What's Up...

I think it's about time for an update:

• I have a new job! I'm finally back in the museum field after a three-year absence. It's part-time right now and has the potential to become a full-time position as I help my department grow. I volunteered there for a month and was then eagerly asked to apply for the position. I can't tell you how much that confidence boost was needed.

• I was having a hard time finishing sewing projects. I finished two projects that I expected to be super simple and thought I would be making multiples of both. But no, they were both problematic and nearly became UFOs. They're finally done but unfortunately they were summer items and well...

• This attitude negatively affected a pattern testing opportunity I really wanted to participate in. There was no motivation, supplies were ordered late, the eventual recipient of the garment couldn't take accurate measurements, and wouldn't be around for fittings. Feedback was due in a particularly generous time period and I am just now really working on it. I will still submit feedback and pictures

• Pictures are a tiny bit easier because I bought an inexpensive ($30) tripod with a remote from a Lidl grocery store, of all places!

• I mentioned this on Instagram but I finally ordered my garment labels from Dutch Label Shop. My indecision was the worst of me and delayed that purchase for weeks and I still haven't sewn one in yet!

• FYI: I found a source for fold-over elastic (FOE) at Elastic By The Yard. It's available in one, five, and one hundred yard lengths, the last two come wound on spools. Very affordable, quick shipping, and comes in multiple colors and patterns.

• Ok, this one is strange and I would love some feedback on it. Last year, I sought out a gynecologist practice after a recurring problem came back. I had an exam and a ultrasound. Note that these tests were done at another practice in Richmond years ago for the same issue with the same result. Again, nothing abnormal was found but in two subsequent phone calls I received I was told that the doctor recommended two more exploratory procedures, a sonohysterogram and an endometrial biopsy, both of which I declined. There was no additional communication from them on the necessity of my doing them, just those scheduling calls. A few months later, I was sent a letter that effectively "fired" me from their practice and all the other practices associated with them! The reasoning was that I had "failed to participate in my medical care." Well, I feel I definitely participated when I made my choice not to have the tests, right? What do you think?

Well, back to sewing up some warm winter wear, and yes, there is some Jo-Ann-purchased fleece in there!

Dotty Duster Coat - New Look 6656

Pattern: New Look 6656 (2006)

Pattern Description: Collar-less, unlined, above-knee duster jacket.

Pattern Sizing: Size A (10-12-14-16-18-20-22) I made view A in a size 14 at the shoulders and bust increasing to a 16 at waist and 18 below.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing it? Yes, yes it did!

Were the instructions easy to follow? Extremely, it had a very simple construction, with no tricky or difficult steps involved.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? What I appreciated the most was the inclusion of a center back seam for shaping. Also the waist shaping of the side seams match my body type (10" difference between waist and hips) although it might be too much of a difference for a slimmer-hipped woman.

Fabric Used: 2 yards of black, white, and gray polka dot print moleskin from Jo-Ann Fabrics (on sale for $7.49 per yard, orig $29.98), Pellon SK135 Sheer-Knit fusible interfacing, 2 packages Wrights 1/4" double fold bias tape in Black, vintage Wright's Trims non-shrink seam binding in Navy #55, and Gutermann 100% polyester thread in Black #10.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made?: I first made some changes to the paper pattern: I cut View A out in size 14 at the shoulders moving out to a size 18 at hips.

Comparing the pattern pieces, New Look 6656 had a strange drafted protrusion at the upper back that I cut off leaving the back straight above the curved "swayback" shaping. I found the back neckline uncomfortably high on my neck so ended up cutting both necklines and their facings in a size 12.

The sleeves for this design were meant to be cropped or extended with a contrast cuff. Instead, I combined the two pattern pieces and cut my sleeves out at full length.

Construction: 

First thing, first, I discovered when I checked and straightened the fabric grain by pulling a thread that the print was slightly off grain.

 

 Correct => Incorrect

Second, when finally confronted with cutting out this fabric I realized that I had misrepresented the fabric's orientation to myself all these years. I had imagined a coat with vertical lines when in fact the fabric has the dots running horizontally! Which now meant that I should really try to match the seams, right? That resulted in me spending a lot of time lining up, marking, and cutting out all the pieces in a single layer.

I then attempted to match the side seams, though the bust darts made it more complicated. The moleskin was a but stretchy which made matching a little difficult as I had to keep tugging the rows into place. Eventually, I was able to have white rows of dots line up across the seams; however, if you look close, you can see that the two adjacent rows of gray dots weren't matched correctly and different shades of gray were lined up! Luckily, the most important seam, the back seam, came out perfectly.

However, I shouldn't have had that problem though because the fabric was a bit translucent making the matching pretty easy.  I was able to lay a piece atop another piece and see the design on both. Oh, wait... I could see the design/shapes but not differentiate between the very close shades of gray. Okay, I feel better now.

Later on, I also added stay tape to the shoulder seams to combat the possibility of them stretching. It just happened that I received this vintage seam binding in navy (from a giveaway) that I could use for this "vintage" project.

Turning out the squared lapels was very important to this jacket looking great. Therefore, I trimmed the seam allowance to eliminate bulk. Of course, later I remembered I had tips and tutorials saved on the best ways to do this. Ugh!

In fact, right after this jacket was completed I saw this very promising technique on page 73 of the February/March 2017 issue of Threads magazine.

I finished the raw edges on the facing by turning under and stitching. At this point, the fabric had revealed that it frayed extensively and since this coat would not be lined I wanted to finish as nearly as possible the other raw edges that would be subject to regular friction.

Side A or B?

I had the choice of going with my typical finish of simply turning the seam allowance under or I could be daring and try something more decorative like a bound edge or a Hong Kong finish.

Because of the graphic look of the jacket and how precious this project had become over time I chose to use bias tape to bind the exposed seam allowances.

On the back, I bound the seams separately so they could lay open and flat; but I chose to bind the sides and sleeves together as one flat seam. I am so happy with how this turned out.

I'm extremely proud of my sleeve caps. The ease allowed in the pattern was perfect, I was able to achieve a smooth cap but it was not effortless. I first machine basted the sleeves in but my turquoise staystitching (absolutely necessary!) showed that they didn't go in exactly on the seam line. I then unpicked the seam and basted them in by hand and stitched directly over those stitches. Voila!

That success was followed by more bound seams for the underarm and shoulder seams before attempting the most difficult, the binding of the armscye. Luckily, that went well too and I am in love with all of my bound seams and how professional the whole thing looks!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  Yes, I would. The alterations I had to make were needed for my particular body and didn't seem too bad to me. The difference between my waist and hips was perfectly accommodated for in the pattern. Otherwise, the construction is perfect for a beginner. I also love the slight bell shape of the sleeves.

Images: Calvin Klein and @meccok on instagram

J. Jill duster

Conclusion: I have had a few inspiration pics for this type of coat over the years and I have finally made one for myself. The J. Jill pic above is from their 2010 catalog and is the original inspiration for this duster and shows how diligent I was in getting all the details right despite going with a woven versus their knit version.

I think this will be a great addition to my wardrobe, easily able to transform a simple top and bottom into a chic ensemble. I hope to use this pattern many times and definitely want to make an evening coat out of a patterned satin brocade.

Duster History Posts:

The original idea from 2010!!

The first try

The second try

Working On The Duster Trail...with New Look

The image in my head for the last six years.

In 2010, decided to make a duster coat to enhance my professional wardrobe and wrote about my goal here. I even tried to muslin the coat at the time. If you remember (HAH, I barely remember, it was 6 years ago!), my original pattern choice of Vogue 7714 was much too large for me, even after coming down a few sizes. The photograph of the view I wanted was extremely misleading (though you could see the truth in the others) and the actual wearing ease on that pattern was ridiculous! It was so large that I was able to reuse and cut another pattern out of those same muslin pieces! I needed some more fabric only because the new pattern had two back pieces instead of one. I tried it on and it looked good even though the bust darts were in a very awkward position.

I really liked that pattern, New Look 6656, and every 5 months or so, I would try it on again and still be happy. However, I could never get myself motivated to cut it out of my final fabric, a polka dot moleskin, which I think over time developed mythic status in my stash. In the mean time, I gained weight and inches and that muslin became no longer relevant.

So, just a few weeks ago I cut that old pattern New Look 6656 and another new option, New Look 6270, out of a queen size sheet with the goal of completely finishing the duster THIS year.

The illustrations above (an altered New Look 6656 sketch) are what I wanted the final garment to look like and include the must-have details: an a-line shape, collarless, no closures, bust darts, waist definition, a back seam for sway-back shaping, and a length about 30-32" from base of the neck.

Each of these two patterns more or less had these details but the shaping of some elements were different (like the side and back seams) and that was the reason I needed to make them both up to see which would work better.

In both patterns, the front armholes were identical and the sleeve pieces had the same general shape and cap height.Though both patterns had back seams they had some room added to the upper back that seemed to allow for a slight dowager's hump. If anything, my back would require a straighter line there. Perhaps my posture is more erect than the average woman because both muslins bagged out unattractively in that area when sewn up as designed.

New Look 6270 was shown on the pattern cover in a sheer fabric; therefore, the picture was not a good indicator of its suitability for my fabric, a more substantial moleskin print. Using the printed pattern measurements I cut it first as size 16 all-over, eventually coming back to reducing everything above the waist to a size 14. Even then, the front and back were extremely wide. In fact, the front lapels overlapped by inches when there was no overlap intended in the design.


To see video of this jacket in motion, check here on my Instagram.


As you can see, altering this pattern to fit my goal of a sleek jacket would have been too much of a job. I'm still a fan of the maxi-dress in the pattern so I hope its sizing and ease will be more accurate.


New Look 6656 had a more structured design allowing for facings; however, the illustration made the shoulders seem like they might be too wide. I cut this one in size 14 at the shoulders moving out to a size 18 at hips. Comparing the pattern pieces, New Look 6656 was more nipped in under the bust; however, like 6270 it also allowed for a strange protrusion at the upper back (see at right). I cut that off leaving the back straight above the slight swayback shaping. I found the back neckline uncomfortably high on my neck so also ended up cutting the neckline and facings in a size 12.


To see video of this jacket muslin in motion, check here on my Instagram.


This muslin in motion* fit much better, I found the shoulders fine, the back was not too wide and there was adequate ease for the hips and bum. The sleeves for this design were meant to be cropped or otherwise extended with a contrasting cuff. I added the cuff to the main sleeve pattern piece and cut my sleeve out at full length.

As you can see, the muslin worked out beautifully and matches the shape of the inspiration garment shown below by Calvin Klein.

Calvin Klein colorblock jacket

I can't wait to cut my long-stashed fabric and sew this beauty up. It's been a long time coming!

*I was trying this on during the last week of the Presidential campaign and as my father filmed me we could not miss how much this jacket resembled the similar ones worn by Hillary Clinton. Sigh.

Sewing CAN Be Simple

Sewing can be as simple (or as complicated) as you make it.

Sometimes, I feel bad because I don't have an overlocker but after reading Overdressed by Elizabeth L. Cline, I'm perfectly fine with not trying to emulate the ways of current clothing manufacturing (ie. fast fashion) My knit fabric seams are still zig-zagged and then fortified with a second line of stitching 1/8" away and then trimmed close. Most of my woven seams are either pinked or the seam allowances are folded under and secured.

My hand stitched hems are a highly deserved piece of pride that I carry. These are blind and they are invisible while also sturdy and hard-wearing. I have not had any give up when I needed them.

Another way that I veer from the norm is that I have never installed an invisible zipper. I started out sewing more than twenty years ago with centered regular zippers and they have never (NEVER) in that time failed me. Just the thought of consciously installing an invisible zipper that from blog accounts seem to frequently break is perplexing enough to keep me from even trying them. Knowing that I have this deficiency in my sewing knowledge does bother me sometimes; however, it's largely fine by me because having a completely invisible zipper isn't a priority for me.

In fact, I've played with the color of my zippers at times. If it was not possible to have a perfect color match, I would choose one that complements or contrasts with the fabric on purpose. Ex. burnt orange and navy blue, lemon yellow and gray, or when using a floral print with a white background I would instead match one of the other colors.

Just Keep Sewing, Just Keep Sewing...Pants!

To complete my wardrobe I need to make some pants, but my fluctuating size and food gut issues abound. Therefore, I've been looking for patterns that will allow for these spontaneous changes in shape. I kept seeing the elastic waist Style Arc Barb pant mentioned. While doing my research and checking how the finished garments looked on other sewists, I found out that by signing up for the Style Arc newsletter here I could receive a FREE pdf copy of the Barb pattern. This pattern could be made in a ponte or a stretch woven like the stretch bengaline from Jo-Anns. I could try out the company's pattern drafting and fit first before actually paying for one of their regularly priced patterns. I selected the size 14 (W: 33.5 in. H: 42.5 in.) and they graciously sent over the pattern in that size along with sizes 12 and 16. I had been debating buying their Style Arc Ebony pant (which I went ahead and already bought with the Lola on sale!), whose design detail around the abdomen area would work to flatter my new silhouette.

Style Arc Barb, Ebony, and Lola

The suitable fabrics that I have in my stash for pants are already assigned to specific patterns: a gray ponte meant for Vogue 1411, a Sandra Betzina design with interesting seam lines; chocolate brown stretch poplin to make a muslin for the Built By Wendy pants in Sew U, and an army green stretch woven meant for the final Sew U pants. The only currently free fabric, a gorgeous gray marl woven, was originally meant for a pair of Vogue 1922, then a pair of New Look 6216; unfortunately, now both patterns would need extensive alteration to match the image in my head. However, it could be perfect for the Ebony, but I would like to start with a more practical pant/fabric combo first.

So, my choices for venturing into introductory pants production are Vogue 2002, an OOP Calvin Klein designer pattern from the 90s with a side zipper and a flared leg; Simplicity 1283, a flare leg Mimi G. design that Kyle of Vacuuming the Lawn recommends (minus some of the flare for mine), and the free Barb pant, a simple elastic-waist slim cut pant:

Vogue 2002, Simplicity 1283, and Style Arc Barb

The true goal is to get the front and back rise correct, along with the c-curve so that I can transfer those measurements and shapes to all my pants. So first, I need a winning test sample that doesn't frustrate me or make me dread making more pants, so I'm going to start with the Barb stretch pant.

Have you made any of these and do you have any comments or advice that might help?