Sunday, November 19, 2006

It's Done!!

Burda 8360
The Black Polyester is finished and looks and feels quite nice - except for being polyester of course. If it gets warm in here, it will be coming off in a flash.

What I like is that the shirt can be worn by itself, or open, over a tank top. The latter is more likely how I will wear it most of the time, as a sort of light jacket.

There are a few inequities in the garment, and a few things about the pattern that I would note for next time around, but mainly I got the fit right, and that is what I was looking for.

Stuff to remember:
  • Do the sleeves as per the pattern. I think it will make for neater seams.
  • Sew the sleeve hems before working on the sleeve cap.
  • Consider a full lining of both fronts as the facing is a bit narrow for wearing the jacket open.
  • The hem should be seamed into the front and turned inside out before finishing, which affects the topstitching -- has to be done before the topstitching.
  • The length of the facing has to be exact, or at least not longer than the hemline.
  • Think doing a version with the zipper all the way to the bottom.
  • Could this be done with a stand-up collar (mandarin type style?)
  • Make sure collar is evenly placed at neckline so one side is not wider than the other.
  • Come up with a better way to put the zipper in. Steam-a-seam may help.
  • With heavier fabric, facings and undercollar could be something lighter.
  • The pattern has side vents which I did not put there. It would look nice, and prevent the slight tightness in the hip area. I have a shirt with those vents, and it sticks out at the bottom and looks silly. That's why I avoided them. Here, they might just work.
General things not specific to the pattern:
  • BASTE
  • Use short stitches at collar points, dart points and when finishing off a line of stitches.
  • Avoid clipping thread ends. Tie them off when finishing or starting.
  • When fiddling with seam and hem binding, a truly nice finish requires that the binding be straight, and sewn an equal distance from the seam edge. Hem needs to be exactly equal all the way around, or made to be so. Careful cutting and handling all the way through is necessary for this. ALso using proper bias or seam binding of some sort
  • Tricot seam binding (Seam so Soft) does not go on easily, and does not look great once its there.
  • DARTS need some special attention. I can never get them exactly right and they are awful to take out and do over. I think I prefer a dart that angles up from the waistline. Maybe I"ll try that next time.
I'm very happy with this shirt, which is one of the first patterns I bought when I started sewing, but never got around to trying. I think it will be much more practical in a light cotton or linen, but I am pleasantly surprised by the outcome in this heavier fabric.

Now. What's next???

1 comment:

LornaJay said...

lovely jacket! I don't think it looks 'old lady' at all....