How is your vintage suit going? I’ve been making a lot of progress over the last week or so, and I’m enjoying seeing just how the jacket especially is taking shape, quite literally!
Did you make a note of our new completion date, we have until the end of July to finish our suits, during June I’ll be sharing the end results. It’s very exciting. There are a few of us who need more time for one reason or another, so it is likely that the Vintage Suit Sewing fun will go on for sometime.
If you caught my previous post, you’ll recall I finished the welt pockets, which was really tricky. So this week was about sewing in the (imitation) hair canvas on the front jacket panels. The instructions advise sewing the interfacing to the seam allowance and trimming off the remaining centimeter. This is not the amount of work I had anticipated, no pad stitching, even.
I could have gone ahead and pad stitched it on anyway, however, given the black and white weave and the challenge of hiding all stitches, I am happy to go along with the original instructions…And finish this baby on time!
I referred to my Readers Digest Complete Book of Sewing for tailoring tips, using it for drafting the hair canvas interfacing for the back of the jacket.
Really good instructions, I used the one piece method, making darts at the shoulders, and contouring along the curve around the mid back.
All sewn in place, it works well, lightweight, and softly structural.
Pressing the shoulder seams, look at the shapely collar!
Here is the shell of the jacket sans sleeves while I consider the bias binding on on the collar.
The instructions for the jacket include adding hem tape, which will be the next step before the sleeves go in.
I’m impressed with the shape of the jacket already…
…But I leave it here to whip up the skirt which will need to hang for a few days (or a week!) before I hem it…
I had this whole project with me when we went away to Nelson and had a long night up with the fire going cutting out the lining pieces for both jacket and skirt, hooray for that extra carry on bag…I’m so glad I had it as time is racing by!
A detail of the skirt, it’s a simple circle skirt, and with the weight of the fabric, I didn’t want to leave it till last minute.
I have really enjoyed my work room today, my kids have been very happy playing together, so I made the most of that precious time and the sunny space. I’m lining the skirt using this cute spotted cotton, the skirt has one pocket and a side zipper, not technically true to the era, I opted for an invisible zipper from my stash as I’m in the make-do stage of the the project (all that fancy canvas is pricy!) I’m also going to need to track down some hem tape – or make some – to give some body to the skirt as per my inspiration…
(Oh can’t forget to make a wee headpiece to match…)
Very straightforward, so it’s just waiting for me to hand stitch the inside of the waist band to the lining and voila! It’ll be out and hanging for as long as I can leave it….Working towards the end of the month for the deadline.
How are your Vintage Suit Sew Along projects going?
#vintagesuitsewalong #vintagepledge
mermaids purse 