Two Months to Sew a Denim Blazer!

I started a denim  blazer back in early June thinking that my sewing schedule would return to normal after two years of graduate studies.  Just before the graduation ceremony I decided to take four extra classes over the summer so my sewing was again delayed. 
Well, the four classes are completed and I finished the blazer.  

There is no interfacing in this jacket; I relied solely upon the fabric weight for structure.

Flat Fell Seams are synonymous with denim.

The top three buttonholes are functional.

Here are a few construction details.

1. I used an evaporating marking pen to mark the exact placement of the collar panel at the neck/shoulder seam.  See the "X" below.  It is very easy to be inaccurate sewing this area and the appearance of the collar and laps is greatly affected.

Neckline of Jacket Back

Here are the collar panels joined at center back.  I fused interfacing at the corners, marked the exact stitching lines with the evaporating ink marking pen, and stay stitched the corners.  These steps are not difficult nor time-consuming but they ensure I will stitch the seam just once.  By the way, the jacket is completely non-interfaced but for these two small squares.  My thinking was that the jacket is a mid-weight stable denim and should not hang too firmly.  I haven't made a jacket without interfacing in at least two decades!  A leap of faith.

Clip to the stitching lines which are reinforced with interfacing and stay stitching.  I  marked the stitching lines so I could see exactly where to stitch.

Here is the shoulder/back neckline seam.  Note the two sharp corners on either side of the neck.  All the marking/stay-stitching/interfacing paid off!

View of shoulder and neck seam from inside.  Note the seam allowance wides towards the sleeve because I am using a thinner shoulder pad than the pattern expects.

2. Armhole looks good with the thin shoulder pad.

3. I used a cool floral lining for the jacket.  I wanted a print that related to the vintage theme but added color just the same.  The lining is polyester.  I usually line in silk rather than polyester but for no particular reason I felt silk was a mismatch with the faded denim.

4. To build roll into the collar, I pinned the neck edges of the garment and facing at the back neck edge.  The two seams will be hand stitched together soon but for now they are just pinned.

I roll the collar back in place keeping the under and top collars aligned.

See how the under collar extends beyond the top collar in the photo below?  This happens when the under and top collar patterns are the same.  I removed the excess fabric so the collar rolls nicely.

Below is a photo that shows the garment and facing stitched right sides together.  You can see 1/2" of under collar fabric sticking out along the back.  This is trimmed away.

I have so many projects planned and my flower garden is gorgeous.  A great summer!

 

Happy to graduate!

Spring 2015 Dior Jacket

I love the diagonal line of buttons on this embroidered linen jacket.

While I like the entire outfit, I do not wish to make it.  I would like to make a more traditional-style blazer that does not cut away to reveal my abdomen (you guess the reason).  I will also omit the colorful embroidery.  Sometimes I duplicate a designer garment closely, but this time I am taking inspiration only from the buttons and buttonholes.  I am looking for year-round wearability in a casual but unique jacket.

I purchased very bleached out cotton denim from Fabric.com.  It is light blue, but barely.  No holes or rips though.  Denim makes great jackets; they go with everything.

Any blazer style will work but I like the large lapel on Silhouette #1953.  I will place buttons and buttonholes along the lower edge of the right lapel from lapel corner to where side seam meets hem.  Here is the jacket muslin:

Fit is good but I will add a little more ease in the hip area, 1-2" total.  The pattern uses 1" shoulder pads, but I have placed much thinner pads under the muslin.  It is easy to make me look broad-shouldered, so I am opting for a smaller pad.  I will have to adjust the angle of the shoulder seam, making no change at the neck but stitching an additional 1/4" at the armhole. 

extra room because of the small shoulder pad

I may raise the underarm a little bit, perhaps 1/2".  I want to fit layers under the jacket so I won't overdo the close fit.  Fit in back is fine.

It feels so nice to be sewing for enjoyment again.  Many of you noticed my absence from blogging January-May 2015.  My graduate school commitments kept me busy.  I am looking forward to graduation end of June, and a more manageable schedule once again.  I earned a masters in special education, and endorsements in Spanish and bilingual education.  Please wish me luck as I search for a new teaching position in special education or bilingual education!

Zoanne's Cape/Coat

vanilla viscose/wool boucle knit from Emmaonesock.com

This year I joined Peggy Sager's Silhouette Patterns pattern of the month club.  The patterns reflect industry sewing standards and are designed to be constructed quickly.  For this design, I added four front patch pockets, and moved the two buttonholes to the neckband seam.  I'll admit I could have been far more creative with this pattern, but graduate school sometimes condenses my sewing time.  When time is limited, I prefer to sew simple projects that can be completed in a short amount of time.  That said, couture is where my heart is and I will be starting a couture project very soon! 

Here is the pattern for the above coat:

The pattern calls for significant top-stitching.  Wool boucle tends to hide stitches, so while I stitched seams with all purposes polyester thread, I top-stitched with heavier silk thread.  Below were thread choices from my stash:

top: 100% polyester all-purpose thread, Left: buttonhole twist Right: heavyweight silk thread

Silhouette Patterns are sized much differently than the large commercial pattern companies.  I made a size "3".  The only alteration was to "bend" the sleeve more:

2 sleeve pattern pieces

draw lines perpendicular to the grain line just above elbow

fold out 1/2"

straighten lower portion of grain line marking (red ink)