#TheLinenRidingJacket, which took ages to make! Made using 1890s tailoring methods as well as some modern shortcuts, it was the most arduous part of this three piece set. For the drafting I used both an existing historical pattern as well as a lot of perusing tailoring and sewing books from the era. Boned, interlined, pad stitched, a million hand sewn keyhole buttonholes...
And a little hat that I winged in two days from scraps! 🧵 4/5
I have finished #TheLinenRidingJacket! Hecking finally!
I spent maybe a half an hour moving the buttons several millimetres like a madwoman, after finally attaching the lining for real, but now it is done!
Further documentation pending, here it is, and also my feelings about it.
I am very tired now
It is I, person who has finally got all the functional buttons and buttonholes on #TheLinenRidingJacket
Still have to sew on the decorative buttons on the other side of the centre line and finish closing the lining, but it's close. It's so close to done
Also: of course I mastered the tailored buttonhole for maybe the 6th time... just in time for the last two buttons that I needed to make. 😂
Finished the sleeve buttonholes and buttons for #TheLinenRidingJacket. They turned out alright, tho I feel a bit more space between the buttons would have been better. But it's done!
Started on the front closure buttonholes. It goes in stages.
First you baste the surrounding area. Then you add the hole of the keyhole part with a punch tool, so you can slip the knot of the reinforcement thread inside it. Then you stitch the reinforcement so it doesn't unravel when you cut the buttonhole slit. (Optional whipstitch skipped here, might do it for the next one.) Add a little loop of thread/cord for body... and *then* you do the buttonhole stitches.
Me, I got distracted and accidentally reversed direction at one point so the lowest one is a bit wonky but ehh, it should do.
I've been slowly doing the buttonholes for #TheLinenRidingJacket, one at a time. The working position for the tailored buttonholes apparently greatly angers my fussy elbow, so I can only do one and then have to take a very long break... Which means I now have the 8 buttonholes and some buttons on the sleeves, but probably won't be able to get to the actual front closures for at least a day. 😂
Never get RSI, kids! It's really a fucking hassle years and years on!
Worked at closing up the lining and finishing the vents and pleats at the back of #TheLinenRidingJacket yesterday. It was unwieldy, annoying and fiddly, and I disliked almost every moment of it, but I got it done. Tried it on this morning to see if the lining sat well, and it looks like it did. Just missing me whipstitching the lining edge and the very many buttons and almost as many buttonholes.
The thing feels like a real jacket now, too.
If you've ever picked up a man's suit jacket or coat, especially vintage, you know that feeling of "oh heck this is a lot heavier than I thought it would be", where it's almost like armour when you slip it on. It's like that.
Am experiencing end stages of project fatigue with #TheLinenRidingJacket and can't be bothered to start sewing the bodice lining closed because it's so annoying to hold what with all the sleeve seam allowance having to be shoved onto one side while sewing it on by hand...
I suppose I do have the over six metres of hem tape to put on #TheLinenWalkingSkirt, still, so I guess I could do just a day of chill mindless straight stitch and hem stitch
I got home and immediately put some tulle in the sleeves to bulk them up. Shit works!
You just take a random length of it, fold it in half, sew the ends closed with a bit of a curve, turn inside out to not have the sharp edges poking out, then gather. Slip it between the sleeve and sleeve lining, baste in place... And there is suddenly *even more sleeve* for next to no work or cost!
I set the sleeves yesterday but the little clip I saved of it was kind of terrible, so here they are in daylight. 😄 Large sleeves are large! They're not as big as they could be but definitely larger than what is now normal. Oh 1890s, you silly fashion era.
They're quite heavy so I was worried about the weight of them pulling the back, but apparently it's mostly fine.
The Sleevening begins.
Just basted on, first go, it fits nice enough 75% of the way, which is not bad.
I also attached the other lapel facing and then the lining around the collar and neck hole, ladder stitching it. Here pictured before pulling the thread to make the seam closed.
The finished lapels are not perfect but are quite nice! And enormous. 😄 Having the lining on makes the sleeve fitting feel so much nicer.
Sini Tuulia