Capri Jacket Sew Along: Week Two

Carole · Posted: Tue Jun 12, 2007 5:50 pm Post subject: Capri Jacket Sew Along: Week Two

Well Week Two got off to a late start! Barb reminded me when I was at SB today that I needed to progress a week. So we're moving on!

In a burst of energy this afternoon, I committed to an hour in my sewing room. First I had to clean off my cutting table. My daughter had two projects there and I have at least three jackets going (only one Capri though). Then I needed to press the lining fabric. Off to the ironing board. Once there, I noticed that the iron was filthy from a project involving a lot of interfacing. I lost time totally cleaning the iron with iron cleaner.

Finally I got the lining pressed and cut out. I marked the right sides with safety pins and pinned everything together. I pinned the sleeve seams, fronts to the back, the back neck facing and the fronts to the front facing. I sewed everything together, pressed everything open and set the sleeves in. That was a lot for an hour, but I don't have much time these days now that my daughter is finished with school.

I slipped the lining in the jacket and tried it on - so much fun! I love it! I love the texture of Luxor and I love the silky lining. Sometime soon I can hem the sleeves and lower edge and sew in the lining. I'm still trying to decide if I want shoulder pads or not.

Barb and Lois, I'm glad you're in! I was cutting the Rusty Nail today for a customer and I couldn't help but fall in love with the depth of the color - so rich. I'm looking forward to seeing how the linen changes texture after washing. I may have to attack my fear of sewing linen once my fear of sewing/wearing a white jacket is over.

Lois, I loved your idea of adding interest to the center back of the Capri Jacket. It's a perfect place for it. Now I'm starting to think, what could I do? I picked up more Pueblo and lining to do another jacket so maybe I'll brainstorm some ideas.

How are you doing, Mary and Nata? Have you found perfect fabrics yet?

Nata · Joined: 14 Apr 2007 Posts: 84

I am in. I don't have the pattern yet. I have a couple of fabric choices in my stash from earlier collections. I might just go with stash fabric for this project.

Barb, thank you for the swatch. It is very pretty, but you are right about it lacking the drape for a capri jacket. I have a Saybrook tweed which is very soft. I think it'll work well. I also have an old piece of summer suiting: May Basket. I think it'll work well too. My other potential fabric choices: Americana silk tweed, Almond Blanch, Beau Monde which I washed and it turned oh-so-soft, and a piece of deep red silk velvet. I also like the Ramboullet(sp?) in blue. So ... I don't know what fabric I'll use yet.

I also just ordered a Hideaway, and I am excited to try that out for a top (not the capri jacket). Considering how slow I sew and how many projects I have lined up, I'll be trailing the sewalong Smile

Can somebody let me know yardage requirements for size S since I don't have the pattern yet, please?

Gaby · Joined: 02 Jun 2007 Posts: 1

Hi Everyone! I've been keeping up with this blog for the past few days. I'd love to join in, but I'm in the middle of a few things and won't be able to start for at least a couple of weeks. I'll join in on the fun by keeping up with things here. I have the pattern and have been wanting to make it. I like the rosy brick fabric alot. Can you describe the color? Is it a pretty clear color or is it more of a muted shade? Thanks for starting the sew along even though I can't join in right now.

Carole · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:12 pm Post subject:

Just a baby step today. I turned up the hem on the sleeve and pinned it in place. That's it! But it felt like a lot. I turned up a three and an eighth inch hem and trimmed it to two inches. I''ll probably need to serge the edge before hemming. Then I realized I forget to pick up shoulder pads when I was at SB today. Maybe tomorrow I'll get there - maybe . . .

Nata, I especially remember the Americana tweed fabric from last year and it would be perfect. I liked that piece a lot.

Mary, it sounds like you have a lot going on right now! Wow! Weddings, quilts, that's a full plate. Please keep checking in and join us when you can. No rush, that's for sure.

Welcome Gaby! Glad to have you along for the ride Very Happy

. Same as Mary, join in when you can. It's always nice to read about sewing - armchair sewing keeps me motivated lots of times.

I've got an early, early morning tomorrow so goodnight everyone!

Lois · Posted: Thu Jun 14, 2007 9:53 pm Post subject: Back interest

Carole - Regarding techniques for "jacket back interest" I saw a linen jacket yesterday which had a belt across the back. Not skinny, it was a good height - maybe 2". And it had a buckle at the Center Back. There was topstitching across the top and bottom of the fabric belt - it could be attached at mid back right and left of center; or into the side seams. That belt was matching fabric, but contrasting could be used.

A linen jacket I just bought has some slight gathering across the Center Back with two skinny fabric tubes inserted in the side seams which tie into a bow at center back.

A J. Jill jacket I bought last year had gathers too, at Center Back - more volume than the jacket mentioned above to create a peplum look. To do this you would have to slash and spread the pattern before cutting, to add the necessary volume. After gathering the back, they applied an oval fabric piece (like the shape of a football field with rounded corners) over the gathering and then topstitched using a zig zag stitch. The oval was approx 2.5 to 3" tall and 6 to 8" long. There is a matching oval inside for support, and the topstitching goes through all layers. It looks like an attached belt topstitched to the jacket back.

I'm always on the look out for back techniques because I think it adds pizazz as well as shaping. Check out clothing catalogs for more ideas. I'm not sure which technique I'll use but I know I'll do something other than the standard plain jacket back.

Nata · Joined: 14 Apr 2007 Posts: 84

Lois, those are very appealing ideas for shaping of the back. I might end up doing something like that too. I am not very tall and curvy, so boxy shapes don't flatter me much.

Carole, jacket from Americana will be actually very timely for me. I am going to be accepting US citizenship at the ceremony on June 29th. I have white summer trousers and white cami. Americana jacket over white will look very appropriate and dressy for that occasion.

Lois · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 9:16 am Post subject: Americana

Nata - Do you know the SB number for your fabric? I'd like to look it up in my swatch box so that I see what you are using.

Congrats on the Citizenship!
Lois

Barb · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 11:57 am Post subject:

Lois- Americana was 50601 from our Summer 2005 collection. Sorry we no longer have the pic.

Nata-Congratulations on your citizenship!

Gaby- Rosy Brick Road is a slightly muted cranberry shade with a hint of warmth to it...sort of cranapple.

Nata · Joined: 14 Apr 2007 Posts: 84

Thank you, Lois and Barb. It took us 7 years of frustration and thousands in lawyer fees. I will be glad to see this chapter of my life closed.

I have a picture of Americana here: http://f7.yahoofs.com/users/45c44881me849b58b/df4dre2/__sr_/fe63re2.jpg?phI6rcGBHnNGhm2p

It's not the best picture, however. I'll take a better picture of the fabric before I cut it.

Lois · Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2007 12:49 pm Post subject: Americana

Nata - I found your fabric swatch in my swatch box (thanks for the locator number Barb). That is lovely and will make a wonderful jacket. For your fabric if you want to create some "back interest" I'd recommend something more structured than the gathers I suggested in my earlier post. How about slashing and spreading to add some extra volume and then create a few pleats (or tucks) - one larger at Center Back with the right and left side of it tucked under and pointing right and left. Then two smaller pleats to each side of center. You could stitch them down along the waist; with or without a belt. And you might choose to edge stitch the pleats from the waist to hem to keep them crisp. And above the waist just let them release softly.

I found some more inspiration this morning when I went to the Eye Dr! The back of her lab coat had some "back interest" which would work for those using a soft, drapey fabric for the Capri Jacket. It had section of 1/2" elastic stitched into a casing, at the waistline extending about 3" each side of center back. It was just topstitched in a rectangle shape around the entire casing and across the short ends. Simple! And we've seen this done a hundred times before, but seeing it today on a crisp white lab coat reminded me of what a nice subtle technique this is.

Nata · Joined: 14 Apr 2007 Posts: 84

Will slashing and spreading affect my grainline? I will need to taper to nothing at the neckline, sort of like inserting a very long godet and then pleating it. This will change the grainline of the whole back peice. Am I overthinking it?