New Neighborhood Group - Pattern Works

The Jacket – Getting Started

To begin, I took the time to press the fabric, lining, interfacings and pattern pieces.  Over the years, I stopped doing those initial steps – didn’t seem necessary.  What I noticed was that my fabrics were easier to handle and the salvages easier to align.  The pattern pieces also laid out nicely with no turned under edges or corners.  So, there is something to be said for 8^th grade home economics sewing lessons.  Following those long-ago lessons, I carefully measured the distance from the salvage to the straight grain line on each pattern piece.  I am pretty good at eyeballing the straight grain but this time I didn’t want to be off

I had forgotten how nice it is to work with good wool.  It felt good to the hand and it stays in place!  I had new pins from last year’s retreat which I had not used and decided to give them a try.  For the wool, I used Taylor Seville Magic Pins quilting pins (regular 1 ¾ inch, blue).  These have a softer plastic grip at the top which make holding the pins easier and they slide through the pattern and fabric with ease.  No, catching, snagging, or bending!  Next was the lining fabric.  It is slippery, slippery, slippery.  In order to keep the selvage together, I used Wonder Clips to hold the edges and pattern weights to keep the fabric on the cutting mat.  The quilting pins did not slide in so smoothly with the viscose-acetate Jacquard lining.  I also had Taylor Seville Magic Pins patchwork extra fine (1 7/16 inch, green).  These went into the fabric with no catching or drag.  My conclusion, pin size and sharpness can make a difference in how easy or hard it is to pin.  Time to throw out all those old dull pins. (Picture of pins below.)

Finally, I cut the interfacings.  The hymo canvas was used for the main front interfacing, the underarm interfacing and cut on the bias in 1 ½ inch strips to interface the hems.  The hair canvas was used to create the three chest pieces for each side which help fill in the arm under the shoulder.  The domette is used to cover the hair canvas (no pokes through the outer fabric) and to create a pocket for the shoulder pad.  The back interfacing is cut from the lightweight cotton; and the undercollar from felt with linen canvas already pad stitched to it.  The felt has no grain but the linen canvas does.  It comes applied on the bias, the undercollar straight grain line needed to follow the straight grain of the bias piece which meant that the undercollar pattern center back-line was position straight to the selvage edge.

I added one more interfacing – the patch pockets.  I drew a new pattern piece that followed the fold-line at the top of the pocket and the stitching lines.  This piece fits inside the pocket seam lines.  I used the hymo canvas for the pocket interfacing pieces.

The next segment will be making the pockets and placing them on the jacket front.  I will cover that in the next post. 

*This is the second article in a series by Sandy Herman documenting her progress while sewing a jacket for her husband.  The first article was published January 8, 2021.