Another Swing Jacket

On Stitcher's Guild, my favorite sewing site, we talked recently about Tried 'n True (TNT) patterns that we all love. One of my favorites TNTs happens to be the Christine Jonson #519 Swing Jacket which I modified in two ways for a closer fit in the underarm area.

One modification scoops in the original pattern's flat sleeve where it joins the armhole in the underarm area. This effectively shortens the armhole depth, allowing for a higher armhole and thus a slightly more fitted look in the bodice and upper bodice.For some of my earlier versions of this jacket, I used that modified deep set sleeve option.


The other modification is a complete redesign of the sleeve and armhole for a set in sleeve. This provides the a more streamlined look for the pattern. For this jacket I used my set-in sleeve modificaton. It results in a more fitted bodice and upper bodice area and, on me at least, is more flattering than the original pattern design.

As with many sewing projects, it was the fabric that defined the choice of pattern. It is a really striking Carolina Herrera silk/wool/nylon jacquard, purchased at Waechter's Silk Shop in Asheville, NC. That fabric shop has some of the most beautiful fabrics I have ever seen, and as soon as I saw this unusual blend, I knew I had to have it.

Since this is a TNT pattern, I have made it before. Four times. With a variety of fabrics. Here are the photos of those previous jackets. If you click on any of the photos it will take you to the Flicker photo set. with more views and information.

Newest Jacket Photos:

Left Front view: The fabric consists of wavy rows of large flowers. The effort to place the pattern pieces so that the fronts would be mirror images of each other resulted in this interesting medallion pattern:

Right Front view:

Neckline closeup view: I think the neckline and front opening on this Christine Jonson pattern is one of the most striking elements of its design. It's very flattering, the way it frames the face and then opens up for the drama of the swing shape. The collar is a cut on collar with a center back seam.

Back view: You can see the wave patterning of the flowers on this back view, in which the center back seam was eliminated.

Lining view: Initially, I chose to finish each seam allowance and the front opening edge with a Hong Kong finish, since the jacket was to be unlined. However, when the jacket was finished, I felt it really needed a lining to make it more substantial, and for ease of wear.

Lining closeup:

Pattern Used:

Christine Jonson Swing Jacket # 519, available at Christine Jonson's website or at The Sewing Place.

Pattern photos:

Materials:
Fabrics:
Raisin and silver silk/wool/nylon blend jacquard for Carolina Herrera, purchased at Waechter's Silk Shop, Asheville, NC

Here is the online photo of that fabric, as Waechter's displays it. I chose to use the other side of the fabric, where the flowers are silver and the background is raisin.

Silver Ambiance for lining: from stash

Chocolate Ambiance for Hong Kong finish: from stash

Thread:
TIRES 100% silk thread (monofilament) in sewing machine
MaxiLock 100% polyester thread in serger

Machine Needles:

Size 80 Universal

Machines:
Janome 6600 computerized sewing machine
Elna Pro 905 DCX computerized serger

Things I did with this project (that weren't in the pattern instructions):

1. Eliminated the center back seam.

2. Reshaped the sleeve and the armhole to accommodate a high pitch set in sleeve.

3. Reshaped the side seams for a closer fit through the bodice and mid-back.

4. Inserted a lining

5. Finished seam allowances with a Hong Kong Finish

Things I learned, or was reminded of in this project:

I have a relatively new Janome 6600 machine with an Accu-Feed feature, which is a differential feed. I had never used that Accu-Feed feature before in garment construction. I have to say that I loved using it for attaching the bias strips for the Hong Kong finish. The fabric fed smoothly, and neither the jacquard nor the bias Ambiance stretched during the application. To make it work, I used these machine accessories:

1. Single hole needle plate

2. Accufeed 1/4 inch machine foot

3. Accufeed stitch in the ditch foot

Things I would do differently, were I to make this jacket again:

1. Widen the sleeve.

I have always liked the narrowed sleeve look of the original pattern. I think it contrasts nicely with the volume of the hem.

I have made this design in knits and wovens, and each time I have made it, I have adapted the pattern to the fabric used. My goal is to find a design that works well with both knits and wovens. For knits, I have used a flatter sleeve head design, but with the armholes raised significantly. For wovens, as with this project, I used the high set in sleeve modification.

This is the most unforgiving fabric (as far as a stretch factor) which I have used to date, and I consequently widened the sleeves from just above the elbows down to the wrist. It fits well, but I'd like a little more ease next time, so I modified the pattern for deeper seam allowances in that area. That way I can adjust the fit of the lower portion of the sleeves for whatever type of fabric I will use.

2. Underline the fabric

I originally planned on this being an unlined jacket, since the reverse side is as beautiful as the public side. In fact, I even matched the prints of the pocket fabrics so that when you got a glimpse of the inside of the jacket, the pockets would blend in. For that reason, I did not stabilize the fabric with silk organza, which would have been my inclination. After the fact, I decided to add a lining, so I could have underlined the fabric, at least through the upper back area, but most likely throughout.

Possible Error in Original Pattern

In my version of this pattern, which I bought many years ago, there was an error in the shoulder seam.

When the center front of a pattern and the center back of a jacket are overlapped on one another, and allowance is made for the ease in the back shoulder seamline, two things must exist for the jacket to hang properly.

1. The shoulder angles should overlap identically. That is, the angle of the front shoulder seamline should be identical to that of the back shoulder seamline and they should overlap perfectly.

2. The length of the shoulder seams (once the ease allowed in the back seamline is pinched out) should be identical. That is the front shoulder seamline should be the same as the back shoulder seamline, after back shoulder seamline ease is accounted for.

With the pattern that I had, the shoulder seamline angles did not overlap when I overlapped the center back and the center front. They also did not meet at the same point at the shoulder/neckline intersection.

I fixed that problem by redrawing the shoulder angles, splitting the difference between the two, and making sure that they met at the shoulder/neck intersections and at the shoulder/armhole intersection.