Finally Some Progress

The jacket is coming along, although it looks like a mess in this pic. Look at that stray thread front and center — how did I not see that? And it's kinda just flung on Zillie for a quick photo session so it's hanging rather lopsided. Oh well. You can get the general idea. The fabric is brown RPL, some good stuff from Emma One Sock that had been aging in the stash for a while.

The side belt pieces are hanging down because I haven't yet attached the back belt piece to them. I played with the placement of the belt on my muslin and decided to put it a bit lower than the McCall's pattern shows because I think it's more flattering to me from the rear view. A higher belt makes me look short-waisted and all derrière. Well, more so than I actually am.

Tomorrow the lining goes in. I've decided not to line the sleeves, for a couple of reasons. First, I think it will be too hot. If the sleeves are unlined, at least they will breathe a bit even if the rest of the jacket doesn't. Second, I have exactly 2 yards left of the lining fabric if I don't cut sleeves, which means I can use it for a skirt or dress or something else that will go with this jacket. If I cut sleeves, I will essentially be left with a really big scrap. So I'll be lining just the jacket body and then overlocking the armsyce seam allowances. Sure, I could bind them and it would look pretty but I need to get this done and move on. I'll save the couture-type elements for another project.

Thanks for all the opinions about pantyhose. I think I'm in the majority with my thinking that they should be worn with pumps. Now to find a brand/size that I can live with. I seriously have not bought pantyhose in at least 10 years so I'm sure the options have changed.

A few of you asked where I bought the shoes. They are both from Zappos, and were under $70 per pair, which I thought was pretty reasonable. While I absolutely love how both of them look, I'm undecided about how they feel. I need to put them on and walk around the house for a while, but I can't sew with heels so I haven't done that yet.

Muslins and Mail

Finally, I'm ready to cut real fabric. Whew! I feel like I've accomplished nothing these last 3 days. I kept fighting the urge to just toss it all and run to the mall. But I stayed motivated because I know I'd never find what I have in my head and that whatever I did find wouldn't fit as well as I'm used to when I make it myself. I still don't have a thing to wear yet so the mall may still see me, but at least I'm feeling more optimistic.

I said yesterday that this KS 3368 jacket was a "near TNT." By that I meant I knew from my first trial of it there were still things to tweak. Fortunately, I had the finished jacket to try on to evaluate the tweaks. Unfortunately, I started seeing every little thing. Those tweaks took up my entire morning, but at least they're done now.

For the first jacket, I did not do an FBA. And because that fabric is a stretch denim and the pattern was drafted for a C/D cup, it really didn't need one. The fabric I'm planning to use for this second version is also a stretch woven but I want to line it with a non-stretch woven so a small FBA was in order. I also had to narrow the shoulders some more and move the shoulder seam toward the back. Nothing too complicated, but it meant a muslin (my third this week!) to be sure. My final change was to morph the sleeve from View C of McCall's 5329.

I'm also contemplating adding the "belt" pieces per the McCall's pattern and you can seem them pinned on the muslin in the pic above. I think I like them. They'd be from the same fabric as the jacket so it won't be a contrast, just a subtle design element.

Now, moving on to another topic which I mentioned this week …

Do you remember seeing this on Belinda's blog?



Well *I* took that pic above. Which means that *I* am the proud and grateful recipient of a wonderful birthday surprise from Down Under. She's a sneaky girl, that Belinda! Posting about her beautiful creation all the while knowing it was already on its way to Florida. Thank you SO MUCH Belinda!! It's now hanging up in my sewing room in a spot where I can see it from my sewing machine. I'd show a full-wall view except my sewing room is a complete disaster zone right now. ;-)

Also in the package were more goodies. First, a great birthday card (inside it reads "We're vintage"). It's actually 3-D, so that little hanger you see is real. Belinda always find the neatest cards. I think this one will eventually get framed and added to my collage grouping in the sewing room.



Next, a package of Burda tracing paper. I always wondered what that paper was that Belinda sometimes posts with her pattern tracings. It has a matte and a shiny side so it's always been very distinguishable to me. Now I know. I think I may just go ahead and use it on the KS jacket pattern, since it looks like a roadmap after the first and now latest alterations.



Also in the package was a flyer from Spotlight (like our Joann's), a flyer from a local fabric/sewing store with a list of their classes, demonstrations, and new fabrics. I've been pea green with envy about this store, Frou Frou, ever since I first learned about it. Belinda is so lucky to be in Melbourne with all those wonderful fabric sources in the same city. She also stuck in swatches (we trade back and forth) of some of her latest projects. The eyelet fabric she used for her prize-winning blouse is spectacular! (Actually, all of her fabrics are … see comments above about envy and Melbourne stores. Ahem.)

It's so fun to have such a kind and generous sewing friend from the other side of the world. The only downside is that she IS on the other side of the world. Or I am. ;-) But the internet and the mail makes her seem a little bit closer.

* * * * *

And last for today, my new shoes, which arrived yesterday.




I love them both so I may end up keeping them both even though I ordered two pairs of brown shoes thinking I'd send back at least one.

So, ladies, if pantyhose are passé, which I kinda know they are, just what do YOU wear with dresses/skirts and shoes like these? There's no way I'll go bare-legged to an interview. And even though I do go bare-legged all summer long and won't have a problem with that later if it's acceptable wear for wherever I end up, I still can't imagine either of these shoes with bare feet. Do you just live in flats and flip-flops all summer?

We Interrupt This Muslin …

… to scream in frustration. ;-)

I thought I was rolling along with my changes but it's a mess. I think I'm going to end up buying Simplicity 3631 just so I don't have to experiment anymore with removing sleeve ease in a raglan sleeve, something which is new to me and I just simply don't have the time or motivation to work through right now. I need to sew!

In the meantime, I'm going to start on Kwik Sew 3368, which is a nearly TNT for me. And, if you squint, you can see that it's very similar to McCall's 5329.

Stay tuned. My schizophrenic sewing self is bound to finish something soon.

Muslin-ing

Belinda and Carolyn mentioned Simplicity 3631 in the comments yesterday. And darn if it isn't really, really close to what I'm after. But it isn't in my pattern stash and I wanted to start working on the jacket. Patient I am not. So I decided that the pattern I did have, Simplicity 3874, would work and save me a trip to Joann's. Plus, I do want to make the S3874 jacket per the pattern at some point and my fit alterations will transfer for that future project.

So, here's the first muslin.



The major fit alterations are done and now I'm just tweaking for style elements. After those are done, I'll revisit fit and then finesse the shape some more — things like adding a curved center back seam and raising the armholes a little. I know that this basic silhouette on my full-bust would be too sack-like as is and I will de-sack it. ;-)

The side on your right was sewn really ugly just to get an idea of how much gathering/ease I'm working with and to see if my altered pattern pieces both fit together and fit me (they do). The left side has the front pleats closer to final position, although I still need to tweak that a bit. The neckband looks caved in on Zillie, but her chest is much more hollow than mine and on me the neckline looks pretty close to exactly like the JCP inspiration jacket. I'm happy with that.

This is one of the sleeves with the 2.75" of gathering pleated out. Tomorrow, I'm going to morph another raglan sleeve with no gathering. I also pleated out the gathering at the back and will remove that width from the pattern piece. The length of the sleeves will not be as shown in the muslin. I just picked an arbitrary length for this muslin. I'm thinking the final sleeves will be 3/4 length with a wing flounce. I'll test that on the next muslin.



Tomorrow I hope to finish the alterations and a final muslin. And, I hope to have time to write a post about a special package I received in the mail from the other side of the planet.

In the meantime, I'm really getting into the new wardrobe thing. I ordered two pairs of pointy-toed heels from Zappos today. ;-)

Jacket Morphing Thoughts

First, thank you all for the good wishes. I'm actually feeling a little excited about the prospect of working in an office again, and not just complete dread. The "get out of the house and talk to other adults" aspect is very attractive, as are the new clothing opportunities. And, of course, the paycheck and benefits! But the reports of my demise have been greatly exaggerated. :grin: I'll still have my evenings and weekends and so of course I will continue sewing and blogging, but I just won't be doing each on a daily basis.

So, with that said, I need some office clothes and I really, really want to limit the ill-fitting RTW purchases if I can help it. I have a couple of weeks to get some interview outfits ready. Remember, this is Florida so we're always a bit more casual here. I'm sure that actual office attire will not be super dressy, but I won't feel right going on an interview unless I'm wearing a jacket and coordinated skirt or dress.

While snoop shopping online, I found this jacket at JC Penney. I like it because it is fashionable without being too trendy for my 46-year old self, and it will last a couple of seasons here in fashion-slow Florida.



If it came in a color I liked, I'd probably buy it. But it doesn't. So, the next option is to try to duplicate it (and change out those miniscule buttons!).

I have both of these patterns as contenders:





The first one (Simp 4122) I've already made and fitted, as my coral gauze blouse (which I wear a LOT now!). The second one (Simp 3874) is untested.

So now I'm trying to decide if it would be easier to redraft the neckline on 4122, which will also involve moving the yoke off the shoulder line a bit, or should I start with 3874, fit it completely from scratch, attach the bands so they aren't separate pieces and then add the center front extensions. Either one will also involve removing most of the gathers from the sleeves and changing the sleeves to something else. I'm not really fond of the sleeves in the JCP jacket, nor do I love the sleeves in 3874. It's going to be hot here. I want short sleeves of some sort.

(As I type all of that out, I'm thinking it will be easier to start with 3874 and use 4122 as a comparison.)

Also on the radar is McCall's 5329.



After we get back from the dog park, I'll be a pattern-cutting, muslin-ing fool.