Getting Started on the Suit

This past week I was able to stop wavering on what I wanted to make and get started on my "test run" of my wool suit. I also lost 10 pounds which on one hand made me very happy, but on the other hand, made it really, really hard for me to make decisions about alterations...do I alter for what my body looks like today? Knowing that in a few weeks everything might be baggy? Do I alter with a little less ease than normal? What to do, what to do? I don't want to put all this work into something just to have it exiled to the "fat clothes" end of the closet.

What I finally settled on was a little less ease than I usually like AND rather than finishing the seams by serging the allowances together, serging the edges of the pieces before assembly, and then pressing the allowances open...which will allow for ease of alterations later should my weight loss continue (fingers crossed).

I decided that I would go with a pair of pants and a short jacket for the suit, since that would get more wear than a skirt. For the pants, I am using Vogue 2907, but have made some small changes such as adding a lining and redrafting the fly front.

I had made this pant three times before in my "Quest for Pants," and the fly front has a very skimpy overlap. In fact, if you use their pattern pieces and instructions, the zipper pull is visible when you wear them. So, I used Sandra Betzina's method, and just drew on a cut-on fly on the pattern piece. There were probably about 9 times that I said "No, that CAN'T be right" but in the end it came out perfectly, with plenty of overlap, and it was super-simple. I didn't even use pins. Seriously.

I also added a lining. I just used the pattern pieces from the pants. Since the pants had front pockets, and of course you don't need those for the lining, I just overlaid the side front pieces over the pants fronts to cut out the lining. The lining is cut to the same length as the FINISHED pant, and then hemmed, so that it doesn't sag out of the pant leg. Also, to keep the lining from tearing, sew it with 1/2 inch seam allowances so it is slightly larger than than the pants.



I also used buttons rather than large hooks and eyes for closures. I used hooks on my other pairs and didn't like they way they came out:


I used black piping along the pocket edges to coordinate with the buttons, and will also use the same piping on the jacket lapels and pockets:




Here is a shot of the inside. I used a gray lining to coordinate. It's not the greatest job in the world, but this is also my first lined pant, so I'm hoping that it will get better as I make more pairs of lined pants:


And here is the pant on:


Overall a good fit from the front, and not horrible from the back. I could stand to add some to that back leg, but that it what my wavering over alterations got me...fitting for today, or fitting for my hopes for tomorrow. I have enough in the seam allowance that I can go in and let out the inseam and it will drop those diagonal wrinkles right out. I will probably do that next week. The thing is...it only shows up in the flash from the camera, it doesn't show up in the mirror. So...do I really want to bother? I will mull this over....


As for the jacket...I have thought about the longer jacket and I have decided that I just really really like McCall 5935:


At the last sale at Hancock's I also picked up Vogue 8481, and plan to use the instruction and tailoring information from it:

Hopefully, I will have some time tomorrow to get the jacket cut out and get started on the interfacing. Overall, I am very pleased not only with the way this project is coming out, but with what I have been learning.