Vogue 8208 - The Jacket is Done

This jacket is part of my City in Winter Collection.  I've been sewing this collection since last October. As you know I wanted to create a versatile wardrobe that I could use for any part of my busy life ~ work, dates out with friends and church. I've finished quite a few pieces but I was dragging my feet making the jacket.

The jacket is from Vogue 8208 which is an out-of-print pattern that has been reviewed several times on Pattern Review...and now I know why there are only four reviews for it!  This jacket is a very involved sew with a lot of pieces!  I also decided to line an unlined jacket which added quite a bit of time to the jacket's construction.

I liked this pattern (notice I used the past tense here!) because the military influence was big for Fall 2012.  I thought this pattern encapsulated that trend well and it was already in my pattern collection.  It also worked with the basic bottoms I've already made.

Some stats:
Fabric ~
Brown wool crepe from Mood.  I bought mine at the NYC store but there is quite a selection online and if you specifically want brown it's here.

Notions ~
black silk organza 
brown rayon bemberg lining
10 7/8" buttons
fusible interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply

All of the pattern alterations can be found in this post and the construction details are in the last post.

As you know, I did omit a few things. There is only one breast pocket without a flap.  I thought that all of those flaps were a little too much for my body.  The pattern calls for you to cut the back pattern piece on the fold. I added a center back seam to get a better fit.  I also shortened the length of the cuffs.  Not only did I add a lining but I also underlined the jacket in silk organza to enhance it's wearability factor.

All of that work and honestly, I HATE this jacket.  Not because it doesn't look good on me, or that it doesn't work with the bottoms, but because it's construction was difficult...too difficult!  There was no joy in sewing it.  I don't even know if I would have finished it, if it hadn't been a Mood Project.  I'm sure you're asking why since from the pics it looks decent.  Well, I removed those pockets 4x! Seriously 4x!  I measured and remeasured them before BASTING them to the jacket front several times. Even with all of that, they still had to come off again and again until I was in tears and wanted to throw the dayum thing in the garbage.

Usually it's fit that ruins a pattern for me.  This time it was the actual pattern and the degree of difficulty in achieving perfection.  Now I'm not a perfect sewist but I don't want my garments looking Becky Homecky and if I hadn't gotten the pockets right, it would have.  So enjoy the pretty pictures.  I've worn this to work and now I will bury it deep in the back of my closet until I'm no longer scarred by the trauma of making it!

I'd really wanted to make the belt that goes with this jacket but by the time I got the buttons sewn onto it, I was done.  Done and more done! *LOL*  I have about two yards of the brown wool crepe left.  My original plan was to make a dress from Vogue 8828...that's not happening now.  I'm thinking another version of my TNT dress just so that I can move onto the pieces that are going to be made from the gray fabric. 

I'm really ready for this collection to be completed and since the gray pieces are all made from TNT patterns hopefully, I can knock them out by President's Day weekend.  

So even though I worked my way through the pain and ended up with a wearable garment, it will see the back of the closet until the memories of it's birth have faded away.  Hey I have other toppers from the collection that can be worn with the basics so it's not like they won't be worn!  The jacket is done.  It challenged me.  It made me cry.  It's wearable...and now it will be put away for another day.

...as always more later!