Friday 14 March 2008

v2925#2 interfacing, underlining

 
 
 
 
I am a novice at jackets, and did not realize that I was venturing into tailoring by trying to improve my techniques and outcome at this item for my SWAP. It is a very steep learning curve, and I am definitely at the bottom of it. This post is very dull, as I am cataloguing my decisions and the reasons behind them for my own benefit.
I am working on the second version of the jacket from v2925. Yesterday I chose the interfacing after testing samples, and a lot of help from several people at Stitcher's Guild. Thank you Liana, who wrote about interfacing at her blog sewintriguing, after which I ordered interfacings from Sew Exciting Sewing Supplies, and to Kathryn (fxdoc), Terri, and Marji at fiberartsafloat,for all your assistance. I was relieved to learn that these choices are made on a case by case basis, as I was really confused about what to use. I am not completely confident, but as this jacket is another trial run, I am happy to experiment.
I think the fabric is a wool flannel after Kathryn explained how thick wool melton usually is. I have underlined the backs with silk organza. I pinned this closely before machine basting inside the seamlines, as I saw this method on Saashka's blog studio Alexandra(all erroneous variations on her successful technique are entirely my fault). I then basted in the dart areas, sewed the darts and went to press. One side looked fine, but the other was bubbly. I unpicked the basting seams, and tacked all of this side before sewing the back seam, it is a bit better, but not 100%.
I decided not to fully line the fronts with self fabric after Kathryn's comments about bulk and my previous problems with the dart. Instead I cut a facing, then a front lining piece from the lovely silk I bought from Gorgeous Fabrics. I cut out the lining according to Martyn Smith's article in Australian Stitches vol 15 no 2 (current issue, which adds turn of cloth, rather than cutting out exactly to the pattern piece as instructed in the pattern. Vicki suggested in a stitcher's guild critique post that the collar might not have enough turn of cloth, so, thinking of this whilst cutting out lining, I measured the undercollar piece and was very surprised to see that there was NO turn of cloth allowed for at all on the pattern, so I trimmed the undercollar, and lapel facing. Thank you Vicki.
I have used pro - weft on the fronts, and pro - woven fusible on the facings. I have also used the pro-weft on the sleeve hem area, and the entire peplum facing, which I have cut out in self fabric per the pattern. After reading Marji's tweed jacket review, I sewed cotton selvage to the front neck and front seam, clipping at the curve. I think this is similar to the cotton tape used in the Armani Threads article she references. I also plan to make a shoulder pad after reading this article and Robin's blog about her jacket. Another plan is to make a front shield - the Armani article mentions flexible hair canvas, but the small piece of hair canvas I have purchased seems too stiff. I am considering a piece of organza for a minimal take on this idea.
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