Ready for cooler weather with 3 jackets!
First up, yet another By Popular Demand jeanish-type jacket. This one was lengthened a lot, and a little shaping was added to the sides. I’m coming to realize that my back-to-waist length must be at least 2 inches longer than this pattern line is designed for.
This is a TNT pattern, so no other refinements were needed. I did change the construction a bit in order to include an underlining that also hides the seam allowances, a variation on the stitch & flip technique.
Fabric – cotton pique. I really thought it would be nice and stable to work with. Surprise! Wrong! This stuff grew on every edge. I’ve never used pique before, so I’m not sure if that is characteristic of the weave or if I just ended up with a very “special” piece.
Underlining – printed silk charmeuse that I bought long ago for another project that never made it to the cutting table. It works great for this little jacket, though. I’m glad to finally have it out of the stash. Stash is like compost – it fertilizes your mojo, but it’s better if you turn it over once in awhile.
I used gunmetal grey snaps from Snap Source for this jacket. These were the last of a large-ish order I placed many years back. Time to get some more as they are nice to have on hand.
This one is another Cutting Line design called Of the Moment. I had muslined this jacket before and thought it looked sloppy on me, so I put it away. I really wanted to make the style work, though, so made it the first experiment in developing blocks with different shoulder fits. The original OTM design has a sleeve seam, but without any shaping. It’s essentially a straight kimono/dolman shoulder and sleeve.
I overlaid the Paco Peralta asian jacket that fits me well and altered the OTM shoulder & sleeve to match it. I’m MUCH happier with the fit of my altered version – this one now can move into the win column! Again, the pattern was lengthened at least 2 inches. For this version, I used two left fronts (as designed, the pattern has more drape to the right front, less on the left). Topstitching was done with the machine’s triple stitch using rusty orange thread, like on jeans. It only shows when you view the jacket close up, but does add a nice little detail.
The material came from Fabricker and had the nice quality of being the weight of a denim, but soft and drapey – right in the Goldilocks zone for this style. This pattern would really show off double-sided fabric, and I hope to find some to make it again.
An unusual thing about the OTM pattern is that the neck facing is the most important piece! How often does that happen? If it becomes distorted or is not sewn accurately, the mitered effect of the turnback lapel is ruined. The rest of the jacket is straight and very easy sewing.
Then there is this one, the snakebit project. Finally finished after more than a year. It started life as V8804, but ended up V7975. From pattern errors to notions sourcing difficulties to design indecision to seamstress mistakes to inevitable compromise, this one dragged me through it all. Here it is – quilted lining, chain at hem, not perfect but complete at long last.
I cursed this thing so much that the negativity permeates the fabric like cigarette smoke. How do you exorcise evil spirits from a garment so that it is safe to wear? Seriously, what do you do when you are sick of something by the time you finish it?
unzipped sewing 
Robin, the one you hate is my very favorite. I do know what you mean though. When every step of construction is a battle, it can be hard to actually enjoy it. I would say put it on and take a look in the mirror to see how great it looks and then enjoy how wonderful it feels on. I bet it will grow on you.
I love all of your jackets. You are always so creative.
Hugs, Phylly
beautiful jackets. You are ready for fall.
marciae
I love all of these, Robyn. I know what you mean about the Chanel-esque version, though. Sometimes when something takes so long, you end up hating it no matter how good it looks. But for those of us on the outside, it is really stylish and colorful. I really admire your beautiful orange top stichting!
PS–one book on jackets that I read said that you should hide a finished jacket in your closet for a length of time–say a month–and only then try to wear it. By then you won’t remember the pain of making it and will be able to enjoy it.
Your last Chanel jacket has all the work on the inside and does not scream anything on the outside. Like Lynn said…hang it up, forget about the pain, and drag it out around Christmas…it may work then. Personally I see so many women spending hundreds of hours on their Chanel jackets and then end up with a boring boxy thing with braid when they should be wearing it inside out and showing off all the handwork inside. Your jean jacket has real pizazz with that lining!
Your jackets are beautiful but the first one appears to be lined not underlined.
It’s mostly underlined, although I did sew the side seams separately. Good eye!
Lovely jackets Robyn! You should get a lot of use and enjoyment out of these. Totally agree with others about putting the Vogue jacket in the Magic Closet for a while. It usually does a lot toward rejuvenating the feelings of love for a garment.
Beautiful jackets!
Oh Robyn – I loved your comment ‘Stash is like compost – it fertilizes your mojo, but it’s better if you turn it over once in awhile.’ How true!
Your jackets look great and I like the first two best. the ‘Chanel type’ is great but I agree with the put it away for a while and take pride in wearing it when the pain of construction wears off 🙂
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Robyn, I’m a fan of both the BPD and the OTM patterns and always enjoy seeing your versions of these patterns. I’m interested in seeing what you did to improve the shoulder and sleeve fit of the Of The Moment jacket (that BTW is being discontinued and is on sale on Louise Cutting’s website). Could you post a photo of how you overlaid and altered the OTM pattern?
Thank you, Terri. You always do outstanding work with these patterns. I’d be happy to show my alterations – will try to get something put together to post in the next few days.