A Jacket

I started this jacket back in 2006 in a lovely browny-purple stretch faux suede.  Since then I got divorced, worked at PT so my muscles weren't in spasm neck-to-hip, couldn't sew for a couple years because I forgot to eat and lost 15-20lbs, remembered to eat and gained the weight back, made a whole new group of friends, and otherwise lived life.

Some things on this project I did right, like making a muslin.  Other things I did wrong: buying awful thin rayon lining fabric because it was the best color match, not pressing well, cutting inaccurately.  Thankfully I can fix the pressing mistakes, and I now have nice silk to line it.  I didn't mark the changes on the pattern tissue--mostly lengthening--and have since reused the muslin pieces so I cut the lining from the fashion fabric.

In a previous post I wrote about problems with my initial pressing and interfacing.  I still need to grade the seam allowances and decide whether to add more interfacing, or perhaps topstitch?

Since the outer fabric is stretch I'm cutting the lining on the bias.  I also added a couple inches of extra width to the back center.  Cutting is one of the single most painful things I do, but I laid out my new cutting mat on the floor and got it done.  I've started trying to sew the lining together but bias silk charmeuse is awful!  Hand basting might be in order.

Lining fabric

The wrong side is slipperier and a lighter pink so that's my right side.  I was given this silk, a dyeing experiment by someone in my sewing group.  It's perfect for my purposes :)

I'll post more as I assemble the jacket exterior and try to sew the bias lining.  Thanks for reading!