Tailored Jacket -- Simplicity Pattern 2150 View B

So I started to teach classes at my local Jo-Ann store for some extra cash and just to have a sewing outlet.  I was asked to teach the Sewing 301: Out and About class.  I got the pattern looked at the instructions and decided, that I better run through this first before I try to teach someone how to make this jacket.  The directions aren't hard, but I get confused easily... or maybe that's the result of trying to sew between the hours of 9 pm and 1 am after work in for 8 hours and trying to fight to get 2 or your 3 kids to bed starting at 6:30.

Anyway... So here is my review of:

Simplicity Pattern 2150- View B

Time to complete from cutting pattern to final seam: approx 8 hours so actual sewing and cutting time
Time it took to figure out some of the pattern: 2 hours
Time it took ripping out what I did when I wasn't that awake:  Lost track after the  4th seam
Cost to make: $1 not including materials I already had at home, I already had fabric

Materials
Materials per the envelope:

• Fabric:
• Microsuede, Denim, Corduroy, Damask, Pique, Poplin, lace, and it goes on and on, so pretty much anything will work.
• 3/8 yard light weight interfacing of 20" to 25"


• Notions
• Thread

• Materials that I used.
• Fabric:
• Maybe 2.5 yards of micro suede that I had left over from a back seat car cover
• a 6" by maybe 8" if that piece of light weight interfacing
• Notions:
• Thread
• Tools
• Topaz 30 sewing machine
• Brother 1034D Serger (Started on there b/c my machine was getting serviced)
• Chalk pen/Air soluble pen
• Seam ripper (I made a few mistakes)
• Spray adhesive
• Straight pins, if using micro suede make sure that they are crazy sharp other wise it will snag the fabric

Let the construction begin....

       But not too fast.....

           Things to figure out before you start:

• Pattern Size:
• Figure out what size you need. Unlike many Simplicity patterns, this jacket is very form fitting.  I usually will use a combination of bust size,waist size and finished pattern size.  Since my bust was one size and my waist was another I measured all of the pattern pieces at the waist to make sure that it would be big enough.  Then remembered that it's not that important since it's an open jacket.  Something that I forgot to check was how long the jacket was from neck to waist line.  I have a long torso so this jacket fits me funny so I will probably give it away or sell it.
• Seam finishing:
• This is an unlined jacket so you will need to finish your edges.  I chose to use a french seam.  I will create another blog on various was to finish seams.
• How you want to sew on the arms
• This may seem like an odd thing to say but if you choose to follow the pattern you will sew them on using the round method (you sew around the arm hole) or the flat method (you sew the side seams last).  I will do a blog on both of these methods.  Each has it's benefits and disadvantages.  If you choose to do the flat method you will skip steps in Step 4 until the end.

The Pattern:

This pattern is fairly well explained and I"m being lazy so I don't feel like doing a step by step, so I'll just highlight my complaints/quirks/helpful hints.

Construction:

As stated in the pattern this is an unfinished jacket.  So you will need to determine how to want to finish your edges.  This is important to figure out before you start because if you decide to do a French Seam you will construct the jacket inside out then go back to put the seams on the inside.  I'll do another blog after this one to go through all of the various ways to finish a seam.  Note to self put link to seam finishing blog here. 

I did mine with a french seam.

Ok... now that all of my side notes are done lets start sewing....

So first 2 steps pretty simple (Step 1 and 2a).  Stay stitching.... I can handle that.

Then I got lost (1st set of seam ripping).

So you have 4 of piece #10, the flap thing... they decided to call 2 of them together the "Front and Collar" and the other two as the "Front and Collar Facings"... great... something so similar that when I don't do a good job reading b/c I'm not really awake I"ll get confused.

So to translate for us sleep deprived people.  You will stay stitch the notches.  Then however you cut the 4 pieces of this out you will sew the top part together so that you wind up with the pictures below:

Front and Collar Facing (Step 2)

Front and Collar with Front Sides attached (Step 3)

Not a hard concept, but it took me a while to figure that one out... Like I said I sewed this half asleep.

Then you jump to View A Steps 4 to 6, which is attaching the "mini belt" to the center back and sewing the back panels on.

Step 4:  Piecing the Front and Collar with Front Sides attached (Step 4) to the back.

This was way easier said than done.  Mostly because of the odd way that Simplicity had to "notch" the flap parts to contort it around the collar.  So after my glazed starring at the pattern, then my fabric, then the pattern, then a scratch on the head, then the pattern, I figure out that the easiest thing to do is to start in 3 different sections.  Start at one of the arm holes, pin unit I hit the notch.  Then start in the middle of the neck and go to one side until I get to the notch, lining up the two ends as I go along.  Then repeat on the other side.  My seam notches that I cut in the fabric weren't lining up b/c I didn't take in enough fabric when I sewed the Front and Collar together I had to make another seam on both the Front and Collar and Front and Collar Facing to take up some of the slack.