Nicole and padstitching....

I haven't forgotten about Vogue 8333, I swear.  

Not too long after my last post, I was sent to NYC for three weeks for work (I know so horrible), the week before was a rush to prepare.  Then two days after my return, off to Paris I was for a week (again I know so horrible).  The weekend after Thanksgiving I busted out the jacket and finished the muslin, then ripped it apart to cut the fashion fabric - without posting pictures.  I don't think my patience and discipline works for taking these step by step pictures - or should I say lack of patience and discipline. 

So anyhoo....I didn't have enough fabric of what I wanted to use, so on to plan B.  I found some cotton herringbone fabric from Joann's and decided it would be good test fabric for my first attempt at a tailored blazer.  

Here we are all nice and cut out....what you can't see is the silk organza underlining.  Muslin on silk organza, cut. Silk organza on fashion fabric, cut.  Then baste underlining to fashion fabric.  Once the underlining was basted, I marked all of my darts and shapes with thread.  

Then.....

Came the canvas.  This photo shows the extra shoulder support I added to my front canvas.  This ensure the front won't droop once the shoulder pads are in.  I machine stitched the added support to the canvas - the yellow lines are about 1" apart and marked for guide.  Once machine stitched, I hand stitched the canvas to the front using catch stitch - you can see them in this photo.  

Then....

It's pad stitch time on the lapel.  As you can see, I need some serious work on my pad stitching.  First of all, about 90% of my stitches are even pad stitches.  Then by the time I got the kinda hang of it, my pad stitches aren't even.  I also taped the lapel using seam tape.  You can also use twill tape.  I have oodles of the seam tape that I need to get rid off, so I'm using it everywhere.  

So that's where I stand tonight.

I've been checking out tons of other sources on adding canvas to the lapels.  The instructions on the pattern are a bit confusing at times. There are added "couture" instructions which are great because it takes your skills up a notch, but there isn't always a photo and you're left wondering what in the world they are talking about.  

I am determined to finish this blazer while the weather is still cold.

V8333 pockets

These are the pockets that give a seamstress nightmares. 

Ok, so this is what the pocket is supposed to look like (taken from the pattern envelope).  

Isn't that detail just lovely? Now, you see why I chose this jacket.  

So, it looks simple enough.  TWO hours later, yes, 
TWO hours later, I had what resembled 

this pocket detailing.  

Maybe I just needed more tea the day I 
attempted these pockets.  

Maybe I was just on the struggle bus.  

Since this is the muslin, I have skipped a bunch of steps, I'm not sewing hair canvas and a lining this go round.  That would be why the numbers are all over the place. 

Step 4: Baste darts on front.  No picture for you, but this step is pretty easy.

Step 26 & 27:  Join the pocket and fold the pocket to the wrong side along the foldline closest to center front.  This first time I did this, I was clearly on the struggle bus because I folded it along the fold line closest to the side seam - Don't do what I did, do what the pattern says! 

Step 28: Turn the front section over with wrong side up; fold the pocket on the roll line with right sides together.  So this I didn't understand why they said turn the front section over with wrong side up...it's already turned over.  Maybe it's for people who wanted to look at the right side of their pretty fashion fabric. This is the wrong side of my fabric (see my markings on on the other side) 

Step 29: With wrong side together;fold front on the second fold line. Baste.

Same step, front view. 

Step 30: Right sides together, base the side front to the front section.  Pretty self explanatory. 

Step 31: Right sides up, pin the front pocket opening edge to the side front along the placement line.  Baste the pocket opening close to the folded edge.  This is where the struggle started.  If you look at the photo below, the blues lines are the placement lines. If I matched up the placement lines then I don't get two pleat/pintucks. Maybe I understood the directions incorrectly.  

So I just adjusted the folds so it looked nice 

and all the seams were flat. 

And VOILA! I have the pleats, plus my pocket.

The red basting in this photo is the pocket opening.  This photo is the inside of the garment. 

And both sides. If you look closely on the left side you can see my wannabe fell stitches.  

Yeah, I'mma need to work on those.  
P.S. the sides don't look event in this shot, but they are. 

Now onto collars and shoulder seams oh my!

At last...

For years I have been saying I am going to sew a polished, tailored, blazer.  And for years I have put it off and put it off.  But at last, I have started! 




I actually started looking for a pattern last year, but wasn't able to find one I like and one that would be tailored enough.  A few months back, I looked again and came across Clarie Shaeffer's Custom Couture Collection, Vogue V8333.  Now, I have no idea how long this pattern has been out, I looked at it in the past, but the 100+ steps I have to admit intimidated me.  I gave in and purchased it, because after all, I'm making a tailored blazer, it's going to have hundreds of steps! Well hopefully not hundreds, but at least quite a handful.  I was also drawn to the options with this blazer, there are instructions on machine sewing and raising the bar to make the blazer a little more couture with extra hand sewing.  



So the other night, I prepped my pattern pieces and laid my muslin out and got to cutting. 

As with any pattern I start, I searched our wonderful world wide web to see what other sewists have created and only found a handful of beauties.  I have been procrastinating for two years on channeling my inner Cocoa on this blog, and this sounds like as good as time as any to get going.  

If you are working on this blazer as well, comment and share your work, I'd love to see it!