Monday, February 25, 2008

Leather Jacket, Pt. 5: Congratulations, it's a jacket!

The most gratifying part of a project to me is when the pieces finally come together and start to look like something to wear. The project doesn't have to be finished, but I have to be able to see the final result, the light at the end of the tunnel. Friday evening, when I started on the zipper, the jacket still consisted of fronts, backs and sleeves. Now I have a jacket. The sleeves may only be pinned in, and it's not hemmed or lined yet, but it's definitely a jacket. I also have a lining. I need to introduce them to each other sometime soon.

I love it when things fall into place. I was fretting about how I was going to get glue into the hems of the jacket through the not-very-large opening in the lining, and I completely forgot that part of Sandra Betzina's instructions for this jacket include sewing (or in my case, gluing!) the hems at the 1" point, leaving the top 1" free to be attached to the lining. I've already glued the sleeve hems, so tonight, after I sew in the sleeves, I'm going to glue the hem and weight it overnight so that it doesn't come detached when I bag the lining tomorrow.

By the way, the sleeves fit. Hallelujah! Even though I measured and measured again and pinned with fingers crossed, I was still afraid that somehow the ease I had removed from the sleeve would return to bite me in the butt. However, it did not; the sewing gods must be holding back their spite for another project. There's still plenty of room to move my arms in this jacket. It may not be the most spacious sleeve I've ever encountered, but since I can't ease the sleeves, a little wiggle room has to be sacrificed to get the look I want. And it’s not enough room to make a difference in the wearability of the jacket, so I’m satisfied.

And because I'm having so much fun with this - a nice complicated project that makes me think always causes me to lose interest in the quick-and-easy projects - I broke my fabric fast,visited Gorgeous Things' anniversary sale and bought 4 yards of medium brown basketweave wool coating so that I can make up the trench in the 1/08 issue of BWOF for next fall/winter. I'm figuring that a full-size lined coat with all the buckles, buttons, bells and whistles, should make for a nice long project once the Wardrobe Contest is finished.

4 comments:

Erica Bunker said...

That jacket is so fabulous! You really did a fantastic job!

cidell said...

Hey Karen,

Thanks for this project. I've always been curious about working with leather and this was helpful and inspiring!

Cennetta said...

Wow! Great jacket! Thank you for posting this project. I'm working up my nerve to sew leather as well.

jimmy said...

Hi Karen,

I am intested in your jacket,I would like make a leather
jacket out of destress leather that i took off a chair
that I think will look great as a motorcycle jacket with no cauler.I am a beginner and sewing will be my first
big project so can you help me figuring this out.

For instance a pattern,maybe a youtube on how to make leather jacket.Please Help jimmy