Developing the "Casual" Jacket

[jruley]

Here is the finished jacket in a 12oz dark blue denim:



The cuff and breast pocket style were taken from the uniform shown in post #86:





Collar is a convertible style.  I haven't yet added a tab and button to keep it closed if desired:



Body lining is a lightweight brushed denim.  The sleeve lining was on sale with leftover Fourth of July patterns:



Back overview showing the half-belt I added at waist level.  The panel below this is cut with a slight curve so it can spread over the hips.



The back pleat and sewn-in underarm gusset:



Inspired by Henry Hall's thread, I made a matching driving cap out of leftovers:

[jruley]

And now the fit.  First over a medium weight shirt:









The back pleats and gussets allow plenty of arm movement:



And now with the thick sweater used for toile fittings:









Thanks to everyone who contributed to this, but especially peterle.  Although I didn't always take your advice, I very much appreciate your time and patience.

[Schneiderfrei]

Looks good

[Henry Hall]

Smart result sir. I particularly like the shot where you're holding the cup as a prop It has the look of short air-force uniform tunics. I like it. The back looks very neat.
What made me wince is the inside pocket running from lining to facing. I always avoid this sort of thing because it makes replacing the lining, or other repairs, a nightmare.

Your cap has far more care and attention, my excuse is that I'm stuck at home with a case of bilateral epicondylitis. Sewing is agony.

[hutch--]

Nice Jacket Jim, compliments.

[TTailor]

Looks good, well done Jim!

Slightly hijacking the original topic here, we can move this is there is alot of discussion....

What made me wince is the inside pocket running from lining to facing. I always avoid this sort of thing because it makes replacing the lining, or other repairs, a nightmare.

It is interesting because I was taught to make the inside breast pocket this way, and I still do for work. I was pondering making a change to the method for the very reasons you mention but then I thought how many times have you (in the broader sense of you) had to change the lining?
I know the jackets we make go through more wearings and cleanings than the average as they are worn onstage multiple times per week, cleaned multiple times, stored, then reused in years to come, and I don't recall seeing more than one or two instances over the years where replacing the complete lining is necessary.
I have seen a few pocket corners need repair for sure, but I don't know if it would be more or less work to repair them or replace them if they were fully inset into a wool background, other than easier access opening up the lining around the pocket.

[theresa in tucson]

J, all I can say is, WOW.  The spouse has his dad's Ike jacket from his service days and you have caught the feel of that jacket.  I especially like the back gussets.

Theresa in Tucson

[jruley]

The spouse has his dad's Ike jacket from his service days and you have caught the feel of that jacket. 

Theresa in Tucson

Thanks!  What's funny is how far this actually deviates from that style.  If you look at this illustration from the 1952 air force uniform regulations, the Ike jacket was supposed to blouse over the waistband:



I wanted a more fitted style, and I'm sure that confused peterle when I called it an "Ike" jacket.

Of course not all Ike jackets were/are the same.  The olive drab one I posted in #85 was tailored from an officer's tunic and was probably quite fitted. 

[jruley]

Slightly hijacking the original topic here, we can move this is there is alot of discussion....

What made me wince is the inside pocket running from lining to facing. I always avoid this sort of thing because it makes replacing the lining, or other repairs, a nightmare.

It is interesting because I was taught to make the inside breast pocket this way, and I still do for work. I was pondering making a change to the method for the very reasons you mention but then I thought how many times have you (in the broader sense of you) had to change the lining?
I know the jackets we make go through more wearings and cleanings than the average as they are worn onstage multiple times per week, cleaned multiple times, stored, then reused in years to come, and I don't recall seeing more than one or two instances over the years where replacing the complete lining is necessary.
I have seen a few pocket corners need repair for sure, but I don't know if it would be more or less work to repair them or replace them if they were fully inset into a wool background, other than easier access opening up the lining around the pocket.

I usually make inside pockets this way for reenactment clothing.  It's simple to make, and I often have to deal with quilted linings and facings which are not easily replaced anyway.  I like fairly deep facings, so it's hard to keep the pocket opening confined to the lining without making it so narrow as to be useless.

For an expensive wool jacket with a more traditional (and flimsier) lining, I agree it would make sense to cut an extended facing for the pocket mouth and slit/fold the lining around it.  In this case I expect the jacket shell will wear out as fast as the lining.  The construction is simple and denim is cheap, so once the jacket is significantly worn I'll just make another one.  By that time my figure will have changed anyway...

[Henry Hall]

I can concede all those points (both from Terri and Jim). For good garments the linings will likely go for the life of the garment. What I have is people who ask me if I'm able to replace a lining in a coat they have, either because they don't like the lining or it has been torn or badly stained (usually by a pen). These are often old, vintage garments, bought from eBay, with heavily-stained linings. In these cases the pocket running between lining/facing makes it near impossible. On two occasions I've dismantled the pocket mouth, re-stabilised the back and remade the whole pocket, but it's a horrible chore.

Since I've never done the facing/lining pocket myself, it seems to me like fiddly work to assemble the facing and lining and then to put a pocket it in, and then all of that flapping about when the facing it attached. I prefer the method you see on old German garments which is a rounded sort of 'Barcelona' method and the piece stitched onto the facing.

Just difference I suppose. I had always thought that the pocket running between the facing/lining like that was done deliberately by high-fashion and RTW so that it had to be chucked if damaged.

[jruley]

Since I've never done the facing/lining pocket myself, it seems to me like fiddly work to assemble the facing and lining and then to put a pocket it in, and then all of that flapping about when the facing it attached.

Here's a tutorial I wrote about it on another forum:

http://thesewingacademy.org/index.php?topic=6813.0

You can baste the pocket bag to the lining to keep it in place while attaching the lining/facing assembly.

[Henry Hall]

A good tutorial. I know how to do it, I've just never wanted to have it on anything. Not that I'm deprecating it at all.

[TTailor]

To be honest, we always machine the lining to the wool facing, make the inner breast pocket, then we sew the facing to the fronts by machine.
Of course I mark both the lining and facing from the pattern, so things do not get out of alignment. It has never seemed to be an issue, but we all bet used to our own methods and what would drive me crazy is often so eone else's comfort zone.

If one is replacing the whole lining the pocket needs to be remade anyway in matching lining, so you are dealing with the existing hole.
It is a lot of work to put new linings in old garments, since you don't have the original pattern to work from.

[peterle]

Hi, back from holidays I see you have finished the jacket. Congrats.

With the back darts, you put the back waist surpression at the best location, where it is most effectiv without distorting the clean fit. For the next jacket you can manipulate these darts away by slashing and pivoting. playing around with this method you will learn a lot how a back pattern changes it´s form.

[jruley]

Hi, back from holidays I see you have finished the jacket. Congrats.

Thank you very much.  This weekend I'm leaving for a short trip myself.

With the back darts, you put the back waist surpression at the best location, where it is most effectiv without distorting the clean fit. For the next jacket you can manipulate these darts away by slashing and pivoting. playing around with this method you will learn a lot how a back pattern changes it´s form.

When I get back, maybe we can return to the long version, and you can talk me through manipulating away the yoke darts as well?