SWA(SP)P 2016-Pack 1-#5: Green jacket after tweaks

The tedious part of any project is the fitting, as far as I’m concerned.  Oh for the days when I could just buy a pattern, bang it together, and wear it.  Partly because I was pretty much straight up-and-down in figure, and because I really didn’t know [or give] a damn about fitting, I was oblivious.

The only thing I knew for sure about my own figure was my broad shouldered-ness.

Unfortunately, combining a 50+ cake-loving body with a close-fitting garment like this requires a bit more work.

I also find that since I did the Craftsy ‘Couture Dress’ course, I’m more inclined to pither about with the insides of a special garment:  I know it makes a difference.

So apart from careful pressing, all those seams also need clipping, trimming back the underlining to reduce bulk, and then catch stitching all the seam allowances down, using what I was taught to call a herringbone stitch.  It’s actually a very speedy process, it doesn’t have to be pretty, and usually I don’t care what colour thread I use.  This allows me to use up all those almost-spent bobbins, and bits and bobs.  I’ve also stabilised all those neck edges, and the armhole edges with iron on tape.

But then I paused [thankfully early on in the  process] and realised that my lining fabric is actuallyvery fine, and a pale colour.  Some of these internal workings will still be faintly visible through the lining…poop.  So I had to stop using all the fluorescent yellow casting threads [don’t ask] and switch to matching thread.

THEN I realised that I should stop until after doing the final fitting.

THEN I realised that I really couldn’t be bothered to get rigged up, and tody enough for photos [you certainly don’t want pics of me with unwashed hair, bottle-bottom glasses, and a corset over baggy pyjama trousers.  Trust me.]

I’ve basted the sleeves in, as that will affect the fit across the back.

Alterations/tweaks so far:

• I took in a little extra on the back shoulder seam, just on the back piece, tapering off along the shoulder.
• I took in a little on the side waist seams.
• I took in a little at the top of the back curved seams.

This is all to reduce the bit of bagginess that was showing at the upper back, by the armscye, and was averaged out from all the advice from different sources.

OK, so here are the pics, once I got all strapped up:  I think the lower part of the torso, and definitely the back, are now good, in fact I’m really chuffed with the fit across the upper back.  Once the back stay and lining are in, I don’t think there’ll be ny corset-scar to mention.

However, the sleeves are doing something shitty:  I matched up the notches with the correct places as per the instructions, and the curve of the sleeve is lovely…it looks to me as though they aren’t in the right place though- there is too much gathering fullness at the front, and not enough at the back.  Because of this, it’s all pulling the bodice out of whack at the underarm.  Look at that middle pic, top row- the left sleeve is collapsing forward…very odd.

Opinions please?

[NB, there’s now, oddly, a fair bit of overlap at CF, those drag lines are not caused by bust tightness]

I also intend to add some tailoring padding of some form to the upper front/chest area, as it’s collapsing  a bit.  Probably a chest piece and a tad pad stitching?

Fire away.