All It Took....

Wow!  You came back to see what happened?!  Thank you so much!

Well, I've completed the Issey Miyake jacket and am anxious to show you the winning buttons and my next project.  Ummm.....let me see, where were we???.....Oh, yeah....Wasn't it here?...

I love my Singer automatic buttonholer!

 Here you see my trusty Singer buttonholer making one of the five buttonholes on the collar.  Both layers of the collar were handled as one, and adding a piece of tear-away stabilizer kept everything in line.  Doing these buttonholes and sewing on the buttons took an hour or so...no time at all.

What will surprise you if you make this jacket?  I was surprised to find that this jacket has what the instructions call a gusset under the sleeves.  I had no previous experience with this type of gusset, and wondered why the designer would choose to use it here.  Now, as I give the jacket its final press, I understand the function of this design choice.  As I smooth the jacket on the dress form, I notice the kimono sleeve falls smoothly from the dropped shoulder because it is supported by the gusset and undersleeve and there is no underarm pinch visible when the arm is moved. 

I was also surprised there is a tie belt in the back.  I'm not a 'tie-belt-in-the-back' kinda girl.  I am old enough to have lived when girls of elementary school age were required to wear dresses to school.  And, at the time, almost every little girl's dress had waist ties which were secured in a big bow just before you left for school.  I always managed to come home with one torn and scraggly tie hanging from a rip at the side seam or (at minimum,) left dragging loose in the dust behind me--the bow a distant morning memory.  I always got in trouble for this and seeing them brings back my mother's disappointment (once again) in my wardrobe malfunction and proof of some unladylike activity. 

So. as an adult, when the patterns I select have ties in the back, I usually omit them.  I used them in this case because the boxy style of the jacket needs some waistline shaping.  I also confess I may have selected the wrong interfacing, and wish I had selected a softer one to use at the cuff and hemline.  The interfacing used on the front facings is fine being stiffer or crisper, but the sharpness is not needed any other place, so I wish I had substituted a different one. 

So...here is the finished product.--------------'>'

I apologize for the poor-quality pictures.  The browns and oranges are so much more vivid than they appear here.  I'm getting better and better at taking them, so bear with me pleeze...:) 

What button did I use?  I totaled all the votes received before midnight Sunday, and the winner is.........



Four-hole 3/8" shell
button

The tiny speckled shell button is the one selected by a majority of votes.......;)   I sewed the button over a round toothpick and wound thread between the fabric and button back to create the lift I wanted to avoid any pull or imprint on the fabric surface.



Jacket Back with Tie Belt



Lining and Welt Pockets

 I pulled a little of the pocket lining out of the pocket on the left so you could see the welt positioning.  They turned out really well in spite of me not doing any for a while.
And, my label at the back of the neck....the signal of the project coming to its conclusion.  I won't be making the pants included in this pattern, but I have several pairs of linen pants (i.e., white, ivory, copper-colored) that will coordinate well so I can wear it into California's fall weather. 
I'll get better at explaining myself and documenting my work without making my posts picture heavy.  Leave me a message if there's anything I can describe in more detail or clarify. Thanks for going with me!

*****

Next, I'll be sharing how the top mentioned in my first blog turned out (Donna Karan Vogue 1039).  This top was the last garment begun without knowing anything about a Full Bust Adjustment (FBA)---which I found out was one of the first things I need to make.  I was taking a sewing class at the local junior college and at the time, this top was what I was working on in my personal life.  It won't have that FBA, but I'll share the process of sewing the last garment cut out in a larger size to accomodate the alteration.  I'm happy that I now know much more about the pattern-making and altering process and can make accurate changes in garment design that work for my body.  It has also helped me incorporate different construction techniques (couture or manufacturing) into my projects.  I'll show you what I mean when we discuss this design.  I'll need your opinion on some things, too....so, don't forget to check back.  I looovvvve company......!

Til then....

Keep going!...one stitch at a time....

Clearing the Queue....

I will be moving sometime this winter, so I am focusing on finishing all the sewing projects I can before I pack up my machines for my return to Georgia. Completion of the garment in this post required I put in eight buttonholes. That dictated I select my buttons to determine what size buttonholes to make. Ultimately, I matched a fabric swatch and found two sets of buttons at the recent Bay Area Quilt, Craft & Sewing Expo in San Mateo, CA. I opted to use buttons smaller than the 7/8" suggested size. I didn't want the buttons to detract from the jacket design or interrupt the fabric visually. The fabric I chose is busy enough, I think. I also decided to make one buttonhole through both collar layers for each of the buttons.

When I chose this Issey Miyake jacket pattern (Vogue 1052) I remember wandering the aisles at Joann's looking for the right fabric. I knew I wanted something lighter than the "lightweight gabardine, poplin or denim" listed on the pattern back as Suggested Fabrics. I ultimately selected a dollar-per-yard chiffon from the sale area.  I felt like the collar made from this fabric would be softer and prettier, although I knew my choice would require I also underline the jacket front, back, and sleeves. The back of the pattern describes it as fully lined, with welt pockets, back tie belt, and a collar consisting of two matching layers atop one another with wrong sides together.

Let me now thank the ten ladies who have posted reviews of this pattern on patternreview.com, one of whom shared a technique for finishing the collar edges (involving a cording foot and Pearl Cotton No. 5 thread) that was much more appealing than the "turn-and-zigzag" instructions in the pattern. (Thanks ITAdmin!)  I have provided a link to her review because she documented the technique far better than I could. The worldwide sewing community's willingness to share construction techniques has improved my sewing knowledge and refined my final garments immensely! Thank you all for sharing your knowledge and blogging about it! .

Buttons are my favorite part of any garment. I have often paid more for the buttons than the garment fabric. Don't you feel that buttons often will make the garment?  I confess....I have a thing for buttons....(the button wall at Stone Mountain and Daughter sends me into rapture.) Initially, I was certain I wanted shank buttons...but, I stumbled into a four-hole button that fades completely into the background on this fabric.

You can help me choose the right button....Which one would you select? I know...they're hard to see, aren't they? The shank button (nestled just above the end of the fabric signature running at the bottom along the selvedge) is approximately 1/2" wide, and the speckled 4-hole shell button is smaller, about 3/8". The packets were about $1.75 each and contain 8-10 buttons. Such a deal!  I hope you can click on the picture to enlarge it....I would really like to hear your opinion on which button you'd select.  Especially if you are a button person, like me!  (smile)  My plan is to get the final jacket photo taken this weekend, so get your votes in early! 

Thanks for stopping by....

Talk to you soon!

Cynthia