Chocolate Corduroy Jacket

Here are a few pictures of a chocolate colored jacket made of pinwale corduroy, using Butterick 5253. I made view B, but substituted the collar from view D, rather than making a mandarin collar.





Materials Used
-Pinwale corduroy (the photos represent the actual color but are somewhat dark; here is a better picture)
-Cotton broadcloth
-Fusible interfacing
-Champagne colored polyester lining
-Thread
-Self-covered buttons
-Shoulder pads (1/4")

Fitting Alterations
I didn't make a test garment for this jacket, but I had anticipated needing to make an SBA, so I altered the pattern for it before cutting into the fabric. I typically take a tuck in the pattern for my short waist, but since this jacket is not particularly fitted in that area, I didn't need to make any adjustments for it this time.

The jacket was much too loose when I tried it on after sewing the side and shoulder seams, so I took it in at the back princess seams. I actually had to remove quite a bit, but it seemed to do the trick ;)

Cutting and Construction
When cutting out the under-collar, I placed the pattern on the bias and added 3/8" to the center back edge to allow for a seam. I didn't actually intend to do this when I started cutting, but I ran short of fabric and it was the only way it would fit. Funny that it should work out that way!
Also, when cutting the sleeve ruffles, I wasn't sure that I wanted make them quite as gathered as in the illustration, so I reduced the length of the pattern piece by a slight amount. It ended up fitting on the layout perfectly, without an inch to spare (I was literally "cutting it close" with this garment!).

For the construction process, I basically followed the pattern directions to the end, except for a few slight detours. The first was using broadcloth for interfacing rather than a fusible, since I was working with corduroy. I wanted it to have additional support in the button/loop area, though, so I fused a strip of lightweight interfacing to the broadcloth along the center front edges. After that, I basted the broadcloth to the corresponding corduroy panels.
The second "detour" was trimming the under collar by 1/8" at the outer edges before seaming it to the upper collar to pull the seam under slightly. Finally, I did a bit of hand under-stitching at the center front edge, on the under collar seam, and at the back neckline, where the lining joins the collar.

Overall, this pattern worked pretty well for me. It probably would have been helpful if I had made a "muslin" to determine the necessary fitting changes before starting to sew, but I was able to adjust it during construction. Other than that, it's a relatively straightforward pattern, I'm satisfied with the results, and I'd recommend it to others as well.

Black Gabardine Skirt

I've finally got a few pictures of a black wool skirt that I had worked on and completed in December of '08. I meant to post about it sooner but hadn't taken photos until just now. At any rate, here's a view of the front:





For the pattern, I used Simplicity 9825; I've used it once before to make a denim skirt and pulled it out again to use up a generous scrap of black gabardine left over from another project. I modified its design this time by adding hip pockets and flaring the hemline. Here's a side picture; if you look closely, you can see the pocket opening:



To make the pockets, I drafted a simple pattern by using the dimensions of a pocket on a ready-to-wear skirt. The hemline of each panel has been flared by 4 to 5 inches at the side seam. I would have liked to flare them even wider, but I was somewhat limited by the size of the fabric scrap ;)



Other modifications include an added lining, an invisible zipper instead of a lapped zipper, and swing tacks connecting the skirt and lining hems. The construction was fairly simple, but the wool gabardine did not hold creases especially well, so I catch-stitched some of the seam allowances in place when working on the yolk. I also recommend this blog post by Dawn of Secret Pocket; I found her hemming tip very helpful when stitching the hem into place =)