Two months, 38 hours and counting

Back in October I embarked on construction of My Little French Jacket and it has been a bit of a journey.  I started with a hiss and a roar and was ahead of the game, each week waiting anxiously for the next sew-along post to come out - but then came the sleeves and a pile of other sewing that I wanted to do.  So when I picked it up yesterday, determined to conquer the sleeves I realised that it had been three weeks since I did any work on it!  Just as well I was ahead of the game, because after successfully getting those sleeves in I'm back on track, yay!  So I thought I would share a bit about the journey so far ....

I chose this cotton boucle and silk lining - both purchased from The Fabric Store here in Wellington.

Muslin pieces all traced and thread traced.  I selected a pattern size according to my bust measurement and made the muslin without any adjustments.  The upper body of the muslin was a great fit, but I had to let out the princess seams in the front for my waist and hips.  Minor adjustments in the scheme of things.

All the pattern pieces are thread traced on the stitch line.  The grainline is also thread traced.  The fabric is then placed over the lining and pinned on - this is where the grainline on the fabric is super useful.

The lining is then attached to the fabric by quilting lines.  This is the very first time I had heard or seen this technique.  I was super curious about how this wouldn't be visible from the outside - but it just get lost in the fabric, almost like magic!

I marked my quilting lines with pins.  Oh and this is where a walking foot on the sewing machine comes into its own - the best investment I ever made!

The seams of the fabric are then all sewn together and pressed open.   Those seams are sewn by machine but to ensure accuracy the seams are basted together first and then put under the machine foot.  The seams of the lining are then trimmed and hand stitched in place using a small fell stitch.  My fell stitches got better and better - the pic below is my sleeve which is looking pretty if I do say so myself :-)

Now the sleeves are also set in my hand. This was a first for me and a little daunting but once I just followed all Leisa's wonderful instructions it was a breeze. 

And here is where I'm at right now ... these two pics are both B&W :-)

Next, I need to work on closing the lining around the sleeve inset then it will be the hems, the trim and pockets.  I feel like I'm on the home straight now ....

Total time to date = 38 hours.