 Maybe the best part of sewing is having the ability to make exactly the things you want to wear. Then, there's that thing where you sew the garment you think you want, only to put it on and find yourself uncertain as to whether or not you actually like it.
 Allow me to digress momentarily... NEW YORK! I failed to mention it here on the blog, but Liz and I made a day trip to New York for a fabric shopping extravaganza last fall. It was quite actually the most extravagant thing I've ever done. I had expiring airline credit to use, and no plans to take any trips. So, I decided I would fly to New York, shop and come home... All in the same day. It felt like something Beyonce would do. It didn't take a lot of persuading to convince Liz to be my partner in crazy. We left Chicago at 6am with empty suitcases in hand. The entire trip was very short notice, but we were lucky to have some delightful New York Hostesses while we were in town. Lisette, Amanda and Fleur sweetly and generously came to meet us and showed us around some of their favorite shops in the garment district.  Of course, the trip wouldn't have been complete without Meg, so we brought her along. Remarkably, she was able to fabric shop in two places (Korea & NewYork) at once. That Meg, she's multi-talented! The day was a whirlwind. We had an excellent time and both managed to fill our suit cases before we returned home that evening. I'm not sure I would recommend this manner of travel/shopping, since it is a very fast paced way to spend the day. But, I'm glad we did it!  Where was I? Ah, yes. The fabric. I didn't have enough to sew a Robson, but I did have enough to sew a duster. I grabbed my copy of Simplicity 5834 and made a quick muslin. I removed an inch of width from the sleeves, narrowed the shoulders by an inch, and reduced the length of the jacket by 5 1/2 inches before cutting into my wool.  The construction of this coat is very simple. It's a long line design, so there is no shaping through the body. My finished jacket provides approximately 4 inches of positive ease through the hips and is hemmed to fall just below my knee. There is a slight A-line shape to the jacket created through darts at the front and back shoulders.  I wore this jacket over a dress to dinner with my grandma recently, and she smiled as she recalled sewing and wearing this style jacket with companion dress back in the 60's. She said it was very stylish to have coordinating jackets/dress ensembles and she made them for special occasions. My grandma was the first person to ever sit me in front of a sewing machine, and it was really cool to share a full-circle moment with her.  I plan to wear this jacket primarily as outwear, so lining was a must. As I'm not particularly fond of facings, I decided to clean finish the front edges, neckline and cuffs. Then, I set the sleeves using French seams, so that everything on the inside of the jacket is nice and tidy.  My sleeves are lined with a silver colored bemberg rayon. The rest of the coat is lined with lightweight teal cotton. All and all, this is a sewing victory, right? Except, it didn't feel like one. I put the jacket on after I'd finished sewing and looked in the mirror. I didn't feel nearly as cool or glamorous as all the girls in the pictures I'd pinned.  I walked over to ask Mike what he thought of it. His response was that, "It looks like you put it together correctly". This confirmed my doubts. This jacket isn't intended to button in the front, but, I thought, maybe that's what was missing. It wasn't. The buttons are fine. But I still felt odd. Perhaps the (lack of) collar was the problem.  I happened to have some bulky teal CEY Duchess in the stash, so I quickly whipped up an Ovate to wear with my new coat. That didn't do the trick either. Still, I do like my little shawlette, and I have been throwing it on to wear with my jacket on cooler days.  I'm still not sure about this jacket. I have been wearing it- daily. And, I feel a little better about it each time I do. Mike has come to the conclusion that he now likes it. He just needed some time to warm-up to it. Maybe I just need time to adjust too. Do you find yourself uncertain about any of the garments you've made yourself? Did you come-around to them in time? 
34 Comments
4/6/2015 07:09:28 am
I note that a lot of the pictures you pinned are action shots....I also note that this jacket looks much better in the shots where you're wearing it rather than that shots where you're standing in it getting your picture taken...which explains why it is growing on ya'll as you wear it. Good job putting it together! : ) 4/6/2015 07:17:02 am
You know, I can see what you're getting at. I think the problem may be the lack of shaping. We're so used to some sort of shape, even in outerwear, that we come to expect it. Coats in the 50s needed to have extra room to accommodate all the fluff from the skirts/dresses and it sort of carried over into the 60s, when things became more fitted. Eventually, outerwear caught up and now we come to expect it. 4/6/2015 08:56:07 am
You mentioned you hemmed it just below the knee. Most of the coats in your inspiration photos appear to be hemmed at or just above the knee. Have you tried pinning the hem just a hair shorter to see if maybe slightly different proportions changes your opinion?
CindyM
4/6/2015 09:27:32 am
I agree. The longer hem line visually shortens the legs, which makes the rest of one's proportions seem stumpy. Pin it up you your knee or maybe slightly above & see if that helps. I really think that will give you the long, svelte line seen in the pictures!
Elizabeth
4/6/2015 09:23:40 am
love it! Beautiful. Ooh, I love this high-impact print! It's gorgeous!!! I also agree with the advice to shorten the hem a tad bit- I inherited a coat in a very similar shape from my grandmother and couldn't figure out why I didn't love it until I tried pinning up the hem a bit. The longer length is a bit different for us modern girls! :)
florapie
4/6/2015 11:42:20 am
This print is stunning, and I love the coat! I agree that it could perhaps be a titch shorter, but I would wear this proudly 4/6/2015 11:51:05 am
In answer to your question...all the time. It's such a pain; completing a garment only to {?} it. Sometimes, I can't even figure out what exactly it is that isn't working.
I have this problem so much! I think that just because I'M sewing something I can MAKE it look good on me. Now when I pattern shop I try to ask myself if this is a thing I would ever buy in a store as a finished garment. But there will always be surprises, right?
Yes. I totally know what you mean. I sometimes think I can makes something look good, because I'm making it to fit me. It doesn't always work.
Lisette
4/8/2015 04:22:42 am
Well either way, it is a lovely spring coat, the colors are just so reminiscent of that! I agree with the comments above, I think reducing the length will make it much more petite friendly. The print and sewing are both great and a length adjustment will make its proportions more flattering. I just finished my Robson trench, and reduced the length by over 7 inches. The shorter length looks good and I managed to squeeze it out of less than 3m of fabric I second guess myself way too much....and always think it's because I've been too close to the project for too long. I LOVE the way your jacket turned out.....(and particularly love the shawlette/scarf you 'whipped' up!!!! with it)...I think you have a winner here. Let it grow on you. I'm am absolutey with the other commenters. On your petite frame the coat looks like it swamps you a little and I think shortening it a tad is definitely going to help. I also agree it would probably work better proportionately with a slimmer line underneath - skinny jeans or leggings/pencil skirt. And yep, sometimes I make something that I think I really will adore and I just don't. But I always learn something in the process!
Sarah Wardle
4/6/2015 05:01:41 pm
Love the fabric, I have a similar build to you and am thinking of making a coat like this so it's been interesting to see your results. Personally, I would try the sleeves 3/4 length and shorten the coat a bit. And I agree with the comment above, bigger buttons might help balance the style? All the women in the inspiration shots are wearing heels which changes the look of things too. It's worth getting it right isn't it, otherwise if you're anything like me you go to the effort of making something and if it's not quite right you end up not wearing it.
Yay, the New York trip! I still haven't posted about that one even though you so kindly sent me your photos from the day. It's in my drafts folder - does that count? ;) I know this feeling; I get it sometimes too. But this coat - I really love it!! This is the kind of thing that, if I saw you walking around downtown, I'd be following behind to see if I could get a better look :-) I do think the addition of the buttons was smart, because it looks like you might still be needing them for a while for warmth! I love it, I have a similar project in my queue with a polka dot moleskin. I think the issue is the proportions, the duster should be shorter, go up one (or two) horizontal segments. As it is the coat is swallowing you up. I know you lined it already but I think some unpicking will be worth it. It's so awesome you should be proud and thrilled every time you wear it! Leave a Reply. |
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