I love how this pattern triggered my creativity. Above you can see what I did with the collar. I think it is so much prettier and unique.
The original pattern has a double collar which stands tall against the neck, very pretty and a great look for a short person like me. However an
Ah Ha moment occurred as I dressed it on my form and the outer collar flipped down. It hugged the shoulder line beautifully and became even more achitectural. It easily steamed into submission and I love it. It stays there no problem.
From the front you can see the very interesting construction of the collar. The inner ruffled collar is slightly gathered and eased to the flat outer collar. They are both cut on the bias. Once they are basted together at the neck edge you push the ruffled collar back into the flat collar for about and inch and a quarter. It makes for a "how did she do that" type of look, too cool. Thank you Badgley and Mishka for that! Here's a closer look and you can also see how I hemstitched the pleats and how the sleeves are inset into the bodice at an angle.
Now for the yummy sleeves. I did take these up a notch from the pattern. The sleeves are double, like the collar with a simple hem. My original plan, the minute I saw this in the Vogue Pattern Book, was to smock the lower sleeve. I did. I did my two hems with machine hemstitching using a wing needle and size 80 cotton thread. The idea is for the holes to be prominent, not the stitch or thread. While Hermana Esperanza taught me how to do this by hand I think she would be happy with the results the machine turned out on this. She always had us working on nice linen so that must be where my love for this fabric comes from. The sleeves were BEAUTIFULLY drafted fitting perfectly into the shaped armscye. You can see the fullness is controlled by one dart at the top that lines up with the shoulder seam. I did nothing other than stay stitching and clipping to pull off the angled sleeve shape.
Because my hand smocking was hidden by the depth of the upper sleeve hem, an unforeseen circumstance, I flipped it back and secured it with a mother of pearl antique button gifted from Ima.
Here are a few more detail shots:
Now for some interior details. The jacket is 100% home dec weight linen purchased at Martin's in Bedford, NH. The lining is Bemberg rayon ordered from Sawyer Brook. The interfacing is my fave, Formflex from HTC. I used a 100% poly charmeuse to make an uncorded piping strip between the facing and the lining. This pic below is somewhat distorted.
This got interesting at the jump hem. I used the method described in the tute in the sidebar on the right to deal with it. I bound the edge with Bemberg and then catchstitched in exaggerated crosses with floss to secure it. The trick with that technique is to plan on using it and doing it before you stitch the facing to the hem edge at center front corners.
The lining was sewn traditionally but the hem edge of the sleeve lining hangs free. It is secured by hand stitching the lining in the ditch from the hem to the bodice side seam. I found the Bemberg to be quite stretchy throughout and ended up cutting a good inch and a half off the hem edge of the sleeve. The sleeve lining hem was serged, turned twice the width of the serging, and hand catchstitched with floss like the jump hem.
I am really pleased with how this turned out. I know you probably want to see it on me but it is so well pressed I hate to take it off the form to get wrinkle again. Difficult, aren't I? ;)
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I have already started my next project, a traditional little dress for my friend Charlotte's first grandchild/daughter. More on that to come. It is moving along pretty quickly. There will also be a post about my purchase from Stauffers, rather comical, more to come and thanks for stopping by.....Bunny