Jacket... pronto

Last weekend, I did cut out both the dress that will form part of the SWAP and the knit jacket, having decided that madness or not, I wanted to see if I could make the jacket from a knit. The dress is laid aside until SWAP starts and I started on the jacket the same day, and was surprised at how fast it went together on the overlocker. Mum managed to find the perfect trim in her stash, and has donated it to me. The knit has a slight pinkish cast, whereas the trim is more of an oatmeal colour, but they work fine together and give a very understated and classic look to the jacket. I think I've managed to keep back enough of the trim to use on the dress neckline and armholes so will have a matched set if I were to wear them together (unsure whether I would do that actually but its nice to have the option).

I discovered several key things about working with knits during this process:

This knit adhered to the carpet a bit when I'd laid it down. I discovered this AFTER I cut out the pieces. My dress won't be quite as long as planned, and will have a very narrow hem as a result of this. :)

I didn't stabilise the neckline or armholes with fusible tape, as I would normally have done, because the jacket is unlined and the tape would have shown. This was a bad idea. I think next time I will line loosely with a stretch lining and go for the tape option. The armholes were a particular issue on this jacket. The weight of the knit dragged them down to a huge degree and I suspect my overlocker may have contributed to the stretching out in this area. My armholes stretched down to the bottom of my rib cage by the time I'd got the sleeves sewn in. This tends not to be a good look on anyone. RuthieK and I discussed this problem and I came up with a fix. I've threaded strong cotton thread through the overlock stitches and persuaded the armhole to go back to its original size then knotted the thread. This is NOT the recommended method I am sure.

I had to cover the collar attachment seam with a selvage strip of the knit, which I turned in on both edges. This is rather bulkier than is desirable, but better than having the overlocking show. This was only because I had lacked enough fabric to make a facing.

I could NOT get the button holes to work on this fabric. The stretch button hole came out too close together and I couldn't get the buttonhole chisel in without cutting the stitching. The ordinary and fine button holes on my machine went wavy. I tried with both washaway and ripaway stabilisers both top and bottom, but nothing worked. This jacket is closed with snaps under the buttons for this reason. However, its not ideal. It either needed larger snaps, which I didn't have, or hooks, as the front doesn't lie quite together. However, its not been worn yet, so it might behave better than I expect in use.

The binding took quite a while to attach by hand. However, it was worth it to have a proper finish on it.
This was an experiment. and as experiments go, I think it was reasonably successful. It seems like its going to be wearable and I am very excited about having a pattern I can make up into a quick, comfortable jacket that will be smart enough for work. Next time I think I will narrow the sleeves a little and of course stabilise more areas of the jacket. If I can find something suitable, I would also try lining the next one, though I remain concerned that the knit might droop at the hem, against the less supple lining. Maybe a larger than average jump pleat and back pleat might fix that though.