the rest of the jacket, however, has got some issues.
i've probably said this before, but vintage pattern sizing is a crap shoot. i think i've nailed my size for 1940s patterns, but this one is from the 1960s, so it's a brand new day.
according to the pattern measurements, i needed to grade up 1 size. i followed the Threads instructions & the cut & spread method wasn't hard, but it took a lot of time. another argument for learning how to drape.
here's one of the new pieces
next, i sewed a no-frills muslin with some freaky lining fabric that is either pitch black or black & blue striped, depending on the lighting.
lining isn't the right fabric for this jacket, but it's what i had on hand & i wanted to check the new sizing to see if there were any major fit issues that needed to be addressed. i spent an obscene amount of time decoding the overly-vague pattern instructions. for example, 1 of the steps is missing completely (alrighty). but once i figured everything out, the jacket went together fast & easy. now i just need to make it fit.
these are the things i need to think about:
1) overall, it's bigger than it should be. on the one hand, i bet i could get away with the sizing on the original pattern pieces. on the other hand, i'm going to try to create sleeves for it to make it more functional. if i do that, i'll be wearing shirts and lightweight sweaters underneath it, so maybe i should keep the bigger size but try to tighten up the fit.
2) the whole bust area is screwy. the bust dart is too high & not deep enough.
3) i think the side front seams need to be taken in, but how much will probably depend on what happens with the bust dart.
4) i don't have enough sewing experience to know what to do next, so i'll be making it up. this could take awhile.
5) the sleeves will have to be created from scratch. see 4)
