Thursday, September 05, 2013

The CRR version of Vogue 8209

Tuesday was spent taking photos of the CRR dress which is now appearing on the Mood Sewing Network. I've finished the jacket and skirt from the remaining piece of the Chado Ralph Rucci double knit fabric.  The jacket was made using Vogue 8209.

I've made this unlined jacket before...my favorite version being this blue & white seersucker version in August 2007.  I remember this sew well because I locked myself in my bedroom (where I sewed at the time) and sewed for 13 hours straight to finish the jacket and the pants.  It was that kind of day...




I chose to make it again with the Chado Ralph Rucci fabric because it's unlined, has a great fit due to all of the seams and the darts that add shaping. I've been looking for a way to use a pin closing on a jacket ala Olivia Pope and this one will allow me to do so.



Materials used for the jacket's construction ~
A pair of 1/2" shoulder pads
Yards of rayon seam tape
Black silk organza

Construction Techniques ~
Since this is a wool double knit with some stretch, I did a few things differently.  

*I didn't add the sleeve splits.  This is a fall/winter jacket and I don't need the ventilation.

*I've supported the facing and collars with black silk organza.


*The shoulders have a little twill tape in them to prevent them from stretching out.


*To decrease bulk in the seamlines, I cut the neckline darts open 1" and pressed them flat.  It really helped when applying the facings at the neckline because there was less bulk in the neckline seam.


*Alot of pressing and steam was used in this garment.  It seems like I spent so much time waiting for seams to cool and dry before moving onto the next piece.

I also used a technique from the Cynthia Guffey Skills video ~ she doesn't backstitch. She sews in about an inch, then she flips the garment around so that she can see the seam and stitches straight.  Then she flips it back and continues to stitch the seam in the right direction.  This may seem involved but it only takes a few minutes and it means that you're always sewing on the seam and not adjacent to it. Love this technique, especially since it's easy to incorporate and hopefully I'm building a new sewing habit.

Like the first two versions of this jacket, I've added rayon seam tape to the facing seams and the jacket's hemline.



So besides a lot of steam used during pressing, this was a pretty easy sew. The pattern was simple enough to highlight the awesome fabric and it works perfectly with the straight skirt.

More info ~
The sleeves offer the most interest since they were creatively cut from the remaining scraps of fabric.  It adds a little funk to the jacket which I'm fine with because this suit was never going to be a high holy days meeting suit...just a suit that could be worn to work that shows a little more of my personality.



Finally a few pictures of the jacket on Lulu ~



Pictures of me wearing the jacket and skirt combo will appear on The Mood Sewing Network on Monday, September 9th.


Finally, I'm moving onto other items on my sewing list.  I've already pretreated a piece of wool crepe and steamed a wool pinstripe ~ decisions about what they will be is forthcoming.

...as always more later!

23 comments:

  1. Very nice indeed. Looking forward to seeing it paired with the dress.

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  2. I love the entire ensemble but especially the jacket.
    BTW thanks for recommending the Cynthia Guffey Skills Video--you were right, it was riveting!

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  3. Beautiful jacket! I love the idea of the rayon seam tape.
    Where do you buy it :)

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  4. Looks great, I love that a shortage of fabric led to the creative sleeve piecing, a brilliant and effective idea.

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  5. Wonderful jacket and your use of the "scraps" is great on those sleeves. Holding my breath for the big reveal!

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  6. You have had a great sewcation! I love the pretty pantsuit and look foward to seeing you model the skirt and jacket. Beautiful!

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  7. I love the color blocking in the jacket!

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  8. Gorgeous jacket - I really like the pin you've used at the centre front as a closure and those two centre front purple panels

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  9. Wonderful jacket and skirt. I also love the sleeves on the jacket.

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  10. Awesome job! I need to start my fall sewing--thanks for the inspiration!

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  11. This is just absolutely lovely! I have been following you for a couple of months and I love everything you do! Will you be teaching at Mood any time soon?

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  12. I know I've said this before, but I think THIS outfit might just be my favourite of all time. I love how you've made a traditional corporate suit more modern.

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  13. Really can't wait to see this on you;
    the dress, skirt the whole set!!! Love the colors; it has a whole lot of style... you nailed it! Sooo pretty!

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  14. I love this suit and love that you used your instincts to make the scraps work as sleeves. With your eye, I have begun to look at all kinds of fabric with wonder at the potential (especially my old clothes). I went to the sale at JoAnn's for Vogue patterns and they didn't have a one I wanted in stock! So I came home and joined the club and ordered my patterns. They arrived almost overnight. You inspired me to do that and there will be no more trips for "specials" that don't exist. Now I need to search for fabric on the Mood web site! Thanks, Carolyn, for making me excited to sew again!

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  15. Using scraps to color-block the sleeves was a great idea. It adds a sense of surprise to the jacket. Well done.

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  16. This suit is just beautiful....Great color blocking....

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  17. You did an amazing job on this outfit. I can't wait to see the pictures.

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  18. I really liked your pieces. The sewing technique at the beginning of the seam is really rather old, I think. I remember my grandmother starting her seams this way. Maybe she didn't have a reverse on her sewing machine. I do like the idea of being more precise at the beginning of the seam.

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