La Roux-Look What You Do!

Yes, this is the jacket after
a weekend of Halloween partying...

DD got me to hurry up and finish the jacket- something I DON'T like! The result is never what I want, and this time was no different. The lining and vent seams are not to my normal standards but what can you do? She wanted to wear it Friday before Halloween so I sewed till my fingers bled- literally. Good thing this jacket is cotton and washable!

I never had time to finish the buttonholes before she started wearing it and when she came home and I looked at that collar... That's it! I thought. Why bother. She'd been spraying her hair red to look like La Roux.

But then I started scrubbing, using a nail brush, cold, then hot, water and lots of soap. Nearly all came out, but I see the jacket is still dirty in some places. What, did she roll in a pile a dirt?... Teenagers...

Here are some shots from today after finishing the buttonholes and buttons. My gravity feed iron water tank came crashing down from the ceiling on Friday while I was in a frenzy to the finish line, but isn't that always how it goes. Anyway, that's why the pressing is not happening at the moment.

The original jacket by
Jean-Charles de Castelbajac 

La Roux must have made a patch on the lower left front pocket, covering up the green with a black and white scribble paint. I painted a white pocket using Jacquard fabric paint. Because this is a fitted jacket whereas the original is straight cut, I had to use some trickery to get a balanced angular effect. The lower pockets are cut straight parallel to center front and the corners are not at 90 degree angle to one another. I shaped it on the form to get the best effect.

Likewise, the rectangles on the side/back had to undergo a little "optical illusion" as well. I used Steam A Seam to temporary bond in place and then hand stitched.

Below is how I did all the binding, curtesy of Roberta Carr, of course! She doesn't mention Steam A Seam but I'm sure she'd approve of cutting corners once in a while, don't you think?

ClaireOKC asked if I've taken any classes with Roberta Carr:

I wish! Her book is a treasure-trove of helpful information and I can only imagine how wonderful she must have been in person.

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Sleeve vent

Working vent

The pattern I used was BurdaStyle 11-2009-119, doubt a review would be very useful. Can't even remember what changes I made... DD is very happy, people wanted to know where she got her jacket, and everyone knew who she was dressed up as.  Guess La Roux is a big deal. And now, thanks to a good scrubbing, she can continue to wear it. Just don't let anyone look too closely at the finishes!!!