Developing the "Casual" Jacket

[jruley]

ONCE MORE: CHECK WETHER THE WAISTLINE MEETS YOUR BODY`S WAIST!!!

My wife and I both checked, and believe it or not, it's right at the black line.

Waist suppression darts are now sewn in.  Fish darts at the (advanced) side seams, and the chest darts sloped a little more from waist line to hem to act like a belly dart.  Sewing these seems to have settled down the right chest.  I didn't notice the little flaw at the bottom of the right side dart until getting the pictures ready to post.









Not to jump the gun, but I thought this looked good enough to add the sleeves:













And here is the collar, plus a little more taken out of the right side dart at the hem:

[peterle]

from the chest towards the side seam waist a diagonal fold is developing. this indicates the side seam surpression is too much or/and too low.

the hem-waist ration of the fronts isn´t harmonic also, there is an (inward) bulge forming around the waistline/ front dart. you can try to remove it by taking out a little at the waist, or be decreasing the belly dart a bit.

Why don´t you sew the folds at the back? The waist surpression won´t work with open folds.


The collar version seems to pull the garment out of position. Maybe the collar is too short? Be aware that the neckhole of a jacket has to be wider than a shirt neckhole because it has to be roomy enough for a shirt collar ecc.

[jruley]

from the chest towards the side seam waist a diagonal fold is developing. this indicates the side seam surpression is too much or/and too low.

the hem-waist ration of the fronts isn´t harmonic also, there is an (inward) bulge forming around the waistline/ front dart. you can try to remove it by taking out a little at the waist, or be decreasing the belly dart a bit.

So, summing up these two, I should probably take a little more at the front waist and a little less at the side?  Or maybe make the side darts taller?

Why don´t you sew the folds at the back? The waist surpression won´t work with open folds.

If you look closely, the folds are sewn across horizontally just above the waist for the full depth of the pleat (2").  This seems to secure them in place pretty effectively as they are not gaping.

The collar version seems to pull the garment out of position. Maybe the collar is too short? Be aware that the neckhole of a jacket has to be wider than a shirt neckhole because it has to be roomy enough for a shirt collar ecc.

The collar probably is too short, the neckhole has gotten longer with the new yoke.  I need to check the seam length and alter the collar pattern.

[peterle]

So, summing up these two, I should probably take a little more at the front waist and a little less at the side?  Or maybe make the side darts taller?

Yes, you can try. The side seam surpression should reach the chestline anyway so "taller" is not possible, but maybe the darts widest part should be higher let´s say about 2" above your waistline.

The back waist surpression explained in #71 ( wich has to be done additionally to the back dart of# 63) was meant to get the back of the garment nearer to the body above the waistline. This will not work when folds are not sewn vertically for the 3-4", because there is no pull. But maybe you prefer it blousy.

[jruley]

Yes, you can try. The side seam surpression should reach the chestline anyway so "taller" is not possible, but maybe the darts widest part should be higher let´s say about 2" above your waistline.

I misunderstood, I thought the dart should end between the chest and waist lines.  I will try extending it to the chest line and maybe moving the widest point up.

Meanwhile, the latest changes.  I ripped off the collar, leaving the ends sewn in place, then cut it in two on the centerline.  I pinned the pieces back in place on the neck seam and discovered an additional 1-1/2" of length was needed.  The collar seems to lie much better now.

I also took out a little more width at the waist line in each chest dart.  Maybe this was too much since the back pleats are now gaping:









Here I have pinned the bottom of the pleats closed for about 3".  It reduces the gaping but does not seem to make much difference to the shape of the garment.

[jruley]

Here the side darts have been extended to the chest line, with their widest point 1" above it.  Back pleats are unpinned again.

Don't know what happened to the back of the left shoulder, since I didn't make any changes there.  Probably just put it on carelessly.

[peterle]

collar and belly look good now I think, and the front side seam shape looks good also. the shape of the jacket is a lot nicer.

For the back: surpression didn´t change a lot. problem of the pinned (and less obviouse also for the unpinned) version could be the vertically sewn pleats. they pull  the waistline up a bit because they are too short. free the pleats and look if ther´s a difference.

having the waist surpression that far outside of the ideal place usually demands to stretch the side seam of the back with the iron around the area of the waistline (before sewing). this would allow the center back to move inwards.

[jruley]

having the waist surpression that far outside of the ideal place usually demands to stretch the side seam of the back with the iron around the area of the waistline (before sewing). this would allow the center back to move inwards.

So, you are saying the waist suppression darts should not be part of the folds?  Your previous explanations confused me.

If there should be separate back darts, how far inside of the folds should they be?

[posaune]

Jim, look at a draft of a coat with side panels. Exactly there should the dart be.
With a rounded back and strong shoulderblades it can give difficulties when you do the pleat in one part there maybe not enough length in the pleat's body. I hope, I have understood it clearly.

lg
posaune

[jruley]

Jim, look at a draft of a coat with side panels. Exactly there should the dart be.

Thank you.  I am not sure from the diagram where this dart should be.  Is it a third of the way from the side seam to CB?  Half way?

I could make my back panel narrower overall (move the pleat lines horizontally), or I could angle them like the pattern peterle posted.  But I need to know how to locate the dart first.

[jruley]

Here is an original officer's Ike jacket I did some insignia sewing on a few years ago.  This is not the blousy enlisted version but was cut down from an officer's tunic.

Notice that it has a CB seam, though it's hard to tell how much it was shaped...

[jruley]

Here is another idea for waist shaping with a flat back.  This is my dad's USAF Ike jacket from 1962.  Note the four tiny box pleats above the belt:



I tried pinning two pleats near the center in my toile.  They definitely shape up the back, but now it is bulging:

[jruley]

This is a German uniform jacket (fliegerbluse) from WWII.  Is this the kind of waist dart you were thinking of?

[jruley]

So, I decided to try putting two fish shaped darts in the back waist.  I chose 3" from the pleats because I thought it would be far enough away to not disturb them.

This seems much better than the box pleat idea:

[jruley]

Here I have replaced the right sleeve with a more finished design.  1/4" longer, with a 2-1/2" wide functional band cuff.  The sleeve is cut in two pieces with some round on the back seam for a better fit over the elbow.  I also included a sewn-in gusset in the armhole, for better arm movement.