Two Years Later

No, it hasn't been THAT long since I last posted. ;-)

I've been wanting to make View A of this jacket (Kwik Sew 3369) for at least two years now, but I never seemed to get started. Well the planets somehow aligned and slowly but surely I've finally got the jacket out of the fabric stage and into the closet. And not a moment too soon as the temps plummeted a couple of weeks ago.

Of course, I couldn't just make it as is. No, that would be too easy and too fast, right? Instead, I decided I needed to add a lining and also a pocket to one of the front panel seams. The problem with adding a lining is that the front placket/facing for this jacket is supposed to be one piece, folded over. That meant tracing the original pattern and making new pattern pieces because, of course, I wanted to make it still more difficult and use a contrast fabric, which meant it couldn't fold over.

It took me more than a week to trace this pattern and make those changes, working in stolen bits of time. (Remind me again that I like my paycheck because I really miss sewing all day long and I'm so behind on life in general.) But I finally finished tracing and editing the pattern and was able to cut a muslin. I had first traced the pattern pretty much as-is — just a little blending between sizes at bust level and the seaming changes already mentioned — because KS Plus patterns are already cut for fuller busts and I didn't think this jacket would be extremely fitted, judging by the photo and other KS patterns I've made.

I was right. The muslin was hanging off me. Except at my butt, of course. ;-) All these months sitting on it while working hasn't improved that situation. Out came the pins to hold in the tucks and this is what I ended up with:



I tucked a full inch out of the front and back yokes (faster than tucking the panels and it will make the pocket flaps not hit right at bust level) and across the sleeve. KS patterns are always too low in the armhole on me and their Plus patterns are twice as bad. I also tucked 1/4" out of the center front edge so the jacket will hang vertical when open instead of swinging outward and I narrowed the shoulders about an inch. Here are all the tucks close-up:



I transferred those changes to the pattern pieces, plus added to the back seams at butt level, and cut the real fabric, which is a canvas-like home dec fabric (from Joann's of all places!). The piece of white muslin sticking out in the pic below shows where I added the pocket to the front panel seam. I can't possibly have a jacket without pockets and the upper pockets are faux on my jacket since I don't need a pocket bag in that location, both utility-wise and flattery-wise. The poor jacket sat like this for a week, taunting me, until I could steal some more sewing time.



But I finally did manage to finish it and I've been wearing it like crazy. And I think I need another one!

Front view (see the pocket?):



Back view:



Close up (with more of Carolyn's buttons):



Lining (wonderful solid rayon bargain from Fabric.com):



Modeled: