Sunday, March 26, 2017

Black Leather Rocker Jacket!

This is one summit-climax kind of project, haha! I have the feeling of having conquered the seamstress top of the pops! And I also finally have the rocker jacket I've always wanted to have. Pity I am a bit old now, but this has required quite a bit of learning!

One of the reasons I am proud is the method I got this pattern. I used an old red leather jacket of mine that was just perfect. Following the rub-off method, I copied all the pieces of the jacket.


I did a toile with felt to check the sleeve, becouse having measured the armscye and seeing they were just the same, I used the sleeve of my Chanel Jacket Pattern.


 I proceeded then to draw the pieces in the wrong side of the skins, and cutting it with an exact 2cm seam allowance all around, since I'd be using it as a sewing reference all along. That is why I used a marker to cut them as accurately as possible.


After applying jersey fusible interfacing all along the bottom, the front panels and the front facings, I started by assembling the back. I sewed some seams following this technique I saw online, specially the curved ones, and some others, like the straight center back seam, I stitched with the right sides together, hammered the allowances first open, and then to the side, and topstitching them with the machine. I was very pleased with the result of the double stitching.

After attaching both sides of the zip, I proceeded with the pocket openings, zips, and bags.
 

I used textile glue, double sided tape and paper tape, to hold allowances open, and putting pieces together.


This is the completed torso. I tried the thing on at every step, and I was feeling more confident with the pattern and with my technique to sew leather. It looked so nice!!

 

I made the collar, ensembled it to the bodice, and stitched and topstitched the front facings. For the zip side, I practiced using tape with a bit of leather, and it turned out OK!


I put the lining pieces together, sewed it to the bottom first (which I turned, glued, and topstitched afterwads), and to the front facing pieces after. I put it on the mannequin, and used double sided tape to hold it in place over the facings before machine-sewing it.


Then I made the sleeves, with their zips and lining.  I applied interfacing to the bottoms as well.


I put the sleeve caps around the armscyes, using small metal claps to hold it together before machine stitching it. 


For the bottom and armscyes' topstitching, I accepted my neighbour Delfina's offering to use her industrial machine for leather, because my Bernina (in a little disappointing note) is not reliable with more than 4 layers.


I polished all the threads, passing them to the wrong side, knotting and burning them together.


I stitched the bodice and the sleeves lining at the armscyes by hand.


After finishing it, I sprayed it with a product to make it less porous. The next day, I applied some animal grease onto it as well.



The jacket is amazing, good looking and very comfortable to wear.

 


Thursday, March 9, 2017

Blue Jeans Cotton Knitted Jersey


 I started this project inmediately after finishing my last knitted sweater. I happen to need to have always something to knit, haha! 
In this new project, my third jumper, I wanted to learn two things: how to follow instructions from a magazine pattern, and how to make inset sleeves.
It has been a total success, so Katia magazine has won me over, as well as their yarns. 
This cotton is worked with 3.5 mm needles, but I am a tight knitter, so I made it with 4.5 mms to get the gauge indicated in the pattern. Another change I made was the use of circular instead of straight needles. 
First I knitted the torso, front and back all together. When I reached the underarms, I kept the front in a cable and went on with the upper back knitting and purring till the end, making the armscyes and the neck following the magazine instructions. I closed it, and went on with the front in the same way.

I made the two sleeves also round, with no seams, until I reached the cap. then I started knitting and purring, decreasing to shape it as the instructions told me.
I made the hood and the front pocket then, and finally stitched all together.
I washed it by hand, rinsed it in a gentle cycle with the machine. I took some more water off walking over it, enveloped in a towel, and let it dry flat. 
As you can see, the result is perfect. 
I want to dedicate my work to all my sisters that have risked their happiness and even their lives to improve our lives as women, to all my sisters who suffer for being women, and for all my brothers that respect us and walk with us in equality.
Thank you Judith, for the PUSSYHAT, I'll wear it proudly!