Tailoring Course - Week Five

Well, yesterday I spent the whole day madly sewing to get my jacket to the right point to go to the class this morning. As is often the case when one rushes, a disaster occurred. One I have only myself to blame for. I pressed the belt on the jacket from the right side, without a press cloth. And the jacket is crepe.... What was I thinking??? It sprouted the most HIDEOUS shiny patches on the belt and upper peplum. I looked up the "pressing errors" section in my tailoring book and made up a teaspoon of white vinegar in a cupful of water and without much hope, I dutifully sponged the offending areas with the mixture and carefully pressed it dry, using a nice, thick press cloth over the top. I was almost shocked, and very very relieved, to find that it did seem to work. Whew!! Crisis averted.

So, proud of my lovely jacket, which was finally looking like a jacket, as it had the shoulder seams done up, and the peplum and belt attached, except for where the pockets were going to go in, I unzipped its carry case onto the table in the workroom and proudly displayed the jacket to the tutor. Who got a fit of giggles and a horrified expression on her face. And brought my attention to the fact that the side seams of the peplum and the side seams of the jacket, did not in any way line up. So my belt had to be surgically separated from the peplum. Which it seems would have been the case anyway since the peplum was not supposed to have been attached until the pockets went in.

After instruction on how to do the pockets (which I am to do at home), I started on shaping the lapels of my jacket. I chose to sew the roll line by hand, and was taught how to do this with a pick stitch, a stitch I had not used before. I was pleased that the crepe was quite forgiving and the stitches didn't show much. I then taped the roll line using a fusible tape, and shortening the tape a little in the middle of the lapel (not at the top or bottom of the roll line) which will help the jacket to hug the body when worn. Then it was on to pad stitching, which it took me a bit of time to get the rhythm of. However, I was pleased with how the lapel came out and it really did make it roll nicely. My stitches didn't show too much on the right side either, which was something I had been really worried about.

The canvas on the lapels was then sprayed with water, tailoring soap was rubbed over it (which forms a sort of starch when dry which holds the lapel in shape) and then it was ironed almost dry. The lapel roll line was then pressed in (being super careful to press only the roll line) and then it spent the rest of the class drying on a dress form whilst I struggled to draft my collar and learn the intricacies of creating a mitred sleeve vent, and attaching a sleeve lining by machine. Both firsts for me and both challenged my brain cells to the max.

And yes, I did ask if the soap on the lapels would lather up if the jacket got wet. It doesn't apparently, but also it would seem that just about everyone asks that very question and it is not unheard of for a student to lather up the canvas a little too much. Erm, yes. Not admitting to that one. It would seem that any hard carbolic soap will work in lieu of tailors soap (since the latter is hard to find), so I guess my sewing room will be gaining a bar of soap in the near future.

I really enjoyed doing the hand sewing and was pleased with how well it worked out. The test will be this week when I have to cut my collar and canvas, and pad stitch it ready for shaping, with no one there to keep an eye on what I am doing. If I can get it done by next Monday, I can take it in after work to learn how to shape it, and then it will have a week to dry and I will be able to get on with attaching the collar and inserting the lining at my final class. Also I will learn how to do hand sewn buttonholes as well.

So this week's homework is to pickstitch the pocket flaps to ensure the coloured lining doesn't peek to the outside, insert the pockets and flaps, reattach the peplum, finish the second sleeve, and insert the lining, tack the sleeve linings to the sleeve part way up, sew up the last bit of the lining body, insert the jacket sleeves (tacked only), make the collar, trim out the canvas on the body and attach the stay tape to the edges.