Pictures of the Velveteen Jacket

I have finally taken pictures of the velveteen jacket that I finished after Christmas. This is the third jacket that I made using McCall's 5058 -- this pattern has gone through so much use that it is nearly in shreds!

Here is a view of the front:


A view of the side/front:


Another view of the side/front:


Back view:


Bound buttonholes. Unfortunately, they gape a wee bit.


I found these buttons at Wal-Mart.


I'm sorry the details aren't very evident in these photos -- it can be difficult to capture them all when the jacket is black! This jacket has all of the same details as the other jackets, though, so if you look at the pictures of the other garments that I made using this pattern, you can see what shape the collar and lapels are.

This jacket was made using a 100% cotton velveteen, and it is lined with black cotton batiste (cotton/polyester blend). If I were to make this jacket again, however, I would not line it with batiste. I didn't really realize how how it tends to cling to other fabrics or articles of clothing that I wear under the jacket! It is comfortable if worn over a sleeveless top, though.

Another thing that I learned while making this jacket is that it is probably best to use a heavier interfacing. You can't really see it in the picture, but the side/front princess seams on the jacket pucker slightly, and the roll line of the collar and lapels isn't quite as smooth as it should be. I'm under the impression that it isn't recieving enough support from the interfacing, becuase the interfacing that I used is very light-weight and is really only suitable for light-weight fabrics (my velveteen would probably fall under the catagory of medium-weight). The fusible interfacing that I used on the denim jacket was quite heavy, but it was compatible with the weight of demin and it worked very well.

I had originally intended to top stitch all of the seams with a single line of stitching a 1/4" away from each seam, but after trying it on a few seams, I found that I liked it without the top stitching, so I left the seams plain.

I followed the instructions in the pattern without making any changes, except I sewed the side seams after sewing the collar to the jacket, rather than sewing the side seams first, in order to make the collar application easier. I also added a little extra width to sleeve from the elbow area to the sleeve hem, to yeild a little more room for movement.

If you have any questions, let me know by posting a comment. I'll post again soon with more projects.

-Rebekah

More about the second jacket. . .

Here is the promised information on the denim jacket pictured in the previous post.

I made this jacket using McCall's 5058, a single-breasted jacket pattern sized for junior adults. I made the jacket using a medium-weight denim, and I lined it with pink calico.

When I started planning this project, one of my biggest questions was how and where I was to add topstitch detailing to the garment. I wanted it to look professional, so I looked for pictures of jackets online that had similar design features to my pattern. I also observed ready-to-wear jackets that I saw in stores, and when I finally started to figure out how I wanted to embellish my jacket with stitches, I drew a sketch of my garment, depicting the placement of the topstitching. This helped me visualize what I was about to do, even though I'm not an artist when it comes to drawing. I concluded that I would have a double row of topstitching on all of the main seams: the side front, side, side back, center back, shoulder and sleeve seams. The collar and lapels would feature a double row as well, and the hems would be stitched in place with a single line of stitches 5/8 of an inch away from the folded edge. I did later change my mind, however, and stitch only a single row of topstitching on the edge of the collar and lapels after deciding that I didn't really like the look of the double row on that seam. For the most part, though, the jacket was constructed according to my original plans.

For a double row of stitching on the outside of the seams, I often use a method called a "quick flat-fell seam" from Claire B. Shaeffer's book, The Complete Book of Sewing Short Cuts. It involves folding and stitching in such a way that mimics the felled seams made by professional double needle machines, and it also encases the raw edges of the seam allowances so that they cannot seen from the wrong side of the garment. I could not use this method on the curved seams of the jacket, however, for when you use this method, the seam allowances cannot be be clipped, whereas princess seams must be clipped so they will lie smoothly. So for the curved seams of the jacket, I stitched the seam the seam as I normally would, pressed it to one side, topstitched a single row very close to the seam, and then I topstitched another row 1/4" away from the first row of topstitching. I had to be very careful when sewing the second line so that the distance between the lines would remain exactly 1/4 of an inch. This way of topstitching is not quite as thick as the "quick flat-fell seam," but looks similar, and even though it may not be the way a professional would have sewn a curved seam, it looked close enough to suit my purposes.

In order to create uninterrupted lines of topstitching, I did not backstitch on the outside of the garment. Instead, I simply drew the thread ends to the wrong side of the garment and with a hand sewing needle and tied them in a secure knot.

As you can see from the pictures in the previous post, I made bound buttonholes in the front of the jacket rather than regular buttonholes. I followed the intstructions on making bound buttonholes in the New Complete Guide To Sewing, after interfacing the main front section and before completing any other seams. I also hand understitched the collar/lapel facing seam after grading the seam and turning it right side out. The instructions don't say to understitch this seam, but I think it helps thin out the edges and reduce unwanted bulk.

Conveniently, the only fit alteration that I needed to make to the pattern was to widen the sleeves a bit, so that I would have more room to bend my arms. I simply added a little width to the seam from the elbow area to the sleeve hem.

When I sewed on the buttons to complete the jacket, I used a Claire Shaeffer's instructions for a braided button stem, which can be found in her book, Couture Sewing Techniques (can you tell I like her books?). This method involves strengthening the button stem so that it will not flop over when the garment is unbuttoned.

For someone wanting to do a similar project, I would recommend always making a sample out of scraps to practice topstitching techniques on (and if making bound buttonholes, it's a good idea to test those as well). Practicing all of the techniques that I planned to use simply helped me gain confidence and prevent ripping out stitches later on, because I was able to preview the results, and it helped me adjust stitch lengths and machine tensions, as well.

Well, that's all I can think to say for now. If any part of this post doesn't seem comprehensive, or if you have any questions, simply post a comment below ;)

By the way, I have finished yet a third jacket using this pattern, but I'm rather busy so I'm not sure when I'll have time to post pictures.

Second Jacket is Finished!

Here are the photos of the second jacket that I made using McCall's 5058. This jacket is fashioned of a medium weight denim and embellished with topstitch detail.







A picture of the bound buttonholes at the center front:


The jacket is lined with pink calico.


I also added topstitching to the sleeve seam.


I hope to provide more information on this project soon!

Details of the Tailored Jacket

I Thought I'd take the time to explain the project that I showed in the previous post. I've added a few more pictures to show the inside of the jacket and the lining.

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!

Tailored jacket is finally finished!

Just posting a few pictures of my tailored jacket , which I've previously mentioned it in my "Playing Tailor" post, as well as my "Pressing Bouclé Fabric" post. I finally sewed the buttons on today, after the jacket clothed my dress form for a few weeks while waiting for me to find buttons that suited my taste. I actually ended up using self-fabric covered buttons because I couldn't find anything else for the moment. This project was completed in a little over a month, and I worked on it whenever I found the time. Here are a few pictures:







You can find a few details about the fabric/information used to make the jacket in the two links that I mentioned above, and if you have any questions, you can them post by leaving a comment :) I'm also in the process of making a second jacket using the same pattern used to make this one, except I won't be tailoring it because I don't have the time/resources, and the type of fabric that I'm using cannot really be tailored. Hopefully I'll be able to give more details on the construction (and possibly more photos) at some other time -- they are too numerous to mention now ;)
I really enjoyed this project, even though it was a bit of a challenge at times, but I suppose that could be expected of my first tailoring project!

Note: I'm sorry that the photo quality is not as good as it could be -- a few of my pictures turned out to be more blury than I had expected.

Playing Tailor :)

I'm finally about to start my first tailoring job! I'm so exited that I can barely wait -- the only thing holding me back are the rest of the supplies that I have to buy. I've purchased a two yard length of bouclé fabric from Fashion Fabrics Club -- here's a picture:



You can find specific information on the fabric here. I'm using McCall's 5058 for the pattern, but I'm following the basic tailoring instructions from the Reader's Digest New Complete Guide to Sewing, and following also the the advice on tailoring written by Claire B. Shaeffer in her book, Couture Sewing Techniques. I've started practicing making bound buttonholes, which I've never done before. It's pretty simple once you "get the hang of it," though doing bound buttonholes with bouclé fabric, as I've discovered, can be a challenge! The fabric is rather thick, does not readily hold a crease, and frays excessively, so I'm making the sort of bound buttonhole with cording inserted in the welts. After practicing on several pieces of scrap fabric I've finally become used to the way it's supposed work, and I would post a picture of one of my little test buttonholes, but the camera is currently unavailable :( Oh, well. I'll keep posting!