Fitting the Sienna Maker Jacket
I have had the Closet Core's Sienna Maker Jacket on my list for a while, in particular the longer view A.
I like the length of this casual jacket, with a belt to create some shape. It is unlined and with no tricky fastenings so I thought this might be a nice introduction into sewing a jacket for the first time. Given my experience I was thinking to try it in a year or two, but then I saw a Lynda Maynard 8-week online class for it, scheduled to start in a couple of months and thought it was a perfect opportunity to get some guidance, hints and tips for my first such project.
I had heard good things about Lynda's courses online and in forums and so signed up without much hesitation. I was beyond excited to start this, having not sewn anything for a few months, plus I love a good challenge. As usual, I decided to make a toile which Lynda recommends before starting the course which deals with the construction and not the fitting, although she does touch upon some advice for this.
This post is all about my fitting process. My full review of the jacket will be added to the website once it's completed.
Large vertical folds on the back
Sizing
My measurements matched size 4 most closely, but this ended up being too tight around the bust. I attribute this to a larger upper bust measurement than full bust, and so I re-cut a size 6 to allow for more ease. Knowing it was to be a loose-fitting jacket, I didn't do any grading to further refine the fit at this stage.
First toile
Here was my first toile in calico. Note the seam allowances were still present on my toile, so the neckline and armhole do not represent where the seam would be.
I was happy with the fit on the front from the bust downwards, and the amount of ease around the hips, wearing a belted pair of jeans.
Things I noted:
1. Bust point too high
2. Gaping at the front neckline.
3. Large vertical folds on the back.
Here's how I tried to deal with the above issues:
1. Bust point too high
With the rest of the front looking OK, I decided to leave it as is since the course start date was looming.
2. Gaping at the front neckline
Although the jacket isn't worn done up in this way, I thought it might affect how the collar and lapels would sit. I pinned out the excess and then researched how to eliminate these darts.
I came across this very helpful article with video from Alexandra Morgan, which addresses the removal of a back shoulder dart, but I applied the same theory.
Essentially, Alexandra recommends distributing the ease between the surrounding seams - neckline, shoulder, armhole and centre front. I had 1.5cm in total to ease in. I wasn’t sure whether this would cause an issue on the centre front/lapel, but it was a small amount of around 4mm in each seam, so I decided to keep all the other pieces the same and planned to ease the longer length in rather than try to adjust everything to match. The 4mm in each seam fit within the maximum 1/4" or 6mm that Alexandra recommends for this technique.
This worked really well for me:
3. Large vertical folds on the back
I pinned out vertical darts in the back to reduce the excess volume which did look better but I wondered whether I was over-fitting the intended rectangular shape of the jacket.
I unpinned it, put on a belt to replicate how the final jacket might look, and was happy with the result.
Second toile
The back pieces were unchanged so I only recut the front pieces, and conserved fabric by finishing them shorter. I also added sleeves.
Other fitting considerations
I was happy with the fit, and felt it was good enough to progress on the course. If I had more time, I would have considered the following:
Correcting the bust point which was too high and too lateral on me.
Checking the horizontal balance lines. There was some raising of the front balance lines and hem. Adding length above the bust may have corrected both this and point 1.
Trying to rotate the sleeves towards the back to see if this removed the small wrinkles/folds at the front of the sleeves.
I am really excited to now embark on the 8 week course and will update my blog then.
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Links
I have no affiliations, I'm just a keen buyer and user. A UK supplier may be linked, please try to source items from your favourite independent stores.
Sienna Maker Jacket by Closet Core Patterns
Alexandra Morgan In-House Patterns blog post on back contour shaping
