Teal Tweed Jacket

I managed to get my new jacket cut out. I used the teal tweed from Emma One Sock and a silk charmeuse from Gorgeous Fabrics . The fabric was surprisingly symmetrical with the slubby additional threads that run through it.

I have decided to use a modified version of Cherie O'Dowd's ( I think) Chanel-ish technique from Threads to make the jacket. I don't have a lot of time right now, so I used the same pattern from the ruffle jacket as the base. I just won't add a ruffle. I lengthened it to be approximately the same length as the completed ruffle jacket and took in the shoulders a bit.

The technique has you sew the shell and lining together, then bag them out, then quilt the jacket. I might hand quilt it still. She doesn't use any interfacing for support in the jacket at all and I planned to do it like that, but couldn't. I ended up using some cotton in the shoulder areas and down the centre front and some bias in the hem.

Teal jacket and Ashy top

The Vogue 2923 jacket is finally finished and has been worn out ot my January book club meeting. I was a bit overdressed compared to everyone else, but dont really care. I gave a soft press to the ruffle to hold it in place, but it does what is wants anyway. That is probably better.
The fabric is a wool knit I purchased last year. I threw 1.5 yards of it into the washer and dryer to felt it a bit. I used the unfelted wool for the ruffle and faced it with a silk from Gorgeous fabrics. The jacket is supposed to have a lining in the front, but I couldn't get the knit and woven to play nicely and gave up on that plan. Because of this the seams had been trimmed and topstitched and could no longer be serged nicely. However the fabric does not fray or lose fibre, so I just won't show anyone the inside! I used bias to bind the sleeve hems and decided I liked it enough to use as the finish. The texture contrast is pretty. There are three buttons and thread loops holding it closed.

Underneath is a rayon/cotton/lycra knit top from EOS in a colour Linda called "ashy". It suits the colour, not really brown, not really gray, but a heathery mixture of the two. I did a neckline treatment that I saw on RTW and liked. I cut the top from a pattern I made from RTW, cut 2" off the neckline and sewed a 2" band back on. The band was cut to the size of the opening and had a CB seam. I left a small part of the CB seam open, inserted 1/4" elastic into it and adjusted the length until the neckband was gathered up slightly and laid flat on my neck. You can just see the gathers at the neckline in the pictures.

Getting back to real life

Well, the mad rush is over. Now I can slowly try to get back to real life. It usually takes a week or so. Many businesses are busy over the Christmas season, but it is always slow for us then. The rush is October/November and I just cannot afford to turn away orders. So I nearly kill myself with busy and alienate all my family and friends. Not pretty, but it is my life.

I really need to clean up the sewing studio before I attempt any major project, but I really feel like doing something for me. Maybe a hat or a cardigan. Nothing that requires the entire table to cut out. I don't have the energy to clean it off yet.

I did do some wash swatches of my teal knit. I have three yards, so plenty to do the jacket, but I am afraid I will make it and not like the style. If I wash all but the ruffle I won't have enough to do both. With three yards I could get two collarless jackets out. Indecision is the reason nothing gets done around here.

Jacket thoughts

photo from Neimen Marcus

There is a discussion on Artisan's Square regarding this Armani jacket with a flounce.

Mardel shows it at great length in her flickr photos. It looks gorgeous and feminine without being too much. I am not really a ruffle person, but I like this jacket.
With the Armani jacket in mind, I recently purchased this pattern.

Erica Bunker has made (twice, I think) and loves it. I think you must to make it twice.

I have a few aspects to consider before I get to it.

I have a teal wool knit and a heavy silk charmeuse that is not too shiny and matches it perfectly so I was thinking of fulling the knit to use for the body and possibly the silk for the flounce. I had initially thought of using the knit for both, but am not sure how I would finish the edge of the flounce. I would use a single layer for it and don't mind that the reverse shows. I could then bind the edge in the silk or serge it in matchign sewing thread or work a blanket stitch on it.

Anyone have any thoughts?

The Armani example has a shawl collar under the flounce that gves it a bit of body and I like that.

In the Vogue pattern the flounce becomes a band around the back without any fullness. I like that, since I have fullness of my own there that I don't want to emphasize. If I do the flounce in silk, would I continue the silk around to the back band also, maintaining the flow of the design and crealing a horizontal band across my bum, or use the wool and possible diminish the interity of the design?

I guess I have lots to think about as I finish up my last few orders.