First off, I was doubting the fleece thinking it wasn't right for the project. Gut instinct: Don't use it. But I did. So I'm thinking to myself, "Gosh, this is thick Polarfleece!" It was a nice piece from my Malden Mills mammoth remnant bag I purchased several years ago. There are pleats in the sleeves and the front outside pockets are cargo pockets with a nice, big center pleat. After sewing one of the cargo pockets, I went into my daughters' room to check some Polarfleece remnants in their closet. Yes! It is 300 weight... My machine doesn't handle 6-8 layers of 300 weight fleece well at all. Even a size 16 needle is having issues over the ultra thick layers.
On Friday I made the cargo pockets. Saturday I tried to sew the cargo pockets to the jacket. No way. It wasn't working. It is next to impossible to get straight topstitching with my machine on so many layers, and I simply won't accept that "homemade" look. What to do? Toss the cargo pockets (yeah, it hurt after all that work, sewing the velcro strips on, lining the darn thing, etc). I made patch pockets instead.
Then I had DS#1 try on the jacket. The sleeves were fine without the cuffs. The width was fine too without pleating the sleeve at the bottom. So I will have simple sleeves, no pleats. Another design change made for the fabric used.
Next up, the zipper. Forget the zipper guards. It's just not going to work with the fabric layers. So I changed the style to a center zip. I chalk mark my front where I want the zipper and take the zipper out of my supply pack. Green Pepper sent me the WRONG ZIPPER--ARGHHH!!! It's a separating zipper all right. Only it's 2-way. I specifically asked about the 28" black separating zipper for the Oregon jacket. I didn't see that size for the type of zipper needed for the jacket on their website brochure. So I'll call tomorrow for a new one. In addition, I lost one of the 45 cent cord toggles so I'll have to get that too.
The jacket now sits about 2/3's finished on my couch. The lining has been stored inside the jacket. Darn. I was really hoping to finish this jacket by tomorrow, and it's not going to happen now. It's an unfinished, temporary UFO. So I'll wait and work on Christmas presents for the girls friends and embroidery for DD#1's new jacket. Maybe clean out my sewing machine too. It's a lint-ey mess inside.
Thanks, fellow bloggers, for your comments on my last post. That sewing level stuff bothers me like an itch I can't scratch.
2 comments:
Omigosh you are a brave girl for tackling this. I would have given up long ago. Patience is obviously one of your virtues.
Don't you just hate when you don't go with your first intuition. I've been guilty of that many times. I bet it will turn out just fine in the end though!
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