First off, I must say that I am no where near being an experienced tailor; this is the first jacket that I have ever tailored. When I started toying with the idea of learning to tailor a jacket, one book in particular, The Zapp Method of Couture Sewing, grabbed my interest. The author, Anna Zapp, shows how to tailor a jacket using a method called "fuse tailoring," which basically involves using a fusible hair canvas to shape the garment and molding it while the interfacing is being fused. This is the method I had originally thought of using, but after a while I became busy and I didn't have time to start such a large project, and the idea was put "on the back burner," so to speak. Later on when I was not as busy, however, I started to think about tailoring again, only this time I wanted to learn custom tailoring, in which the traditional hand methods are used. The more home seamstresses that I read about online who talked about using traditional methods, the more I wanted to try it. I knew that many of them were advanced by their years of experience, but I figured that if I wanted to be able to do it well someday, I would have to start somewhere, so I decided to give it a try.
Next, I set out in search of reliable instructions on the subject. I rummaged through various library books, and, after looking through a few of them, I selected the Reader's Digest's The New Complete Guide to Sewing and Claire B. Shaeffer's Couture Sewing Techniques. I liked The New Complete Guide To Sewing for it's thorough, detailed, and comprehensive directions, and I had grown very fond Couture Sewing Techniques after borrowing it a few times, and figured that with Claire's extensive knowledge of couture methods, it wouldn't hurt to use it as a supplement to the first book that I mentioned. For the actual construction of the jacket, I followed the Reader's Digest (RD) book pretty closely, but I used Claire's advice while attaching the bridle*, pad stitching the lapels, and taping the front seamline.
Finally, here are a few additional snapshots:
In these photos, you can see a close-up photo of the bound buttonholes at the center front. Unfortunately, the pictures don't really show the pleat in the center back seam of the lining or in the lining hem :(
Note: These photographs were taken with a flash, so the lining appears to be somewhat illuminated.
Materials used: Fashion fabric - Bouclé (50% Wool, 50% Acrylic), Lining - Plum colored lining fabric (100% Polyseter), Hair canvas - medium weight (60% Wool, 40% Goat hair), Bridle - I actually didn't use bridle. I used 1/4" white twill tape as a substitute (100% Cotton), Sleeve heading - Polyester fleece.
The jacket isn't entirely perfect; I encountered a few difficulties, such as areas that seemed to pucker and imperfections in a few places (the notch of the collar and lapels, for instance), but I suppose that could very well be expected of my first jacket.
One tip that I would offer to other beginning tailors (based on the experience error) is to choose a fabric that is easy to work with yet still compatible for tailoring when starting your first project. A wool gabardine** or twill would probably be among the better choices. When I chose to use bouclé for my jacket, I did not realize how difficult it would be to handle. It was not impossible, but the fact that it was spongy, bulky, and frayed badly made it difficult to stitch and press. Areas of construction such as attaching the collar to the jacket and facing the lapels require precise stitching, and stitches have a way of hiding in bouclé that makes them hard to see or remove. My fabric also required special pressing techniques which caused me to spend more time worrying about protecting my fabric from the iron than actually molding the jacket and learning how to shape it.
This is all I can think to say on the subject at the moment, but if you have any additional questions as to how I made this jacket, post a comment and let me know!
*If you're not familiar with the term "bridle" as I mentioned it above, bridle is a particular sort of narrow cotton tape that is used in tailoring to prevent unwanted stretching in areas such as the roll line of the lapels.
**ETA: When I originally wrote this post, I mentioned gabardine as being easier to press than bouclé. I was mistaken, however, because gabardine can be difficult to handle, as well. Sorry for the confusion! I guess I'm always learning!
