Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Jackie O Retro Suit - The Skirt

The skirt for this suit is really kewl because all of the interest is in the back. The front of the skirt is plain where the back has a seam and it looks to be cut on the bias. Well that's the way it looked to me so that's how I made it.

Pattern:
McCalls 2795 - which is OOP and was copyright in 2000.

Fabric:
2 yards of a tweedy wool acrylic blend from Fabric Mart
3 yards of white polyester lining

Notions:
30" of 1" non-roll elastic
Several yards of black foldover braid
Several yards of 1.5" wide polyester lace

Construction:
I used my 4-gore TNT skirt pattern. The front piece was cut on the fold. The two back pieces were cut on the bias. I thought I would have to stabilize the back seam but it sewed up fine. After the skirt was put together, I measured out the hem and cut it to the length that I wanted. Then I sewed the foldover braid to the hem.

The lining was sewn the same way, but I added lace to the hem. It just seemed like the skirt should have a special touch since the jacket had so much attention paid to it. Lace was added to the top of the waistline and then the casing for the elastic was measured, folded down and pressed into place. Finally, the elastic was added to the waistline and the casing was stitched into place.

So here is a pic of me wearing just the skirt and a tank top.


Here I am wearing the entire suit - I still have some work to do on the jacket - these buttons are on with tape - the correct buttons haven't arrived yet!


And one with the jacket closed...


You can see more pictures of the process and the pieces in my Flickr album.

Next up ~ an easy 4 gore skirt so that I will have something I can wear to work right away. After that I will start working on the Sew Stylish pattern!

30 comments:

  1. Any chance we could see the back of your skirt too? Btw, great job! I love how it looks.

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  2. Carolyn, fantastic suit as always. This is very classic and chic and you'll be pulling this out of the closet for years to come.

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  3. Ooh, how fantastic!! I loves it too! Funny, how I have just finished posting about my new skirt with lace trim etc, with a link to Flikr.....promise I did all that before I came here to visit. a bit spooky...

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  4. This is a gorgeous suit! Classic and chic and it looks great on you. Very good explanation of how you quilted the lining to the fashion fabric too.

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  5. What a beautiful suit. You look great! Thanks for all the detailed pictures, love the back of your skirt and the detail of lace on your lining.

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  6. Brilliant work-very effective interptretation-resulting in a classic & stylish suit

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  7. it came out great, very beautiful

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  8. Oh! I am loving the back of that skirt. What a great detail!

    You look so chic in your suit - this is definitely feminine and non-clone.

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  9. Go head withcha bad self! WORK IT!! :)

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  10. Carolyn, it's a beautiful suit and looks great on you!

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  11. Carolyn! It's beautiful! A true classic. I have a question - how did you sew the foldover braid to the hem? Any trick to it? I've shyed away from trying a foldover braid trim for fear of messing it up. Now I'm off to your flickr album to look at more photos...

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  12. Fantastic, classic look. Now you need Jackie's famous string of pearls and you're set!

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  13. It looks stunning on you!I'm in awe!

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  14. that's 'fantabulous!' ;) Very chic, very classic, very classy.

    I'm with Sharon...what are your FOB tips? I haven't tackled that in YEARS (like, 20? 25?) because of a traumatic experience with it...

    'Course, it may be that you have access to a wonderful quality of FOB, the likes of which are not available locally. What scarred me was a yarny plasticky poly braid that resisted shaping, resisted turning under of the raw edge and ended up lumpy and ugly. Anyway, any insight would be greatly appreciated!

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  15. Love your suit! The trim really brings it all together. Thanks for sharing all the details on the construction too.

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  16. What a great suit! It looks fantastic on you! Man, you're good!

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  17. Carolyn,
    Gorgeous suit! I am obsessed with the Jackie look and have purchased many "White House Years" books that feature her clothing. What a wonderful interpretation of the black/white suit. I am always impressed by your creativity.
    Have a fun sewing vacay!
    Melissa

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  18. Carolyn, LOVE the suit! Its fantastic, and you look great in it! Seems like your sewing vacation is going superb!
    -Martha

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  19. Carolyn, as everyone says, I love that suit. I especially like the details, like the quilting, black braid trim, and I love the 4-gore skirt instead of a straight skirt.

    Stacy wants you to get the pearls - you can! QVC has a line of Jackie O jewelry, and the pearls! And at a reasonable price!

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  20. Very nice work, well done. I am disappointed though that the jacket back isn't on the bias, but it would naturally require more fabric.
    Anyways, lovely work.

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  21. You worked it Carolyn! Love it!

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  22. I love, love, love this classic suit. You did such a great job! I found the Decorative Dressmaking Book and am awaiting it's shipment. Can't wait to receive it! Dumb question, but can you tell me what OOP (referring to patterns) means?

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  23. Great job Carolyn! Nice to see that you are enjoying your sewing vacation. Looking forward to the rest of your posts this week.
    --Mary in AR

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  24. Gorgeous suit and really flattering on you. The finishing deatils really make it. I love coming here and being inspired.
    MP

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  25. The Jackie O came out great and just as you visualized it.

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  26. What a fabulous, classy, well sewn, perfectly fitted suit you have here!!! Wow!!

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  27. Carolyn, I really love this suit! I am going to copy the skirt idea for a future sewing project. Really a classy looking outfit.
    What type of foldover braid are you using-polyester/wool/blend? and your source. This is something I really need and never can find any locally. Please share your info!

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  28. This is a wonderful outfit. The bias skirt back is so graceful and unexpected. You wear it well.

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  29. Late to the game but I had to comment on your fab Jackie suit! As usual, you really know how to make styles flatter you. This should really hit the mark at work, too - classic but not clone-like.

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  30. I love that! Thanks for the inspiration. :)

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