This pattern (Vogue 1266, view B, the double-breasted blue) is wonderful. I love everything about it - the length, the perfect waistline placement, the ease all over the body, the length, the swishiness of the skirt. It'll be a fabulous coat.
It has two issues with respect to my own quirks & needs:
1. That straight back thing. My neck is pushing the coat backwards - and this is apparent from the far-back position of the shoulder seams. My inclination is NOT to do the straight back adjustment, because it would shorten the back but leave the side seams where they are, and I'd then have to move them forward, probably as much as 1" (also in the lining pieces). MY inclination is to deepen the back neck and cut the collar piece a little longer to compensate for the extra neck seam length. Not such a bad idea since this coat's going to have jackets & winter scarves under it. This would automatically allow the coat to shift forward & get the shoulder seams where they should be. Could someone please weigh in on the overriding wisdom of one over the other????? :-)))))
2. For a presumptive winter coat, the sleeves are ridiculously narrow. Gorgeous, but wayyyy too narrow. I checked the widest part of the sleeve in my existing winter coat: 24"! This coat: 18.5"!!!! Yes, the sleeve slips over my largest jacket, but JUST. When I make it in the coating flannel plus underlining plus windblock plus lining, it won't. I'm not saying I want 24" wide sleeves, but the armscye and the sleeve need to be enlarged. Question is, where do I enlarge them? Can I widen the sleeve at the top? the undersleeve at the bottom? The back sleeve, under the princess seam or above it? I want the sleeve cap to remain well balanced, and the back sleeve seam to match the back princess seam..... and I want the whole armscye bigger, for all that's going to be squished into it (bulky sweaters, jackets, and more) Advice, please!!!!
The last, but very minor thing I'm noticing is that the back seems a bit too wide for me. However, I figure that if I cut a larger sleeve it'll automatically sit a bit further into the back, and that'll cure this. The bust, waist, and hip fit are great. I could shrink the waist a bit, but I think I'll leave it as is: my professional-fashion-designer mom always said, a little too big is ALWAYS better than even a hair too small. And a winter coat needs room for all that's going to sit under it!
Optional pattern alteration: I intend to turn the back vent into a wide box pleat. In fact, because the fabric is a vertical pinstripe, I think I'll do the box pleat horizontally, as a humorous touch. Canadian winters, brrrrr! You have to experience that mid-February westerly blasting ice crystals at you when it's 28C below zero to know why I don't want that air sneaking up from below. This baby's going to keep me warm if it's the last thing I do!
Edited to show first muslin photos. I added some width (maybe a bit too much) to the left sleeve and lowered the armscye by 3/4". The added sleeve portion is hatched in red. The photos do sugggest that the coat's a bit wide in the upper back. I'd be happier if those vertical folds could be made to disappear. I'm wearing a suit jacket under the muslin. It seems fine elsewhere, and I like the feel of the widened sleeve.
Muslin first version front, right, left, back.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Digs' Vogue 1266 "Siege of Stalingrad" coat
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8 comments:
It would be great if you could post some pictures. Is your neck forward? This is a different issue than the erect back. I have an erect back, and it makes the back neck seam ride up too high. which, when the collar is added makes a fold below the back neck. It also, as Els pointed out causes the back of the coat to swing forward and the side seam is not perpendicular to the floor. The front of the coat will then rise. But also, if you have an erect back you need less length in the back anyway. What you are describing doesn't seem to be the same thing. A forward neck would cause the whole shoulder seam to ride to the back. I have a forward shoulder, and the only part of the shoulder seam that rides back, is the outer edge, not the whole seam.
Your sleeves. Hmm. That's a lot more room. Do you really need that much? Would another inch be enough? You usually don't add to the under sleeve, but only to the top in a 2 piece sleeve. Do you have Fit for Real People? There are good illustrations there.
I wonder if your plan for how you will wear the coat and the style of coat don't work together. The coat is fitted through the waist, with a slim arm. You love the waist on it and the swishiness of the skirt, which is emphasized by the small waist. Will these features be lost once you Ottawa-winterize it with underlinings and such? Would it be possible to wear this and carry your suit jackets? Will you be driving, or on public transpo? Could this instead be your dress up coat (as is), rather than your practical, get to work everyday coat?
Just some thoughts from a fellow Canadian contemplating similar issues.
OK, ladies, I shall get pics taken & posted as soon as it stops pouring.
Nancy, my neck is quite the opposite of forward. It's set quite distinctly in a "ramrod straight" fashion upon my straight back with hardly a kink there. I find most garments hitch up against it. As a result, the shoulder seams are shifted towards the back and the bottom hem hikes up in the front. The bottom hem of this garment is good however, perhaps because of its overall length.
Mary Pat, I appreciate your comments. There's tons of ease in the body however, so I have no concerns with the fit after all the inner workings are added. Even with my suit jacket on, I can pull it in a couple of inches, and I feel I could've cut it one size smaller, however I like it as is. Laura's muslin of this coat confirms that it's designed big, which strikes me as correct for an outer garment. My only issue is the narrow sleeve, but I feel that'll be easy enough to fix.
Digs, I looked at the photos of your other entry and you do not have a forward neck thingy going on.
Have you tried putting in the collar? And did you check your shoulder slope? I have the same problem on my coat. I had forgotten to adjust the shoulder slope before I made it. It turns out that the front was sloped more than the back which was causing the same thing you describe. I fixed the front slope to match the back slope and the fit has improved to the point that I won't be adjusting the shoulder area any more. My suggestion before you scoop the neck is to check your shoulder slope first.
Although you don't have a forward neck, doing that adjustment will move the seam and make the back neck deeper without having to adjust the collar piece too. BUT, you run the risk of putting the armhole shoulder seam in the wrong spot and messing up your sleeve.
So now I have put you back to square one. LOL. But check your shoulder slope and post photos. Marji will be back next week and I bet you she will nail the problem right away as soon as she sees the photos. I hope I helped you at least a little bit.
I now posted my first muslin photos and would love some feedback on how to correct the pleats in the back.
Thanks, ladies!
Hi Digs,
Marji should be back any day now and be able able to help you with that. I think you need a narrow back adjustment given your petite figure and beautiful posture.
You didn't ask about the sleeves, but I am afraid to say that I like the unaltered sleeve better. There are less drag lines on that sleeve. I know you said that it was too narrow, but possibly there is another way to add to the sleeve so that you won't get the draglines. Or possibly it is a matter of moving the shoulder dot one way or another too. You were putting in underlining and all that right? So maybe when you make it in the real fabric the sleeves will fill out more. But in the meantime I don't see a tightness in the right sleeve, but then again I'm not wearing it. ;)
Digs, thanks for your comment. Heavens, I'm nowhere near the right person to ask about fit, I fly by the seat of my pants ha;f the time. But you did, so... here's my two cents worth.
This coat does seem to run big. I've brought my coat in by 2.5". It fits much better now. Looking at your pics, I'd say it needs to be brought down a size. Your front princess seams are falling on the outside of your bust and there appears to be excessive fabric in the front and back. You have said you are going to be adding an under and interlayer, as well as a lining, but even so it's too large. The coat is wearing you.
I measured the widest part of my sleeve and it's now at 16" with the cuff at 13". Even having brought in my coat I still have a lot of ease in the hip and waist and may even bring the waist in further.
PM me at sewpersistent@yahoo.com.
Laura
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