How many blue jackets do i really need?
Blimey! I’ve finished it and it looks OK!
Message to self: A collar is something that goes round the neck of a garment. A facing is a piece of fabric on the inside of the garment to tidy up the edges and or support the structure. I know this, of course, but for a short moment mid morning I did not read the pattern correctly, and basically attached the collar too soon. I had under stitched it beautifully before I realised. At which point I decided that a rescue would probably result in a neater job than an unpicking session. So I spent some time mocking up collar facings and jacket facings and concluded that a rescue was possible. Then I ignored the pattern for quite a while, including only noticing that I had not stitched the side seams when it said to finish the bottom of the garment.
So to summarise, each seam was only sewn once, and everything is attached to the correct pieces, but it did not happen in the order prescribed by the pattern. In fact, so satisfied was I that my way would work, that I am not sure how the pattern was asking me to do it!
Which all makes the other problem seem minor. My previous post about the dress noted that I had bought this material at Birmingham’s own Cotton Patch, which specialises in quilting fabric – which is slightly narrower than normal dress making fabric by about 4cm. This was pointed out to me, but I said it would be OK. The collar needs a width of fabric of about 113cm, and i only had 111cm. I kept going on the basis that you have to trim the ends of most collars, and the 2 cm that I was missing would be chopped off anyway. But I did draw in a sewing line to remind me to get the shape right. It was no problem; I’d have been cutting off a lot if I had cut as per the pattern. Phew!
As with all other creations, you would not know these things if I did not mention them in the blog.
The jacket was deliberately made to go with some of my ‘Jodhpur collection’ dresses, most of which (will) include this shade of blue. Some of my other clothes obviously include that colour as well, as the button was already in my button box, and goes very well. And just as I was completing it I realised that i already have a jacket and smart cardie which are a similar colour. So how many blue jackets do I need? Well obviously, at least three!
Update – March 2016.
In particular this jacket goes well with this dress…., which is a long sleeved jersey dress, really good to wear on a summer’s day under the office air-conditioning unit! But being unlined, it can be quite difficult to get on and off over long sleeves. So I have lined the sleeves, using black Jaeger lining left over from my Thai blanket coat. I spent a while contemplating the best way of attaching the new sleeves to the arm hole, but really the only way to do it is by hand, with neat little slip stitches. Luckily this jacket is ‘pre-overlocker’ and I had left quite a bit of armhole seam, which I note I had finished using the overlock stitch on my sewing machine. It doesn’t compare with the real thing!
The view from the inside!
I’ve also made two jersey Moneta’s since I made the jacket, and it will work well with both of them. So clearly I really did need another blue jacket…..
One Week, One Pattern
Me Made May 2016
Me Made May 2015
Simplicity Competition
Sew Over it Patterns
all my own work by ann 