My Little French Jacket #1

Say hello to my very first Little Black French Jacket!  Total hours to completion 55, which I'm pretty happy about, because before I started I expected it would take about 75!

In December when I was at 38 hours I made this progress post if you want all the details before now.  When I last left off I had just set-in the sleeves ... well, let me tell you, I had real problems getting the inside lining to sit just right on these suckers!  After wrestling with it for a few hours and reading Leisa's post over and over and over, I decided it was time for a different approach and consulted Claire Shaeffer's DVD "The Couture Cardigan Jacket" - I decided her method was a winner and final got it all in place, not as pretty as I would have like, but none the less the sleeves were in and the lining closed - who's gonna see it anyway, as long as the sleeves don't fall off while being worn, right?!

I finally made a decision about the bottom front.  Initially I drafted a rounded edge as you can see below, but as the jacket came together, I just wasn't sure.  In the end I went with my gut instinct and advice from follow sewcialists and squared it off.

The trim I found at The Fabric Warehouse - some pre-pleated satin ribbon, over which I laid some tiny gimp.  I love that the ribbon is 'wavey' and not just a simple straight line.

I also decided not to apply the trim around the bottom of the jacket, probably a bit OTT!

The Vogue pattern I used only provided for a two piece sleeve which meant no sleeve vent, synonymous with the LFJ.  I was okay with this for my first jacket, but thought a faux vent would do the trick.  A three piece sleeve has a seam that runs from the top of the sleeve, where it joins the shoulder seam, straight down to the cuff which is where the vent is constructed.  My faux vent is located in exactly the same place with a strip of trim running perpendicular to the cuff.

I made a few booboos along the way, like cutting the lining inside out - but luckily the lining was almost identical on the right and wrong sides, so you can't really tell.  I used a broadcloth as an interlining - I thought this would give the jacket some stability that I was looking for.  Oh it has definitely done that, but way more than necessary.  I should have just used it for the centre front pieces.  On the up side, it is super warm to wear.  I would set-in the sleeves differently next time and follow the Claire Shaeffer method to the letter - it is the last thing she does after closing the jacket and adding all the trim.  I think this would work better for me.

I must give a HUGE thank you to both Inna and Leisa for the sew-along - the amount of information shared by both was just invaluable and totally enjoyable.

I love my LFJ and have worn it at every opportunity since it was finished in early January.  Now that I've got all my rookieness (that is totally a word!) out of the way I'm really looking forward to making my next one using the free Marfy pattern, starting in March.  For now I'm sewing pants for The Monthly Stitch 'Smarty Pants February'.  You can join me on Instagram for up to the moment progress and hopefully I can get all three complete.

More photos on my Flickr -->