Unforgettable and Unpredictable

Oh thank you all so very much for keeping me sane and all (most) admitting that you too remembered Rive Gauche - you really have no idea how reassuring all those comments were after that surreal episode in the fabric shop.

And to make me even happier Anon has stopped commenting too. So thanks for the advice on that front too.

So back to Rive....

A cotton/linen mix in soft black. I'm not a big fan of black but I'm trying to introduce it gradually into my wardrobe, especially when I see the creations that Shams and Margy produce in monochrome. I know that black on black does not work for me so I always aim to add a splash of colour somewhere to lift it.

The pattern is a long jacket - McCalls 5938, sadly OOP, but still available on their website.

Semi-fitted, lined jacket with welt pockets and flaps, back princess seams, notched collar, two-piece sleeves with button trim, shoulder pads, back vent opening and below hipline length.

I added three buttons to the front and made the ones on the sleeves work properly - my construction  was somewhere between home sewer and tailoring - damn you Ms Schaeffer! I must now tape my front edges and padstitch the collar: my linings must be fell stitched in place and my vented sleeve buttons must open. I used a fusible interfacing (first time ever) for the fronts and lapels and I did try a new technique for the sleeve heads too and was mightily impressed with the results. 

You all know that the hole the sleeve goes into and the sleeve are two different sizes and shapes? And you do all that stuff with gathering stitches and easing and pins and stuff on the sleeve? Well try this....you either need a mannequin or a live person.

Hang the jacket on the mannequin (or model) with shoulder pad in place and pinch the excess fullness at the back. Using a hand worked chain stitch distribute this fullness over the sleeve head creating little puckers as you sew. Press these little gathers out with steam and the sleeve head will shrink to this shape.

 See the pic below. On the left - stitched and steamed and fitted to the mannequin. On the right - as nature intended - baggy and loose.

While the jacket is cooling and drying, gather the sleeve crown on the sleeves with a loose running stitch. Pull the threads to create the familiar gathers and secure them. Now press the crown, shrinking out the gathers to create a smooth and curved shape to the sleeve.

Hopefully by now, the two are a better fit for each other - the sleeve head and the sleeve crown - so carry on and insert the sleeve in your preferred manner. One word of caution and that is keep the sleeve hanging straight - don't twist it or pull it.

Sew in the shoulder pads for real and always, always, insert some wadding in the sleeve head for shape and structure. See a good tailoring book on how to do this properly. These books are worth their weight in gold for this instruction alone and even if you are only making a casual jacket, like this one, a perfect sleeve is worth it. 

And there is it - no puckers or gathers - went in first time and hangs beautifully. 

 And the Rive Gauche blue?

For the lining, my dears, and the working sleeve hems to roll up and reveal the flash of colour. And I'll look just like Claudia Winkleman from the Great British Sewing Bee.

 Vented pockets with flaps

Three buttons, not one























I have a similar coloured blouse made years ago which accidentally matches well. So I have my black and my colour.

Long to hide the behind with a centre back vent

 Do I look like a Rive Gauche bottle?