Winter Sewing: Janet Jacket Muslin and Fabric Choices

I'm in a posting kind of mood, apparently, about all of the crafts...

As you know, yesterday I cut out the muslin and stitched up the bodice shell for my proposed next sewing project: the Janet Jacket. The fit, following my numerous "pre-muslin alterations" was not bad. In addition to those, on the basis of what the muslin told me, I've made additional muslin-to-pattern alterations:

• The back was too wide (effectively the back seam where it meets the side back) so I removed about 1.5 inches over those 4 seams, tapering 2 inches above and 2 inches below the waist. Update: I undid this alteration, once I added the sleeves and realized that the addition of them had an unintended impact on the fit of the back of the bodice...

• While I removed an inch above the waist, from the length of the bodice pieces, I ended up adding it back to the bottom of the hem. I want a bit more length once I hem this thing up... And now I've added it where it needs to be, and where I won't get any pooling above the waist.

• The bust, while it fits - somewhat miraculously, is potentially a little bit snugger than I'd like. I've opted to add .5" to the centre front piece, starting just at the place where my bust gets full, all the way down to the jacket hem. I may remove this in the end, but I'd like to have the extra width, in case I want it as I finish the seams... I'm pleased to say that the centre bust fullness of the shell is at the same height as my centre bust fullness. That can be a tricky negotiation as one's bust line grapples with gravity, even as a pattern draft does not. This shell isn't gaping above the apex, as some patterns do, once I alter the bust at the princess seams. And, because the original side front pattern piece was so straight, it was pretty easy for me to lower the apex slightly without having to do to much fancy footwork. I eyeballed it, but it seems to have worked. You can actually see the lowered apex in the photo from yesterday's post...

• I did have to take an inch out of the sleeve head height (my upper arm is short, what can I say?) and, as a corollary, I had to remove 3/8" of fabric from the shoulder seam area on each of the side front and back pieces. I tapered to nothing as I moved towards the underarm...

• And finally, I darted the side front piece - 2 inches wide, starting from the front armscye to the bust apex. I know I can probably make this adjustment and move the dart to the side seam (aka get rid of it but keep its effect), but that step just isn't coming to me at the moment. And seriously, I don't care if there's an extra seam there. It looks just fine (IMO) and, seriously, the bust fit and armscye depth are made perfect by the inclusion of this dart. To me, at this time, a bust dart isn't a sign of failure to maintain smooth princess seam-lines - it's a sign of my increasing fit awareness. I actually like it!

I managed to learn all of this via one muslin - 2 steps (bodice and then sleeves). Now, I hope my alterations are precise, but I did use a smidge of intuition in lieu of math. (Just occasionally to make things seem more magical!)

I also went out to buy my fabric today:

That's indigo wool crepe, though you can scarcely tell it from black on my monitor. Lord I love navy and wool and crepe. I don't care if it's the same colour as everything else in my wardrobe. Trust me, I look seriously credible in navy.

But, to undercut any potential "boringness", I decided on canary yellow silk charmeuse for the lining:

I know - insane! People, this is what a lack of Vit. D will do to you. And, pls. note: I take 3000 IUs of the stuff every day but I still bought this lining?!

There's method to my madness, however. Every time I've made a tailored jacket in the past, I've used fabric with a certain degree of intrinsic ease (my preferred sort of woven). My rationale is: if you like fitted-ness and you don't want to gain it with wearing ease (what the pattern provides in its base measurements) you have to make up for things with fabric ease (the natural give in the fabric). That's all well and good, esp. given my smallness-with-curves body-type, but, in the past, I have always used lining that has very little fabric ease - and I don't cut it on the bias (which would give the fabric more stretch, as is the nature of bias cut).

The net result of a using lining with no ease is that the ease in the fashion fabric is all but wasted. Nothing will stretch more than the fabric with the least amount of give, which in most cases is a lining.

This time, I was prepared to cut my silk lining on the bias (a huge pain in the ass - and fabric waster) unless I could find some silk charmeuse with stretch. The fabric store (L.A. Fabrics) had just such a lining, but only in one colour - the canary yellow I purchased. Thank goodness it complements navy! (Note: It still might be hideous... Who can say?)

Hilariously, while I checked on the cost of the crepe fabric (a reasonable 15 bucks a yard on sale), I neglected to do so with the lining fabric. Turns out it was 36 bucks a yard?! I got it for 32.00/yd in the end but, egad, that's 64 bucks in lining?!

You know you're making progress - or losing your mind - when you spend $130.00 on suiting materials without batting an eye. (And this doesn't include closures, interfacing, shoulder pads or other notions.) Ah, here's to skill development in the new year...

Today's questions: What do you think of my new fabrics? Thoughts on these alterations or my "one muslin, one garment" process? I suppose the proof will be in the pudding, yes? Let's talk!