This Man is Muslin'd Out!

I'm not sure that what I have to report today is really progress. A month ago I left off wondering if I should go ahead and do a sloped shoulder adjustment. The general concensus was that I should man-up and go for it. Since I don't have the contrasting fabric for the reverse of the jacket fronts (which I've convinced myself that I really want) there doesn't seem to be a good excuse not to. So, off with the sleeves!

Ripping up a muslin is like dismembering a whole chicken. Not my idea of fun.

Thankfully, some parts need no adjusting. So I get to keep the wings, drumsticks and gizzard.

For those of you new to the sloped shoulder adjustment, here's a very generalized overview.

The line of the shoulder is redrawn at a steeper angle starting from the neck edge which remains unchanged. This sets off a cascade of additional adjustments. I decided that the armscye end of the shoulder seam needed to be dropped 1/2".

The armscye can stay the same, but it needs to be dropped down 1/2". So I place my tracing paper pattern back over the printed pattern allowing for the new shoulder point and redraw the armscye line for my size. You can see how the notch is now lower and a crescent is trimmed out of the lower armscye. (Note to self: next time don't use a Sharpie which blobs and bleeds out all over the place!)

The side seams are now shorter by 1/2", so I've tacked on a strip of tracing paper and redrawn the bottom edge, tapering back to the original line at the center front. A hip rule helps, but one could also just freehand a slight curve here.

The sloped shoulder adjustment is something of a paradox. By lowering all the various points, shoulder, armscye and side seam, the final effect is that the fabric is pulled up onto the chest. The upshot of all this? Frequently the neck edge is uncomfortably high.

That was the case here, so I trimmed 1/2" off the front neck edge at the center. The "X" (not the smudge) is where the edge of the collar will hopefully align. The back neck also gets raised, but in my case it actually made the collar fit better.

So here is muslin #3 worn with a thin shoulder pad. I ran out of the red tablecloth material so forgive the clown costume look. Is it really any better? I'm quite honestly not sure. There may be just a bit too much wearing ease across the upper chest, so I may shave off a 1/4". But then again, a little drape isn't such a bad thing. The shoulder is a little dropped, which wasn't as noticeable when it was a solid color. I don't find it offensive, so I'm not going to start fiddling around with it. After awhile there seems to be a point of diminishing returns with all this fitting. At this stage it's comfortable and wearable. Another muslin and I run the risk of losing interest in the project altogether. That's a sure sign to just move on.

The back... ??? I never know what's going on here. Any smaller across the back and it would be a real struggle to put on. And once on, I wouldn't be able to move. I keep telling myself that in the end it will be velvet, and those folds will catch the light, just adding more richness. Right?

Just for the heck of it, here it is without any shoulder pads. I'm thinking it could totally work this way too. It's much more shirt-like this way. Trying it this way has also raised the possibility of making my own very minimal shoulder pads. Since they come late in the construction process, I'm just going to leave all my options open at this stage of the game.

Sorry kids, but I'm fitted and muslin'd out!

To kick start my enthusiasm I went out and picked up some silk thread for basting and some silk pins.

I'm ready to start cutting this jacket out, which considering my limited yardage, may prove to be a challenge. I've read that cutting with the nap up gives richer color. Dear readers, please weigh in with your velvet expertise! Nap up or nap down? I don't want to mess this up.

Obligatory boat progress pic!

Fitting the Belgian Chef's Jacket

Contrary to public opinion, there has been some sewing going on here. I went ahead and made the men's size 40, and here's the result. As I mentioned previously, it went together easily. Please note: I have 1/2" shoulder pads pinned in for these photos. I think this pattern really demands them to look its best.

Overall, not bad just out of the gate. The fit at the shoulders is fine. As usual, the sleeves are a bit too long, an easy adjustment to make. The cuffs? Hmmm... I'm not completely sold on them yet. Convince me! My biggest concern is that it's a touch tight over the chest. I can really feel it pulling across the chest to the arm pit. I'm sure you fitting experts see it too.

The back, however, isn't bad. I don't think I have to mess with anything here. Plus, I never know how to fix things back here anyway! The length is also fine. It covers my belt both front and back. It may be too fitted at the waist which can cause the lower back to "hitch up", especially since the hemline dips down at the center. All things considered, the alterations are minimal.

What I'm really having to confront is what I want this garment to be, and how I intend to wear it. Now that I've tried it on, it strikes me as more of a fancy shirt than a jacket. I just can't see myself putting this on over a shirt and walking out the door. It just doesn't work as outerwear for me. I picture it worn as a shirt, all buttoned up and worn over, at most, a t-shirt for comfort. My velvet is quite fluid, so I would line it with the lightest weight material I can find. I want to keep it close to the body, especially at the waist. The challenge is to add some structure to the shoulders and upper chest while at the same time keeping it soft.

I'm also confronting the need for this garment and the very limited times that I would ever wear it. How many of us really need velvet clothing? Special occasion dressing for men. Now there's a concept ripe for discussion. I'll admit to having a few things in my closet that rarely see the light of day, but I'm glad to have them when the need arises. My "go to" fancy shirt for the past 10 years has been a Claiborne brown suede shirt. It's subtly luxurious, just a little over the top, and it always attracts positive comments. This velvet number, hardly as subtle, could possibly replace it. I just need to convince myself that it's right and that I should make it, even if I have nowhere to wear it right now. But, I digress...

So, back to fitting. Here I've repinned the front adding an extra inch of ease. It both looks better and feels much more comfortable.

Even with my arms raised my belt is staying covered.

Next step, redraft the side fronts adding a 1/2" of ease without altering the shoulder width, and figuring out just how much shorter I'd like the sleeves. Of course the big question looming is if I even have enough fabric to make the jacket. It's entirely possible that I don't, in which case I will have to search for some coordinating fabric. That, in turn, could make for a much more interesting "shirt", so I'm staying open for a variety of possibilities. A little vacation to the Jersey shore via the NYC garment district may be in order.


And for anyone who may be interested, work continues on the boat!

Cooking up the Belgian Chef's Jacket

Bloggers, do you feel guilty when it's been a month since your last post? I do! The reality is that there really hasn't been much time for sewing.

When I'm not out llama trekking with my son in the Smokey Mts.....

I've started building a small sailboat. Don't ask!

Anyway, today I decided to tackle the muslin of the chef's jacket. I'm considering this for the purple velvet that I picked up in San Francisco. It felt really good to be back sewing again. I traced all the pattern pieces onto my Swedish tracing paper as usual. For fabric I'm using someone's Christmas tablecloth that I picked up at Goodwill for $1.99. Yard for yard, Goodwill is the best source for muslin material anywhere.

I'm always glad to be making a muslin because it helps me discover a pattern's quirks, and this one has a few.

First is the sleeve contruction. There's a two piece sleeve, but the undersleeve is just a wedge shape. Interesting how it doesn't go all the way to the cuff, like on a man's suit jacket. There was some easing required to make the pieces align (good to know ahead of time), and the overall shape of the sleeve is quite pleasing. The instructions call for flat felled seams everywhere, but I won't be going that route. Topstitching and velvet? Um... No.

The turned up cuff is really a facing that's edgestitched into place. I don't have a lot of material to work with, so this could potentially be a contrasting fabric. Just a thought at this point. The whole junction of the sleeve seam and cuff is really awkward and messy. Yet another instance where I'm glad that I'm making a muslin. My plan is to line the jacket which should make this area neater. It will just take some thought and planning.

Man, there are some curvy seams on this jacket! Here I'm attaching the center front panel to the side front panel. This is really the critical design element of the whole piece, so it has to turn out well. I eased the center front by pulling up a thread. It worked great on a tablecloth, but will it work on velvet?

The rest of construction was straighforward. I have to say that this pattern is very well drafted, and the instructions are clear and easy to follow. The collar fit in perfectly and the sleeves were a breeze to set. It's always nice to know that some things will be easy down the road!

Next post I'll try it on. Cheers!