The Blazer Goes on Ice.

 

 

 

I've decided to make it official and declare the blazer project officially on ice for the time being. Try as I might, I just can't gather any enthusiasm for it. It's funny how something can suck all the sewing mojo right out of me. The thought of a third muslin has had me stalled for an entire month.

 

I received some great advice on my various fitting issues, and for that I'm so grateful. With your suggestions I know I can make the blazer better, but my heart just isn't in it right now. Somehow the timing is off. Maybe it's the season...it's summer and I want fun things to make and wear. A black wool blazer....not so much. So I've packed it all away with a few mothballs, and I feel a huge weight has been lifted.

 

Another lift came in the form of a lovely note from my sewing pal Enrique. Yes! He's still alive!

 

 

He enclosed swatches of shirt fabrics that he has in the pipeline, along with some of his street photography. Such a talented guy!

 

So, taking a page from his playbook, I've decided to make myself some fun summer shirts. This is guaranteed to be the cure to my sewing doldrums.

 

Fabrics....a lightweight cotton madras-y plaid (which I've used in two other projects), and a crazy graffiti / camouflage crinkled fabric that I found at Elliott Berman.

 

 

I picked up this vintage pattern on Etsy awhile back. I'd been on the search for a new casual shirt pattern and this beauty appeared.

 

 

I love all the little details on this shirt... The back collar button, center back box pleat, a little tuck on the sleeve that creates a cuff effect, and most of all the hybrid camp / buttondown collar. I'm guessing it dates from the 60's. My thanks to whoever saved it these past 50 years.

 

 

And, look ladies! There's a matching shirt for you!

 

Go on, unleash your inner Nancy Reagan! Hmmmm...on second thought.....

 

I can't wait to get started on these shirts. I wish you all happy summer sewing projects!

 

 

 

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Muslin #2, Mrs. Mole's fix and MORE!

 

 

The fitting battle continues.... First, thanks Mrs. Mole for your suggestion. I took your advice for my Dowager's hump, and the result is perfect. Plus it was extremely easy. Here's what it looks like...

 

 

I sliced across the back at yoke level, and swung the top half up to create a curve at the upper back. Simple. Also visible here is my forward shoulder adjustment, which I hope will move the seam closer to the apex of my shoulder. An equal amount was subtracted from the front shoulder seam to balance out the equation, so to speak.

 

I then went looking for clues as to why the jacket won't hug my neck. Check this out.....

 

So this is the neckline of the Bill Blass suit that I made a couple years ago. Note the nicely curved lined where the front joins the back. Also see that the back shoulder is wider than the front, which is correct.

 

Now look at my current pattern....

 

 

How is this jagged line supposed to curve around anyone's neck? No wonder it won't fit!

 

I've taped in a scrap of paper and drawn the missing curve. And while I'm tweaking things, I added a 1/4" to the lapel width (just a little too 60's narrow), and reduced the curve at the bottom edges of the jacket fronts, which seemed to "cut away" too much for my taste. (I think this was due to the high positioning of the buttons on the original).

 

So here's Version 2.0.

 

 

Much better fit around the neck, and across the upper chest. (You have to excuse my left arm, which is permanently bent due to an old injury, hence all the wrinkles).

 

 

 

My fitting issues seem to have moved from the front to the back, where excess fabric is bunched up behind my arms. It's not the end of the world, but I think it could look better.

 

 

I spent the rest of an afternoon trying to work it out.

 

This is version 2.1. I took out 1/4" from the back armscye. I'm way out of my depth here, but this is looking better to me. I still have room to move, and more importantly, I haven't screwed up the front. Sometimes I feel that I fix one thing only to f$&@ up something else. Have you been there?

 

 

 

 

 

These are details of Version 2.2. I think I've removed 1/4" from both the back armscye and the under sleeve. It's easy to loose track of what I'm doing. I've changed my shirt with each adjustment so I can keep them straight. I'm not a fitting expert, so I'm just going with what I think will work. Also, I haven't physically trimmed anything. I'm just taking in what I think is excess fabric and basting a new stitching line.

 

Lastly here is version 2.3, where I think I pulled the jacket side up 1/4" at the underarm. I can honestly say I'm at the end of my rope with fitting at this point. I wish I had the persistence of Michael over at Line of Selvedge, a guy who can work through muslin after muslin after muslin. Sadly, I don't have that patience. I'm burning out here. Fast.

 

This is, after all, just a bedsheet. I'm going to let the dust settle and read your suggestions, which are always so helpful. In the meantime I'll work on the boat; one project where I'm actually making some progress!

 

 

I've built in little side storage lockers (room for a life vest and lunch), and I'm preparing to install teak floor boards. Finally a level surface to stand on!

 

I hope all your projects, sewing and otherwise, are going well. Cheers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Blazer of 2016 -- Muslin #1

After weeks of procrastinating I jumped into the muslin phase, and it didn't take long to figure out that I've got my hands full with this pattern. There were some pretty glaring problems right out of the envelope. So I decided to do some "preemptive" adjustments.

 

First off, the center back seam is ramrod straight and I know that I have what Roberto Cabrera calls "stooped posture". Doesn't sound very attractive, but it beats Dowager's Hump any day! (Actually, I think they're one in the same). I need more curve to the upper back, otherwise the collar will pull away from the back of my neck. Not a good look.

 

 

The fix for this is to create a 1/2 to 3/4 inch dart from below the arm hole to the center back. This has the effect of tilting the upper jacket forward. So here you see my adjusted pattern over the original.

 

To prevent the front of the jacket from drooping down, a corresponding dart is made on the jacket front.

 

 

And it looks like this.

 

Sleeves on jackets are always too long for me, so I shortened the sleeves by 1 inch.

 

I removed 1/2" both above and below the elbow on the "shorten here" lines from my pattern. Using Swedish tracing paper makes this a breeze. I just fold it and stitch a 1/4" seam on my machine. I also reduced the ease on the sleeve cap by 1". My goal is to create a more natural shoulder. Time will tell if I can pull that off.

 

Lastly, I noticed the the front and back shoulder seams are the same length. According to Cabrera the back shoulder should be at least 1/2" longer than the front. Easing the back into the front creates room for the shoulder blade. I don't have a picture, but I simply added 1/2" at the arm hole side of the pattern.

 

So here's what those changes turned into.....

 

 

The center back adjustment has worked, but I think I still need a touch more curve. As you can see the collar still doesn't want to sit against the back of my shirt collar. The shoulder seam is also running to the back of my shoulder. This isn't a fitting issue addressed in Cabrera, but I feel that the shoulder line needs to be swung forward about a 1/2" so that it sits closer to the apex of my shoulder. It would be a simple fix. Please chime in if you know the answer to this problem! Am I on the right track? My gut just tells me it needs fixing.

 

 

Eeeeek. The big problems are up front. The neckline is just too wide. Plus, I feel the jacket pulling across the shoulder / upper chest like there just isn't enough fabric there. I think the solution to this mess may be two pronged. I'm going to try redrawing the neckline to add a bit of fabric towards my neck, in addition to slashing and separating the upper chest portion a small amount. Maybe 3/8" to start. I'm open to all suggestions on this one. Something's gotta give!

 

 

All these wrinkles are telling me I need a substantial belly adjustment! Also, the button placement (marked with chalk) on the original pattern is unusual to say the least. I'll need to lower the stance by bringing the top button down at least to the level of the pin, maybe even lower.

 

Before sending this muslin to the dust bin, I let the side seams out about 3/4" on each side.

 

This was the only glimmer of hope in what was, over all, a pretty dismal start.

 

On a brighter note......I picked up some lovely thistle design blazer buttons on eBay.

 

 

These are from Waterbury Button in Waterbury, CT. "The brass Capitol of the United States". I love them. Now I just need to build a damn jacket around them!

 

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Blazer of 2016, The Struggle to Launch

 

I've assembled everything I need for this project, but.......my tailoring mojo has decided to go on vacation somewhere. So while I wait for it to come back, I'll share where things currently stand.

 

First up.... Things to make tailoring a jacket easier.

 

Never underestimate the power of thread! If you don't already own a spool of #40 cotton basting thread, go out and get one now. It's amazing how something so simple can make such a huge difference in your sewing. It's virtually tangle free, so it makes basting a breeze rather than an exercise in frustration. Soon, you'll be basting everything.

Another tangle free wonder is silk thread. There's a considerable amount of hand sewing in a tailored jacket so if one can make it easier, why not? Do the mere words "pad stitching" strike fear into your heart? Fear not. Silk thread will make it a walk in the park.

These spools are sitting on some black pocketing that I picked up at Steinlauf and Stoller during the MPB Winter Frolic. It has a woven in stripe. Classy and silly inexpensive, $7/ yd. The gold silk thread won't see all that much use. I'll use it for pickstitching the lining.

P

 

Other supplies that make life easier are premade sleeve heads (on the left), and premade hair canvas jacket fronts (right). The jacket fronts are sold by the chest size, and are very reasonable. I think about $12 / pair. Sure, you can make your own, and they may be superior, but you will pay much more just for the materials. In the end, I'm just not that much of a tailoring purist.

 

Materials in hand, I turn to the pattern.....

 

 

This pattern is from 1969. Purchased on Etsy. This pattern is unusual in the very small world of men's patterns, because it doesn't have darts running down the center of the jacket fronts. Instead, the darts extend from under the arm. This makes it the ideal pattern for a plaid jacket. The plaid is uninterrupted the entire length of the front. And for the truly ambitious, the pocket flaps can be matched as well!

 

 

Maybe someday I'll attempt a plaid jacket. That thought is driving me to "perfect" the fitting of this pattern to the best of my ability; knowing full well that perfection isn't really in my DNA. Unfortunately, it hasn't gotten off to a very good start. It's gonna take some serious mojo. More of the struggle next time.

 

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Projects in the Pipeline

I'm not very good at following sewing blogs. Sure, I have a few favorites, but mostly I just meander from blog to blog. I never know what I might find, and that's part of the fun. Brew a pot of coffee and settle in. A few weeks ago I stumbled upon this....totally by chance.

 

 

This is a sew-along / challenge being sponsored by an amazing "brother of the cloth", Jamie Kemp in England. You can find all the details at his blog -- Male Devon Sewing.

 

Jamie's blasted out of the starting gate, and I swear he's half done already! He's already pad stitching like a madman. But never fear, the challenge of sewing a menswear blazer extends into June. Plenty of time for me (the world's slowest sewist) to play along.

 

I'm hoping to drag my sewing buddy Enrique along for the ride. Enrique, are you listening???? And, if you're reading this, consider yourself invited along as well. I'll be using Roberto Cabrera's menswear tailoring book (which has become a ridiculously hefty investment). I'll share his techniques and we'll take it step by step. So unleash your tailoring geek and join in!

 

My plan is to make a traditional black blazer that can be worn year round. Black wool with the full compliment of gold buttons. Think this....

 

 

Or maybe ????

 

Um... Right

 

 

My biggest problem when it comes to sewing, is that I'd really rather be attempting to make this....

 

Or...

 

And therein lies my problem of never having appropriate clothes to wear for my "real life". So it's black schoolboy blazer to the rescue! Balmain will have to wait (but do check out the Fall 2016 lineup, artistry that boggles the mind!). Want more...check out the video.

 

Barring a huge blizzard, I'm hoping to pick up fabrics for this project at the MPB Winter Frolic. In the meantime I'm working on another Athleisure project. This time a hoodie vest. (One pair of sweatpants turned out to be enough).

 

I'm having a devil of a time to get this damn thing to fit, which at the outset I thought would be a walk in the park. It looks so simple, right? But more about that later. I hope your sewing projects are going better than this damn vest!

 

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