coat

TNT Trench Odyssey: Part 1 Inspirations & Pattern

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So the trench. Well, it certainly has been long in the planning. In fact, a couple of years ago I wrote that “it has shot straight to the top of the sewing list” because of various items lost due to impractically shallow pockets of my RTW version. I’m sure you know by now to take my sewing plans with a pinch of salt: It didn’t happen then. But it most definitely is happening now.

And as we’ve already taken the scenic route, I thought I’d continue that glacial pace with piecemeal reports on the progress rather than one whopping review. Watching paint dry has never been more fun!

Inspirations & Pattern

Back in Sept 2011, I gushed about the Selfish Seamstress’ stylish renditions of the classic trench in delectable prints. If I may Mistress Selfish, here’s a preview of her fabulous results. Be sure to check out her blog for full technicolor details:

She used the ever popular but now Out-Of-Print McCall’s 5525. So I’m using the same as my starting point.

0-pattern_M5525-photos-de 0-pattern_M5525-tech-d 0-pattern_m5525-tech-e

I plan to make some tweaks because although the results look great on Selfish, the pattern envelop photos look slightly dowdy. Also, I want this to become my TNT pattern for trench – and I do intend to make more in the future. So time spent now to improve the fit will be well worth it.

The fabric I have in mind – a long in the tooth cotton twill from the stash – doesn’t have enough yardage for a full view E. Also I don’t want to emphasize my relatively wide shoulder. So I’ll probably end up combining views D & E.

One way I might be able to get view E length is to follow the example of this fabulous Louis Vuitton design from a while ago…

trench-inspire-05

I got a yellow velvet and a brown paisley cut velvet that I can use for the extension. It might make the trench less versatile. But if I’ll be making more, then maybe one with a designer touch would make my wardrobe less boring!

One detail I’m definitely changing is the sleeve. M5525 comes with one-piece sleeve. Even my high-street RTW trench has two-piece sleeve for a supposedly better fit. Surely I can’t let RTW beat a me-made in fitting standards!

Stay tuned for the next installment!

A month of wishful thinking

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No sooner had I come back from holiday than my brother announced he’d like to see just a little bit of Old Europe. He had never been this side of the pond. And being a new graduate with no job lined up yet, could I please put him up for 3 weeks. How can a big sis say no right?

So the sewing room is to be sacrificed to an airbed and the cutting table to computing and dinners. (We never eat at the table ourselves, what being couch potatoes and all. But when you have guests, it just doesn’t seem proper!)

Another week is given up to tidying and scrubbing it all down. I suspect there’ll be very little – if any – sewing done in Nov 🙁 All I can do is a bit of planning at best. Or more likely wishful thinking.

Or a bit of that perennial British hobby: moaning (complaining). This time about the dearth of fancy lining and interlining for the Spring Coats. Where are the Kashas / Sunbacks (flannel backed satin lining) and the lambs wool interfacing? I thought the Great British Tailoring would translate into a wealth of tailoring knick knacks and supplies. Obviously not.

I envy those in NYC who can pop down to my favorite B&J Fabrics where they supposedly have Sunback / Kasha lining in “oodles of colors, even a print or two, at $10.95 a yard!” according to Meg of Shop The Garment District blog.

And lambs wool interfacing…where are people getting these? I see it mentioned left right and center. But the only source I see mentioned is the now defunct Greenberg and Hammer in NYC. And the only other one I can find on Google is Bergen Tailors & Cleaners Supply Corp, again in the US of A.

Maybe the native Brits are made of sturdier stuff, so no need for warmth and insulation to keep out the damp cold. Not so for this Tropical Baby. The search continues. Maybe a trip to NYC? Now that’s really Wishful Thinking!

From Summer to Winter in a day

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Back in dreary old London now. Not only has the sunshine gone, but the temperature had also head south from 30° C to 14° C. Brrrrrrrrrrr.

I was going to make a trench to replace my thread bare Topshop version. But now I think I’ll need to skip straight to a heavier coat – another replacement for another beloved thread bare Topshop find.

Topshop Bouclé Coat
ts_green-coat_2

I’m thinking Burda Style 2012-08-101 (coat) and 2012-08-103 (fur collar).

The sihouette is close enough to the Topshop coat. I like the idea of detachable fur collar. I still have leftover scraps of faux shearling to make the detachable fur collar from. I don’t have the same lovely bouclé fabric though. The closest I have is this green one, which I originally wanted to make a jacket-skirt ensemble from. Both were from B&J Fabrics in NYC bought ages ago.

Or I could just reline the Topshop coat. Hmmm…need more sleeping on the options.

In the meanwhile, I’m going to try Off-the-Cuff Sewing Style Pam’s wool pre-shrinking tip on this green bouclé anyway. I got a bunch of wool fabrics which I’ve been dreading sewing because it’s such a pain to pre-shrink.

…

Actually, with 8° C predicted for the weekend, maybe an even heavier coat is called for. Then again, maybe I should work on that trench after all. Given my tortoise sewing speed, I might just manage to have it finished for Spring if I start now! 🙂

World, meet Crumb Catcher Cape

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As promised, here comes the sun and the show-n-tell…

Styled with suitably retro box handbag & pearls…

Or my beat up John Lewis handbag, held together now with safety pins. But fear not, for I’ve already planned to make a copy with scraps from the cape…some day!

With home-made close-fitting T-shirt (mentioned in previous WIP posts) and pencil skirt (part of a 2-piece dress. More another day.)

Simply posed, befitting a late 50s early 60s style cape.

Or decadently OTT with faux fur / suede WIP stole.

The obligatory mug shots

front side & back

The new double-welt arm slits sit properly at the sides.

One way is not enough!

Optional tie belt comes out of small slits just above the pockets.

The old arm slits are now handy cozy pockets.

Almost edge-to-edge lining keep scratch wool at bay.

Erm, I guess the lining could do with a good ironing.

And the ongoing sewing commentary

Most of the alteration & sewing details have been mentioned in previous posts. Here’s the rest.

  • Attaching the lining was a bit of a pain. I tried to bag it, but had to hand-sew the various slits.
  • And I still haven’t  figured out a good way to sew edge-to-edge lining so it doesn’t peep  at the edges. Inter-corners too were a nightmare.
  • The button holes I attempted with on the Husqvarna Viking Sapphire 830 with one-step buttonhole stitch. I had 5 or 6 to choose from. Lucky me. But in the end I went over again with hand-worked blanket stitches. Because the white interlining was poking through the cut edges. And because I want some practice for future bespoke tailoring projects. Lucky for me I have a men’s tailoring booking (Classic Tailoring Techniques: A Construction Guide for Men’s Wear). Because Claire Shaeffer’s Fabric Sewing Guide doesn’t have very good instruction on hand-sewing button hole. Well, not enough clear pictures anyway.

Finally, the verdict…drum roll please

All in all I’m quite pleased with the results, despite the less than stellar sewing. Hence all the smug shots. Hey, it’s not everyday that I finish a sewing project.

Now if only Old Blighty’s weather would give me a few more days of mild weather to wear my spanking new cape…

Cape WIP

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No, I haven’t been playing truant. Work’s been rather stressful, so progress is slow with the cape. I’m almost there. Just need to attach the lining, finish the hem, the button holes and buttons. In the meanwhile, here are some WIP pictures. Non-sewers be warned – plenty of boring sewing details to follow!

The fitting tweaks…

So, after my disappointing muslim of Burda Style 2011-08-112, I enlisted the help of Big Bertha, my duct-tape twin (more about her some other day). She made me realise a few truths.

  1. My shoulders are lopsided.
  2. All those massage therapists weren’t lying, I do have shoulders of concrete.
  3. My neck sticks forward like a chicken, which is why all those RTW shirts gape at the back of the neck and choke me in the front.
  4. And finally, all those fitting experts weren’t lying either, if it doesn’t fit at the shoulders it won’t fit right elsewhere.

Here’s the muslim on Big Bertha…Back shoulder seam has been let out at the neck base to accommodate my concrete back shoulder muscle.  Similar amount has been removed from the front shoulder at the neck base…

All of a sudden the whole things hangs much better. Even the weird lumps at the upper arms seem less noticeable and the arm holes less restrictive.

But I decided to smooth out the lumps anyway and move the  arm holes as planned so I can gain some useful pockets.

I also let out a bit at center front for my chicken neck to roam freely.

Here’s the final patterns…

On the left are side-front & front, on the right are back & side-back. The new lines drawn on the old Burda patterns for comparison…

So the shoulder points have been moved inward & upward. I also increased the hem width of the sides by pivoting from the shoulder points to make the cape feel less constrictive.

The double-welt arm-hole and the pockets are my additions too. The arm-holes now align with my arms naturally at my sides. The top of the arm holes are about 2″ above my elbows to accommodate bent arms without bunching up above, and they extend just far enough  so I can comfortably stick my hands in my spanking new in-seam pockets! See…

And of course I can’t possibly commit to just one way of wearing it. So belt holes have been added in the front side seams just above the pockets.

Here they are, tried on with my Topshop trench belt for size & positioning.

So, with the patterns happily settled, the sewing commenced.

All cut out and…Oops!

Here are the fabrics all cut out, and reinforcement interface ironed on. Now for the oops…What is a sewing project without an Oops right?

In the dim light after work I stupidly forgot to check the direction of the nap. This fabric has texture a bit like pony skin with furry nap running downward. I cut the fabric upside down, so the nap runs upward. Great for catching crumbs! At least all of the pieces are in the same direction. Anyway, too late to cry over spilt milk & all that. So soldiering on…

Double-welted arm-hole slits

face

back

  • The arm hole slits being on the bias I thought I better interface it to cut down stretching.
  • Bulk was a bit of a worry. I allowed a bit extra width for the welt than I would on thinner fabrics. So 2 welts added up to 5/8″ width. I cut separate fabrics for each welt and staggered the seam allowances so that when finished, they’ll be graded for a gentler slope rather than one hefty 3 layer 1/4″ cliff.
  • Machine basting some guidelines followed by hand-basting kept the seam-rippers at bay. And voilà, here’s the finished welted slits.

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back

And now for some Pocket Magic!

  • The original in-seam slits have been converted into in-seam pockets. They sit just below the waistline and I made sure they’re big enough for my hand. And my Oyster card. And my smart phone. What after my expensive disaster with Lilliputian Topshop trench pockets I was taking no chances.
  • They actually sit just inside the seam. I had cut 3/4″ seam allowance to accommodate the thick fabric. The pockets are sewn to the bodice with 1/4″ seam allowance, leaving about 1/2″ of coat fabric acting as facing. This prevents the lining fabric pockets from poking out, but without the bulk factor of a separate facing.
  • The pockets are actually backed by fitting muslims. I was paranoid that keys & co. will poke holes in my pockets no sooner than I finish the cape. So preventative reinforcement was patched on. OTT I know. Here are some lovely views of the innards….

What do you think? Should I just wear it out like that – yes, inside out? 😉

The state of the affair…

Look rather dashing don’t you agree? 😉

Just wait till you see what I have planned for the leftover! Yes, I’ve managed to squeeze enough for a handbag from the scarp. But plan for how to put that together is fuzzy as fuzzy can be.

One thing at a time. First get off this blog and get that old Viking Sapphire cranking!