I LOVE THIS JACKET!
Just kidding.
So, here's how this happened...This fabric was re-gifted to me after I gifted it to my mom like, 30 years ago. It became one of those "it's too special to sew" fabrics and sat in her stash. While her gift was sitting, I had also gifted myself a nice chunk of this pink ultrasuede (from SR Harris of Mpls in a mega-deal). I made a princess Diana inspired double-breasted sort of jean jacket that I loved and wore but at some point donated. Fast forward to 2019...when mom re-gifted this fabric I really couldn't believe that she never used it! I'd forgotten all about it! Then, this pink is announced as one of those "colors for/of the year" so I'm like, "well, I MUST MAKE SOMETHING"! Psst... I would have made something anyway because, you know, ...PINK!
Enter the internet and multiple searches for Pink Suede Jacket. My inspirations:
I wanted 3/4 length, sloped shoulders, and a sort-of cocoon shape. I have so many patterns. I know I could have purchased a current, maybe independent pattern that would work but...I have so many patterns. So I decided to use McCall's 2689. This is in my stash because when I worked at Northwest Fabrics in Minneapolis we were allowed to keep the "guts" of discontinued patterns and I kept the guts of this one 😉. It may not look like the inspiration but I'd made the jacket before and was fairly confident I could make it work.
Pattern adjustments: Major reduction at the shoulders to eliminate almost all of the 80's big-shoulder look. After making sure I had enough hip width, I lengthened it about 10". I also used a method I learned years ago where I pinch out about 1/4" in length along the lapel fold line to keep the lapels close to the body.
Here's where it gets weird...First, I have apparently made every single garment of this pattern at some point because ALL of the pieces were cut and there are many, many pieces. As I was sorting out what I needed I found two extra pattern pieces from a Vogue pattern. THEY WERE FROM THE JACKET I MADE OUT OF THE ORIGINAL PINK ULTRASUEDE IN THE 80's! Vogue 9424. I still can't figure out how that happened!
Now, on to the actual sewing stuff. These were my hand-holders. When I sewed my 80's jacket I used the instructions for a flat felled seam but that requires a lot of thinking because the seam allowances need to be adjusted. Thinking has not been one of my strengths lately (like the last 4-5 years = living with teenagers and teacher stress!). For this jacket I decided I wanted the seams to be a little softer so, I treated it like a regular fabric. The Palmer/Pletsch book is a must...and you don't need to search for the original version new version! One of the best things about the book is that it's full of choices, you can determine which method works best for your project.
Somewhere there are other detail pictures I took but I can't find them and this post has been waiting long enough.
Happy sewing to all!
THE END.
Just kidding.
So, here's how this happened...This fabric was re-gifted to me after I gifted it to my mom like, 30 years ago. It became one of those "it's too special to sew" fabrics and sat in her stash. While her gift was sitting, I had also gifted myself a nice chunk of this pink ultrasuede (from SR Harris of Mpls in a mega-deal). I made a princess Diana inspired double-breasted sort of jean jacket that I loved and wore but at some point donated. Fast forward to 2019...when mom re-gifted this fabric I really couldn't believe that she never used it! I'd forgotten all about it! Then, this pink is announced as one of those "colors for/of the year" so I'm like, "well, I MUST MAKE SOMETHING"! Psst... I would have made something anyway because, you know, ...PINK!
Enter the internet and multiple searches for Pink Suede Jacket. My inspirations:
I wanted 3/4 length, sloped shoulders, and a sort-of cocoon shape. I have so many patterns. I know I could have purchased a current, maybe independent pattern that would work but...I have so many patterns. So I decided to use McCall's 2689. This is in my stash because when I worked at Northwest Fabrics in Minneapolis we were allowed to keep the "guts" of discontinued patterns and I kept the guts of this one 😉. It may not look like the inspiration but I'd made the jacket before and was fairly confident I could make it work.Pattern adjustments: Major reduction at the shoulders to eliminate almost all of the 80's big-shoulder look. After making sure I had enough hip width, I lengthened it about 10". I also used a method I learned years ago where I pinch out about 1/4" in length along the lapel fold line to keep the lapels close to the body.
Constructions notes: I used the teflon foot on my industrial for most of the construction and when I used my regular machine (Viking Huskvarne Scandia) I just put a piece of scotch tape on the bottom of my normal foot presser foot.
Here's where it gets weird...First, I have apparently made every single garment of this pattern at some point because ALL of the pieces were cut and there are many, many pieces. As I was sorting out what I needed I found two extra pattern pieces from a Vogue pattern. THEY WERE FROM THE JACKET I MADE OUT OF THE ORIGINAL PINK ULTRASUEDE IN THE 80's! Vogue 9424. I still can't figure out how that happened!
Now, on to the actual sewing stuff. These were my hand-holders. When I sewed my 80's jacket I used the instructions for a flat felled seam but that requires a lot of thinking because the seam allowances need to be adjusted. Thinking has not been one of my strengths lately (like the last 4-5 years = living with teenagers and teacher stress!). For this jacket I decided I wanted the seams to be a little softer so, I treated it like a regular fabric. The Palmer/Pletsch book is a must...and you don't need to search for the original version new version! One of the best things about the book is that it's full of choices, you can determine which method works best for your project.
The absolute most time-consuming part was using steam a seam to make sure all the seams stayed flat but it was so worth it! You can tell I forgot to do it on the top of the pockets (I would've/should've used rubber cement there) though 😞. Oh well!
The lining is completely bagged by machine. IMHO every. single. pattern. should include instructions for sewing this part of a jacket by machine.
I know I should have taken the time to put in a bound buttonhole, but I just didn't feel like it, LOL!
Somewhere there are other detail pictures I took but I can't find them and this post has been waiting long enough.
Happy sewing to all!
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