Pauline & Alice Serra Jacket

Can't believe it's been 8 months since my last post. These days I'm more active on Instagram, but when I really want to document a project more thoroughly, blogs are still where things are at.

I had bought 3 yards of Rag & Bone Olive Stretch Twill from Mood Fabric in March on their 'Green fabric sale' day - impulsively, I regret to say. But I did need a light jacket for transitional weather, so I started collecting inspirations.

Snapshot of my Pinterest board

It took me forever to decide on the details but in the end this is what I came up with. I hoped the gold snap buttons inside and the black corduroy collar would make it look more like an adventurer jacket than an army uniform.

For the sewing pattern I chose Pauline & Alice's Serra Jacket, because of the sheer number of options it offers, and I wanted a detachable hood and raglan shoulders and the pattern fitted the bill perfectly. I wanted to combine the views A and C and watching the P&A's online tutorial in hacking the pattern was crucial  - otherwise I wouldn't have known I had to extend the neckline for C.

I made a muslin of size small as I was going for a boxy fit, which fitted well except I had to make some narrow shoulder adjustment (not enough as it turned out to be). I also made multiple construction changes including:

• Making sleeves two pieces - this was easy, as I just had to cut from the shoulder point, smooth the lines, and added seam allowances.
• Making back two pieces - again, straightforward. I just added seam allowances to the back piece.
• Using reverse flat felled seams for all seams - next time I'll do proper flat felled seam.
• Interfacing the hems of the jacket
• Making it buggy-lined - for this I referred to my jacket making bible, Tailoring. It entailed drafting front facing to extend to the side seams and creating a half lining piece for the back. 

Modified front-facing

From left to right, Even feed walking foot, Stitch in the ditch, and the default foot

Since I plan to sew more jackets, I invested on some sewing accessories. It was my first time using foots other than the plain default foot or the zipper foot, and I was amazed at how much differences they made. My edge stitching definitely improved thanks to the foot.

I tried lots of techniques for the first time in making this jacket; first buggy lining, first snap buttons, first zipper placket, and least but not last, first pad stitching. I used muslin scraps for interfacing, and used the opportunity to practice pad-stitching. I'm not proud of the stitches, but they hold the muslin and the fabric, and don't show on the outside, so I'm pleased. I also like the fact that I found uses for old muslin pieces. It's more environmentally friendly too. Moving forward I plan to use it more for medium weight interfacing.

I used muslin scraps for interfacing, pad-stitched with Gutermann cotton thread

And here's the finished jacket! I'm so so pleased with the result.

With the hood closed. The buttons actually align, if you look at it from a certain angle. :p

The back and the sleeves are modified into two pieces.

For the first time, I'm not embarrassed to show the inside of the garment I made.

Buggy lined back. There's even a hanging loop!

This jacket begs to be styled with binoculars.

What's my verdict on the pattern? Two thumbs up! The instructions are on the light side so I had to refer to my Barbour jackets and the Tailoring book to figure out lots of things. Definitely not for beginners. But the classic style, easy fitting, and lots of options make this pattern a great investment. I'm already dreaming of making a mix of B and C in brown corduroy.

But next time:

• Remove extra fabric around front shoulder seams to make shoulder narrower (or just make a smaller size)
• Change the pocket to cargo or box pleat pockets, if making a similar style jacket.
• Reduce hood depth.
• Invest on a better zip, maybe. The one from Joann isn't very smooth.
• If making unlined or partially lined, shorten the hem facing so that the stitching line is close to the hem binding (see the picture below).

Should have shortened the hem. This was highest I could go without overlapping with the pockets.

This is a milestone in my longer term goal of making a custom tailored tweed jacket, and I think I'm better equipped in terms of my skill sets thanks to sewing this jacket. It isn't 100% finished yet. I still need to make the belt, and I might add a breast pocket after all. But I'm ready to start wearing this right away (weather permitting)!

And now to figure out what to do with the other olive cotton fabric I impulsively bought the same day...

Navy Linen Summer Jacket

This must be the most advanced thing I've made so far. It was my first foray into tailoring, and I thought I should start with an easy project. So I chose a linen unlined jacket as my first project, mistakenly thinking an unlined jacket would be easier than a lined one.

The pattern I used is Simplicity 6685, from the 60s.

It's a good enough pattern with a nice silhouette, and perfect length to wear with trousers as well as skirts. But it didn't have roll lines or two piece sleeves which I later learnt were necessary details for good quality tailoring.

After much deliberation I decided to just go for it, almost as a test to see whether tailoring is something I could get into. I was mentally ready to throw the whole thing away in case it didn't work out.

Based on the muslin, I estimated the roll line. After trying it on, I decided to follow the pattern and add another buttonholes, and raise the roll line. Surprisingly it worked out. The pattern is also for lined jacket, so I had to do a lot of research and guess work to figure out how to make it unlined.

I also finally tried my hand at bound buttonholes, which were not as complicated or difficult as I imagined. The one above was my second try, which didn't turn out too badly if I may say so myself.

One mistake I made was choosing a fabric that was too heavy and too easily frayed. As you can see on the picture above, it frayed like no man's business, and I'd find pieces of the fabric everywhere in the house, not to mention it made sewing more finicky than it could have been. 

The most critical mistake I made was deciding to finish the seam with rayon seam binding AFTER I've put all the pieces together. Man, did it make my life difficult. Well, one lives and learns.

But in the end it all worked out okay.

I finished the jacket with horn buttons that I ordered from Etsy. I love the slight texture and the weight of natural horn buttons.

I also faced the buttons because I was worried the fabric won't hold. I just used whatever small black buttons I could find at Joann.

The jacket is far from perfect, and the inside is ugly to say the least because I struggled with the rayon seam binding, but I'm very proud of the thing and I'm certain I'll get a lot of wear out of it.

So, is tailoring something I'll do more of it? Absolutely. I like the fact that it's a slow, labour intensive process, that requires mastering a wide range skills and high level of craftsmanship. And things can only get better from here. I already plan to make a tweed jacket for the winter. Next time I might even try the traditional method with hair canvas and everything.

As a note to myself, next time:

• Choose a lighter weight linen
• If doing hongkong finish or rayon seam binding, finish the seams BEFORE sewing the pieces together
• Add a self hanger loop

Here's to tailoring!