SWAP Update

OK, I've altered the SWAP already. :) The amended storyboard is shown above and the SWAP now has a name. Thanks to Julia who thought it should be named after her favourite Gary Moore song. I think it fits the SWAP and was happy to have a name for it at last. I had been tempted to call it "Baby Blue" after one of my favourite Bob Dylan songs but that didn't seem to fit it somehow.

I've also decided on all the patterns now. I wanted a SWAP that would work really hard, and didn't feel that the Marfy vest would work as well in the wardrobe as an overdress would. I don't tend to wear sleeveless vests all that often but do wear my McCalls overdress quite a bit so this seemed a more sensible choice.

I laid out the fabric for the dress this morning, to check I had enough, and I had more fabric than I thought I did. It is a heavy wool jersey which has stretch in both directions (up and down, and around the body). I have managed to squeeze almost all of the pieces for my TNT McCalls frill collar jacket (pattern shown above) out of the fabric, along with the dress. The only bit I can't get out is the front facing. However, I haven't cut anything out yet because I can't decide whether it is sensible to make a tailored jacket from a stretch jersey, and can't work out whether the lack of the front facing, which would cover the collar seam and finish the front edge/curved front hem, would make the jacket look rubbish. Inside the jacket I can finish the seams with the overlocker, I might even be able to construct the jacket on the overlocker, but I am not sure how to make the edges neat without the facing or how best to finish the collar and hem edges. I am toying with a binding since I could bind the collar attachment seam first then, to cover the ends of that, bind the whole outer edge of the jacket, taking it over the end of the collar binding and up around the collar edge itself. I am tempted by an animal print binding and animal pattern buttons. I think I'd go for snaps under the buttons so I don't get wiggly buttonholes. I have a terrible habit of cutting things out and then thinking "Oh Crap!! That won't actually work". So the whole thing is still laid on the floor to give my brain time to find the flaw in the plan

PS. I actually went into the workroom to cut out a blouse so I could test the pussy cat bow that I want to add to one of the SWAP blouses.