Jacket and now suit of Vogue 1264

First my quick projects.


Two more versions of Vogue 1261 in some sweater knit I had kicking around the place. I folded under and cover hemmed the collar, serged the rest of it up as you would normally (although you really need to set in the sleeves to make these work), and left the hem raw but with a row of cover-hemmed stitching:

I will get a lot of wear out of these and also the pants of 1264 which you have seen before and are still as comfortable.


Now on to the jacket. 


Here are assorted shots which give you an idea what this pattern looks like on someone who is about 40 pounds heavier than the model, and loving it.

Now I this is what I have to say about this jacket.


First off, the all the whole thing sort of depends on those front panels lining up. I did a FBA and I am glad I did. The only closure is a giant hook and eye at the neck and if I hadn't allowed for my waist etc. and bust it would have all spread in a really apparent way.


These are the hooks and eyes I used:

They were fine but you really have to bend in the hook a bit so it stays closed.


This went together without incident, probably because I left out the pockets, which I admit would have been nice, but I just didn't have a welt pocket in pleather kind of week. Things were busy enough.


The woven sewn-in interfacing suggested is necessary as the pleather, which stretches, really needs the stability and the grain.


All in all an interesting pattern and right past the boundaries of my usual look.


An outfit like this has it's uses though. 


I think it would be perfect for those meetings when I have to call in a kid and say "It seems you plagiarized." Yes, this is definitely an outfit for the plagiarism police. A badge would probably go nicely as an accessory. 


Finally, here is a shot of the characters who thought we were going out the front door for a drive to the park, I did take them later of course.

My McCalls 6078 and Vogue 1264 shot

Finally after one of those weeks with a lot happening between me and the camera, I got a shot of the pants of Vogue 1264 and the top of McCalls 6078 together.

Since I am not young, thin, or cool I was wondering how this would all work. You can decide for yourself. You can even tell me, I can take it. The jacket will pull it all together, and yes I wish I could have accessed some rayon knit rather than this polyester for the top, so the top is sort of a wearable muslin.


This whole outfit is super comfortable. The short pants work better than I thought they would. They are actually quite roomy in the thighs without looking baggy. I think I will make these again longer for normal pants sometime.


I have also decided that wool gab is the best fabric for these pants. You really need something with structure and will hold a press (how long has it been since we have pressed in  creases? ) You need a crease too to lengthen these pants and to balance the choppedoffedness (not a word, but I think you know that).


I have used up all my wool gab except some red (when is that son going to move back to the States so I can go visiting fabric shopping?) and I am wondering if red pants are too nuts. I haven't worn red pants since I was about eight, on the don't attract attention to where you are big policy, but I am not sure. Maybe with the same boots and a black tunic. Is this too much for a person over 50? Does it really matter? Does anyone really care? 


Glad the week is almost done. If I don't get some real sewing done again soon, I am not sure what I will do.

Good ideas and things that are not making sense in Vogue 1264

O.K. We have already established I love this pattern because of the fit of the pants. I want to make this clear before I make comment on some of the construction advice. 


You know, I have a fantasy. In my dreams, someone at a pattern company appoints me pattern instruction proof reader - you know I would be paid to say what your average sewer would find confusing. I would love to tell the instruction writers how to make things just easier and more successful.


How many sewers, new sewers in particular, have been turned off the whole process of sewing because they couldn't manage to do what the instructions said, or what the picture looked like? They quit sewing because they thought it was them when in fact it is instructions anyone would have trouble with.


In my view, one of the main purposes of any instruction, sewing guides in particular, is to make the user feel smart and not stupid - that is, if you want them to keep coming back. In fact, I would argue one of the things the independent pattern companies  have going for them, even if they are sometimes limited in the styles and currency of what they offer, is that their instructions are generally helpful.


O.K. let's talk about Vogue 1264's pants. Then I better go to bed.


Good things first.


The nice thing about a designer pattern is the details. This one advised me that the waistline facing (and BTW even though it is a faced waistline it is right up at the real waistline no more of the dangling stuff) needed to be bound rather than say serged. I did this and used an old silk tie I bought at a second hand store for $1.50. The tie like all ties was of course already cut on the bias so it was easy and fabric economical to just cut a strip from the middle of it.


I cut this binding much wider than I needed rather than using the pattern piece. I did this so I would have something to hold on to while I stitched it down from the right side. I hate turning things over and finding I have missed catching something. Of course I will trim the extra off and the net effect will be as if I had used a narrow binding in the first place but was a really good sewer:

Now onto Things Make No sense.


Things that make no sense #1:


Construction order.


These pants call for an invisible zipper which of course is inserted before the seam below is sewn (I might do an invisible zipper tutorial sometime - they are the easiest zippers for beginners). This of course is easiest done with two garment pieces, in this case the left front and back legs.


So why then are you asked to do it after this step, pictured below?  If you do this you are going to have far too much random and out of control fabric around your sewing machine and as a result are in danger of applying the zipper to one leg and say one hem, or waistline, or something even more creative:

Makes no sense #2:


In this step, and in the final one in these instructions, you are told to sew the inside button tab to the back of the pants, meaning that it comes forward on the inside and is buttoned on the inside of your front waist. Maybe there is a good reason for this but to me a tab and a button should go towards the back, just like you would if there was a waistband that buttoned. I changed mine to the back because I don't see a button on the front of my side, even on the inside:

Makes no sense #3:


The continuation of the above with the button sewn to the front part, but note that you are also told, as the nearly last stage, to make a button hole in the tab.


Now really.


That little tab was made all on its own a while ago and that is the time to put in the buttonhole, when you have the option of making another little tab or several if you have to in case you mess up this up. Who wants to unpick that facing and that invisible zipper just because you made a crummy buttonhole because you were nearly done and you were tired? Why instruct in stress?

This is probably not the way to have the Big Four hire me as an instruction proof reader is it?

Vogue 1264 early days

I feel bad about slamming that Vogue top, not for shape mind you, just for the destructions, but it appears that Vogue and I are going to be reconciling over 1264.


Once I had figured out I actually had the right fabric to make the pants, I cut out and machine basted up the pants for this pattern. I just slammed on the alterations I figured out from my trail pairs of Simplicities which were:


1. Use a 14 pattern, this is 2 sizes smaller than I need but fits my legs.
2. Forget about the front darts as I don't need them and this automatically adds to the waist.
3. Add 1/2" to the centre front seam to accommodate my belly.
4. Add 1" to the top of the centre front seam for the same reason.
5. Add 1 1/2" to the centre back seam at the top to deal with my womanly rear.
6. Do the infamous "clown butt" alteration to add a further 3/4" to the back crotch seam but also takes that same amount out of the back inseam so I don't get bagging under this clown's butt.
7. Add 1/2" along all side seams (see point 1)


I then basted the machine basted the whole thing together, didn't press a thing because these were wool gabardine and I wasn't going to press in what I might have to take out, stood in front of the mirror with my eyes closed and then opened them and then called my husband to go get the camera.


Now I realize that to you, or any normal person, these look like a real mess, but they aren't done right and not pressed etc. but I can see the shape and I am in love.


I haven't worn these wide thigh tapered pants in years and I had forgotten how comfortable they are. And these fit pretty well, construction incompletion apart.


Man, am I happy. I have decided to let my job and my family slide over the next few days and finish these. On the fence about the flood hem, will decide that later.


Here are the shots so far:

The all important bum shot. My right leg is how short they would be if I hemmed them as specified. I have thoughtfully styled this with a fireplace that's due for renovation and my trusty purple suede sewing slippers.

The all important front shot, disregard the unpressed legs and note that I am lacking the usual crotch wrinkles which is all that matters.

The side shot, interesting as it appears an insane person pinned them closed or at least someone in a hurry. Note the tapered leg. Welcome back 1982. Note too that I do not look as fat as I am in this, not quite 1982 again but maybe spring of 1998 or early fall 1999, better than winter 2015.