I knew when I started this, that the Tailored Suit project was going to test my limits. Ironically, people keep telling me that I'm incredibly patient because I've managed to slog over the same garment for more than a month. I cannot seem to convince anyone, under these circumstances, that I am the least patient person on the planet. I want instant gratification. I'm the girl who couldn't make a cake for years because I simply wouldn't wait for it to cool before I'd try (unsuccessfully) to get it out of the pan. I will ruminate in lieu of a completed object because it must continue apace - whether my hands can do it or my brain has to pick up the slack. I do not well-manage delay.
Let's face it, I also don't like really big challenges. Well, I don't think of myself as the kind of person who likes really big challenges and then I seem to constantly end up taking them on, so maybe that's not true. I reserve the right to revisit that statement. But one thing's for certain: I'm not patient.
Imagine my existential dissatisfaction as the (mostly finished) suit jacket continues to call to me like a luscious siren from the sewing room. I'm getting close to the finish line, the time that's most challenging. The end is in sight but I've got to stay patient. Ugh!
Let me say that I received some excellent comment advice on how to mitigate the challenges I spoke about here. I do believe that my fabric was the cause of my collar and back facing challenges and that, in a perfect world (and although the pattern does make the upper collar slightly larger than the under collar to facilitate turn of cloth) my upper collar could have been larger still. This fabric has some very good features: it's lovely, soft, rich, it hides hand stitching like a dream. But its springiness combined with density make it difficult in other ways. Happily, it does take manipulation reasonably well.
The combo of temporarily stitching the back facing down onto the back stay (and then steaming the hell out of it), then re-molding the lapel on the buttonhole side (at length) and re-fashioning the stand and then turn of cloth of the collar has made a substantial difference to the look of the jacket.
Would I make this design with this type of fabric again? No. But is it a deal breaker? No. I think the issues will only be notable to me.
I may actually unpick the pick stitches on the collar, per Anon's useful info, to allow the collar some additional freedom. Problem is, I have to find them?!
I just finished the hem and it looks quite good - though I imagine, if one were to have miscalculated on the lengths or positioning of any of the pieces, there would be little room for error.
I'm onto the shoulder pad insertion and lining now. Hopefully I'll get to that before the weekend. Then there's the skirt. (I'll be making V8640 - a pattern I've made many times and which, strangely, Gertie made as one of the skirts to go with one of her many jackets. I decided on this pencil skirt the minute I saw the jacket because it's a great pattern and I love a pencil skirt suit.) I do have quite a bit to say about that in an upcoming post.
Thoughts or feelings?
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Glad to hear you are feeling happier about your jacket. I just had to chime back in to tell you that your jacket has become a topic of much interest to my 88-year-old mother. She started sewing all of her own clothes (and those of her brothers and sisters) on a treadle Singer in the 30s when she was just a girl. I have to take my iPad over every time I visit so she can follow your progress. Your jacket reminds her of the suit jackets she made when she was a (quote) "working girl" in the 40s. And she is full of praise for your "fitting the garment PROPERLY!"
ReplyDeleteI want to pass on a piece of advice that she gave me when I started sewing: one time, when I was frustrated, she reminded me that sewing was a both an art and a science. You need to learn and practice the techniques but, like an artist, you also need to understand that you'll rarely create something unique and beautiful by just blindly following directions. The issues raised by your choice of fabric, and a body's unique shape, are where you get to exercise your creativity.
Her advice was oddly freeing because I could just tell myself I was being creative if I chose to solve a problem in an unorthodox way. Doing it my way would not diminish my project; rather, it would make my garment more unique and, therefore, more valuable. Both my sister (another avid sewer) and I laugh at how creative some of our projects end up, but that perspective is probably why we both still think of sewing as fun even after 40+ years.
You mother is amazing! Does she have any of those jackets remaining in her closet? Can you share any pics?? (I should also say, please apologize to your mother for my swearing. I realize it is very uncouth.)
DeleteI think her advice is so apt. I have had the chance to be incredibly creative in this process - even as it has been quite prescriptive. For me, fabric and fit and drape are the spice of sewing and I love to learn more about them with every project. The skills I develop stay with me for the next project so it's never been a wasted effort.
I mean, I did have concerns from the get go that this fabric might provide me with certain challenges, and I now I see my intuition was correct. Happily, my other intuitions about how the fabric would work have also turned out to be correct!
Thanks so much for this great comment.
Oh my gosh you've had some ups and downs over the last week or so! I'm always impressed with how fast you do things, but also how you are persistent in doing it right.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had some words of wisdom, but turn of cloth on jacket collars is something that I've struggled with too.
Hang in there!
I'm glad you are feeling better today, I had that same awful migraine yesterday, so I can relate to that. Ugh!
ReplyDeleteAs for the jacket, I still don't have anything useful to contribute, so I guess I'll just continue to wish you success! :-) Oh, I guess I could add that if you need a good way to find stitches, I recommend one of those lamps with the magnifying glass on it. It made me feel like an old lady at first, but then I decided that was simply too fabulous to care. ;-) Mine's just a cheapie from the lighting section of a home improvement store (Lowe's if you have 'em).
I hope you're feeling better today! And that's great advice. I'm going to have to look into one of those. I wear glasses at the best of times :-)
DeleteWow, both your post and the above comment are so insightful! Really loving reading through your process on this project.
ReplyDeleteSomehow I intend to make another jacket fairly soon. I may be insane.
DeleteSometimes I think we are drawn to things that are not in our actual skill set because the things we are naturally good at seem... easy. I'd like to think I'm good at things that I'm actually not likely all that good at and then things that do come naturally I don't always see that it's not the same for everyone else. I hope that made sense. From this side of the fence, maybe patience isn't the right word, but I'd be overwhelmed with a project like that and not even start. One day sure, but right now, the way I sew in spurts and starts, it would seem like the project that never ended so I wouldn't start. So maybe we are admiring your persistance with the project.
ReplyDeleteThat's probably true - I could have made a simple top (that I would have loved and got instant gratification from) but I chose this. I hear what you're saying about not starting because you would be overwhelmed. That's why it's taken me till now to get to this project. I needed a break after the last tailored garment (the coat), which almost blew my mind. At least in this project I have more skill to bring to the table. Of course, in this project the fitting almost blew my mind :-)
DeleteI am not nearly at your level of sewing experience, but have similar patience issues. I do admire your perfectionism though - and envy you for your serger. Would you be more or less impatient sewing without one? The closer to the finish of a project the faster I work, and then I spend more time unpicking seams than I would have doing it proper. Maybe it will help you to think of your jacket as not "almost finished" but as "the most important bits are to come"? The new finish line could be the day after you wore your jacket and got complimented on it ;-)
ReplyDeleteMona
Mona: My sewing friend S might not agree that I'm a perfectionist! She's seen some pretty scary things :-) My serger is a wonderful thing that I am constantly grateful for. I go through phases where I use it constantly, and those when I don't use it at all (on this project I haven't used it). I do love the feeling of finishing seams in a snap.
DeleteYou have such a good point. I will think of the most important bits coming up. Every current bit is the most important bit. Excellent point!
You may not *enjoy* these big complex challenges, but you certainly attack them with persistence, energy, and determination. I suspect the satisfaction of the finished result (and the challenge conquered!) is pretty big for you, even if the process doesn't feel great (Hmm, sorta like childbirth. Yes, I find a lot of big challenges in life are sorta like childbirth.)
ReplyDeleteNow that I've told you what you're thinking (hah!), I can't wait to see how it's shaping up, and I'm so glad you were able to resolve some of your issues. Turn-of-cloth is really specific to the fabric, so I'm not surprised the amount the pattern was drafted for wasn't sufficient (and a collar needs 2x turn of cloth, one for the roll line and one for the edge). I'm completely convinced you've read Sherry's post on it at Pattern, Scissors, Cloth, but anyway, that's a good post on how to find out how much it is for an individual fabric.
HOMESTRETCH! :)
I do enjoy looking the finished object and wondering how I ever made it happen. Kind of like childbirth!! I have read Sherry's post but I have to go back and read it again. There's so much awesome info on the internet. I'm seriously getting my internet university degree :-)
DeleteWow, I love reading about big projects like this because I get to learn vicariously through you. Then I can carry out my own experiments with considerably less swearing -- although I have to admit that I will probably never make a tailored blazer, but I have plans for a coat and have been paying attention to the sleeve issues as a result. I'm curious to see your hem treatment and button selection as well....
ReplyDeleteBy the way, this is lazysubculturalgirl. Your blog is not allowing me to post as myself?
Sorry about that! This one seems to have got through. Let me know if it happens again. BTW, a coat is just like a suit jacket with more fabric :-) Which in no way means you should avoid it.
DeleteA little late, but I've been wanting to comment on this since yesterday! I think there's a difference between feeling patient and being patient. You may not feel patient about this project, but the fact remains that you're still working on it when many other people might have just given up. I think we're too close to our own feelings to be objective about our attributes, sometimes :)
ReplyDeleteOoooh, fine distinction. I do not feel patient, but I am stubborn! That quality, I have in spades :-)
Delete