More on the New Jacket

Good Evening Everyone,

I thought that you might be interested in the construction of the free form jacket that I am currently working on.  I use a few different methods when creating free form, and this time I decided to use the template method.    Several years ago I bought a Simplicity jacket pattern.  I cut the pieces out of polar fleece to create a template that I could use over and over again.  I find using this cloth pattern, especially when beginning a garment, a little easier than working right from my dress form. It makes handling and sewing of the many smaller pieces much easier. It also takes the guesswork out of getting a proper fit.   As I make each scrumble, I pin it right to the polar fleece.  I do not start sewing together immediately, but move the scrumbles around a little till I find the right "fit".  When I am sure of the placement, I start sewing.  I continue to work in this manner, usually working from top to bottom, until done. 

You will notice on the sleeves in the pictures, that I started sewing the top parts, but have not sewn the bottom at all.  I knew how I wanted the the cap and the cuffs to look, so I did them first, now I am working on filling in the center.  The cuffs will be the last things that I sew. 

I made the back and fronts in the same way, trying it on the dress form only after I got quite a few pieces sewn together.  In this way, I could really see how it was coming together and how it would fit. 

Free Form is definitely not your weekend project, but I love working in this manner and I love the results.  I hope that I have encouraged some of you to give it a try. 

Have a good night

Margaret