Jean Jacket Now Finished

I just finished making the buttonholes and sewing the buttons on the jean jacket that I wrote about in my post on April 3^rd.  It is a relief to finally have it totally done!  A picture of the jacket is shown below.

 

I learned some lessons from making that jacket.  The first lesson learned was make sure you start with the correct size.  I believe the first pattern I tried to fit was at least one size too large for me.  If I had tried a different size, it might have worked.

The second lesson was to always keep a written list of any changes you make to your muslin.  In the future I will immediately write down each change as I make it.  I do that sometimes, but failed to do it this time.  I made a lot of changes and I forgot to transfer some of them to my pattern before I cut the grape denim.  It was fortunate for me that I had enough extra fabric to recut three pieces after I discovered my errors. 

When you are making changes, it is important to think about other pieces of the pattern that may be affected by those changes.  For example, if you do a full bust adjustment (FBA), it will affect both the width and length of the front bodice piece.  If your pattern has a front facing piece, it will no longer fit onto the front bodice unless you remember to lengthen it.  If you add or subtract width to the hip area of the back as I did with the jean jacket, then the lower back facing must be adjusted as well.

I learned the hard way that it is important to think through a sewing project not only before you begin, but as you make changes to the pattern.  You should also make sure you have all your supplies before you begin just in case you need to order something you cannot get locally.

Good luck with your sewing projects. 

Judy