ignore my slightly wobbly stitching.  


A look at the finished placket in the Liberty cotton fabric.  It disappears which is just what I want in a sleeve placket. By using the measurements noted above, the placket pieces overlap and keep the sleeve bottom measurement as it was before it was slashed.

Back to the sewing room, lots to finish today.  And tomorrow a fabric shopping excursion to Stone Mountain fabrics with fellow blogger Jean of J.Kaori Designs.  Looking forward to that!

Things in the SunnyGal garden are looking a little dreary, we are at the very dry end of summer and nothing new is blooming.  A few dahlias are still bringing a bit of color. Here is a dahlia I bought years ago in a pot and have divided many times.  I always think it would be so nice if it bloomed at Christmastime as it is peppermint candy cane colors.   


Happy start of fall sewing,
Beth

Patternmaking - Copying a favorite blouse - the result

Looking in the dictionary, there are a few definitions listed under the word "clone", such as to make an identical copy, or something designed to simulate the exactly the operation of another, typically more expensive item.   I like that second definition, particularly as applied to clothing.  After all, a lot of my sewing is inspired by things I have seen in stores or magazines and would never be able to bring myself to purchase.  (such as a $ 2000 coat or an Armani tuxedo style suit).   So the part about simulating the operation of another item,  that sounds about right.  Typically a more expensive item, definitely, as refers to my own wardrobe.


The result at right of my first go in a long time at cloning a blouse  Here is that post : 
making  a pattern from the existing blouse.  


As they say on the radio, this was a test, I repeat, only a test.   I skipped adding the cuffs for the test version.


The real blouse will be made from Liberty cotton purchased in the shop in London.  












I was set to cut it out from a scrap of bedsheets, but then thought - with just a bit of care I can sew the whole thing. I was planning to go through all the steps, collar, placket etc. so better to use some real fabric.  I had this turquoise gingham so that became a summer shirt.


 This is the original blouse which I copied.




Here is a look at the collar.  A while ago I did a post about collars and collar stands, and a really great method I saw on a PBS tv show with Louise Cutting (who often writes in Threads magazine)  If you are interested here is the link  Cotton blouse with variations.

I am really happy with the way this turned out, and am crossing my fingers that I get the same result when I cut into that expensive Liberty fabric.  Here is a peek at it.  The purple at the bottom is for a bias trim along the hemline.

If you are interesting in cloning a garment that you have, I do recommend the book I mentioned in my last post:  Patternmaking for a Perfect Fit by Steffani Lincecum.  very helpful.

Here is today's Sunnygal Garden photo, this Hydrangea is right by my front door, and is really not my favorite, I like the mophead type better.  As it happens this one is huge - almost crowding out the other shrubs in that area.  Good thing it puts out a lot of blooms or I might have to take defensive action.  No mercy here for plants that are not performers!

and to those celebrating Independence Day, July 4 - have a great one! 

Beth

Patternmaking - Copy a favorite blouse

Why did I learn to copy garments?  In one word - pants!  What is more confounding than the fit of pants?  Years ago I did take a class on garment copying and have occasionally used it to remake a pair of pants or duplicate a dress.  I pick my battles carefully with this technique, as there are so many great sewing patterns so I can usually find the dress or jacket I want.  Pants are a bit more complicated to copy than a dress, but definitely do-able and so worthwhile.


This week I am re-making a blouse in a new fabric.  Here is the original, front and back. Note the touch of contrast turquoise piping along the hem - nice detail!

 The owner loves the fit and style, and really wanted me to copy instead of using a new pattern.  As it happens I was just reading this book,  Patternmaking for a Perfect Fit:  Using the Rub-Off Technique to Re-create and Redesign your Favorite Fasions by Steffani Lincecum.




I highly recommend it if you are interested in this technique.  The photos are clear, and she shows you not only how to copy a garment, but how to take that copy and redesign it to make other styles.  She copies a dress, skirt, blouse, and a handbag, using vintage items. 


I have been using something very close to her technique but learned a lot from reading the book.  This is nowhere near a tutorial but I can show you some of the steps involved in copying.
To get started, I pin the blouse together in order to divide it in half lengthwise and find the center back line which I will put on the fold.

Next I run a thread trace down the center back line, which is folded.  Then I unpin the sides and then take some measurements to be sure the line is accurately in the center.  See bright green thread line.

For the back yoke, I used a technique straight out of this book.  Previously I would have placed the tracing paper on top of the garment and then traced, but here the tracing paper is underneath the blouse, the pins hold it down and poke holes in the paper which can then be joined in a connect-the-dots manner to draw the pattern piece. 


Here is the finished back yoke piece, after I have connected the dots.  Then I can lay it over the blouse to re-check the dimensions.
Onto the collar which is one of the easier pieces to copy, because you can lay it flat with no trouble.  Following that logic, the sleeve is the real troublemaker in this process, but with some fussing it can be done.
Non-sewing tidbit.  As I was tracing I noticed I was using this red pencil, which must be at least 50 years old.  It is from a long gone jewelry store in downtown San Francisco owned by some of my mother's Italian cousins. It was one of those upstairs stores - you had to know where it was, and had a claim to fame.  Baseball great and SF bay area native Joe DiMaggio brought Marilyn Monroe there to pick out her engagement ring.  Very thrilling for the family!


Back to sewing:  here is the front of the blouse, which has long darts.  With some fiddling and folding, it is possible to pinch the darts into the paper, you have to pivot the fabric a bit underneath in order to get the full width of the garment.


Here are some finished pattern pieces, with the seam allowances drawn on.  Even though I am constantly adding and dividing fractions of 1/8" in my head, I cannot bring myself to use anything other than a 5/8" seam allowance.  Oh, how that 1/2" would be so nice and even. But then I would probably sew at 5/8" and my garment would have mysteriously shrunken in the sewing.  So better to stick with the 5/8".

If you have a garment that is just right, you love the fit and want to re-create it, give it a try. I suggest starting with a skirt or a simple blouse.    

Next post - making a test blouse.

Here is today's SunnyGal Garden photo which is Tanacetum parthenium, common name Feverfew.  Another plant sale purchase and I think it is so cute!  Things are looking good in the garden, the tomatoes are ripening and we are heading into the mid-summer time when there is not much garden work and mostly garden enjoyment.                                  Happy Sewing