Vogue 1263

It took some time but I'm finally done!

Pocket and dart markings, jacket front.  

Vogue 1263, the Donna Karan jacket is full of delicious detail.

And a lot of work! Besides the flat fell seams there are darts galore and slant pockets in the front that needs interfacing basted and markings to transfer.

Despite all these extra steps that need to be done, it is all worth it in the end.

I did stray from the pattern instructions and ended up exposing the pocket seams allowance.

Jacket front pocket, in progress.

But I'm okay with that considering that the boiled wool fabric that I used is not prone to fraying.

Trimming the lower front corners
before turning over the facing.

The facing sewn in place, I trimmed the corner to get a nice clean edge when I turned the facing to the right side.

Flat fell seams on sleeves.

Next on my list of things to do were the sleeves.  Oh my goodness, the sleeves!

I was not loving the flat fell seams at this point. And for a moment, okay more than an moment, I feared that it wouldn't work.

Curses!

As I struggled to smooth out a small section of the sleeve, I moved in a manner that made my ribs hurt. It doesn't take much lately. But none-the-less, OUCH!

Finished flat fell seams on undersleeve.

And I cursed the darn sleeve.

Thankfully, the curse did not work and I was able to pull a two piece sleeve out from under my presser foot with the flat fell seam looking better than I had hoped for moments earlier.

Once the sleeves were stitched into place, it was time, well, for another rest break. There were quite a few during this project.

Topstitching and flat fell seams
(bodice back).

And then it was back to work on the finishing touches.

Topstitching and flat fell seams
(jacket front).

Top-stitching was next on the list. And I have to say I'm surprised I didn't break a sewing machine needle doing this task through all the thicknesses of the boiled wool.

The fabric choice was thicker than any of the suggested fabrics on the pattern envelope and the back shawl collar seam proved to be a difficult section to topstitch.

Inside pocket and front facing, hand stitched in place.

The fabric also limited my choice for the hem on the sleeve.

Oversized shawl collar.

I did try a narrow hem but it was not possible with the bulk at the flat fell seams. Sew I serged the edge and turned up the hem one inch. It is one of the few places that I used the serger.

The last bit of housekeeping was slip stitching the pocket to the front facing.

There that's better!