Londa’s 2 Cents Worth

Plaza Jacket & Pant

The Sewing Workshop

General Observations

            I’ve been anxious to sew this pattern for many months – and have now made the jacket twice (first, in a lightweight rayon print; second in a gorgeous reversible lightweight wool/lycra blend).   The first time I made the jacket – I made it as directed – and was not happy with as short as it turned out in back.  Stitched as directed, it was quick to make – only 1 ½  (1.5) hours to actually stitch!  Sew….I lengthened for the wool jacket and was MUCH happier.  Take special note of this alteration suggestion – as I think lengthening the back will make this a far, far more flattering jacket for anyone. 

           I just finished the pants – with some design alterations, and I think it is quite ‘interesting’.  For certain, this is a good pattern if you need a lengthening effect.  Those ‘pleats’ down the front are great for that purpose – especially for a fairly wide legged pant as this is. 

Jacket Front                 Jacket Back    Pant                    Entire look

·        My design ‘alteration’ on the jacket is as follows:

Lengthen the center back – tapering to original length at the side seam of the back.  (There is a ramification of this at the side seam – this refinement will follow).  My wool is lengthened just 6” – but I can see it lengthened as much as 14”! 

·        My design ‘alterations on the pant’ are as follows

1.     Lacking enough fabric, I elected to diagonally slash the Inner Leg #5 piece just below the knee.  I ‘piped’ with a flat flange of the reverse of the fabric to accent this new design line.

2.     To carry through the reverse fabric (a heathery brown) from the reverse hems on the jacket, I elected to add a seam at the fold of the pleat and seam a strip in with the brown side facing out.  This accents the topstitched pleat by letting that brown color ‘peak’ from the reverse of that pleat.  I quite like the effect!

I will also add that on the pant – using this stripe was a little challenge.  I carefully and strategically placed the stripe line along the pleat line and cut each let separately – making sure that each let was identically placed.  I was pretty successful at this – though I slipped up just a bit on one of the lower inner leg pieces – but if I didn’t tell you this – you’d never know! J

 Suggested Fabrics:  The jacket design lends itself to many different fabrics, and having made it twice, I thoroughly agree that all the suggested fabrics would be quite nice.  Since the pant is quite wide-legged, I would recommend any fabric that ‘hangs thin’, and not a fabric that does not drape, or is heavy or stiff

Design Ideas: 

·        Is the backside of your fabric interesting?  Instead of turning hems to wrong side, turn them to the RIGHT side.  (This is what I did on my reversible wool jacket).  For a nice finish, you’ll need to clip to seam at the hem folds and stitcht  the seam opposite (it will become obvious!  J)

·        Stencil on hem areas.

·        Stamp – emboss on hem areas with an acrylic or rubber stamp – say on Slinky or Polar Fleece.

·        Stitch – rows of stitching in the hem area.  Test ahead – you might need to add some stabilizing interfacing on the inside.

·        Make of denim and then do hand Sashiko stitching – how about using a primary color variegated Jeans Stitch thread?  

·        Couch a yarn (s) along the hem stitching line.  I did this on my jacket – at the edge of the reversed hem.  Use clear thread and a zig zag wide enough to hold down the yarn.  Loosen your upper tension to prevent any bobbin thread from peeking through.    

 Jacket

The layouts and yardages are based on a crosswise fold cutting scheme – meaning that:  S/L = selvage

·        For a lengthwise stripe – the stripes would go ACROSS the garment front and back. (yuck!) and up and down on the sleeve. 

·        For a crosswise stripe – the stripes would go up and down on the garment front and back (around on the sleeves). 

This became very obvious to me as I was laying out my vertical striped fabric – and I’m very glad I realized it, as even at 5’ 8.5”, I wouldn’t want those stripes going around me! 

Yardage requirements for 60” for all sizes: 

Reduce the yardage to 1 5/8*(1.625) instead of 2 yards by:

Off setting the fold so that it is just deep enough for the Front (1) and Back (2) pieces.  This will (should) leave a single layer hunk of fabric along the side where you can fit in the sleeve (4).

*If you lengthen the back of the jacket at the center back, tapering to original length at the sides, (I lengthened my wool by 6” ) – but I can envision lengthening it as much as 14” – even doing that, 1 ¾ 1.75 yards will be adequate if you follow the above layout.  

Yardage requirements for 45”

Note that on the layout, there are 2 schemes – the first one is for Sizes L, XL, XXL.  The 2nd layout is for XS, S, M.

For Sizes L, XL, XXL – there is ample yardage allowed to lengthen the back – in fact, up to 15” – as the Sleeve (4) is 19” long.  All you would need to do is scoot the Sleeve (4) over to the right, and move down the facing (3) – which is 3.75”deep. 

For sizes XM, S, M – you will need to add 2 times any length you add to the center back.  

Size Considerations

I would recommend that you use a size smaller than you would normally use – as this is a very, very loose jacket. 

If Lengthening the Back – Follow these Directions to properly Alter Your Pattern!

1.  Place a hunk of tissue under the Back (2) and tape to the hem – be sure the tissue  extends several inches past the side seam.

2.  Establish how much longer you want the center back – I suggest at least 6”. point ( you will end up having to add a ‘dart’ or miter in the center back because this becomes an additional  point).

3.  Draw a diagonal from this center back point over to the original bottom cut edge at the side seam.

4.  Fold the hem on the tissue as it will be on the garment, then take your rotary cutter or scissors and cut along the cutting line at the side seam (with the hem folded back). 

5.  Unfold hem – you will see a weird extension (triangular, widget type of thingie) at the side seam – but this will make it work…I promise!  Without doing this – you’ll be ‘up a creeek”.  L

Following along in the Guide Sheet…

Preparation and Hem pressing with templates – this is a WONDERFUL technique that Sewing Workshop patterns introduced to me and I have used it EXTENSIVELY in all my sewing!  Do what it says!!!

  Don’t skip the staystitching first step!  In my ‘book’ – NEVER skip staystitching!

Attach Back Facing as per directions.  

The Shoulder Seams direct a Flat-Fell Seam.

If you’ve never done this type of seam before, do take scraps of fabric (or paper) and try it first. This creates a nice, finished seam on the inside.  However, if you desire to just seam conventionally and nicely finish the seams, that would work fine too. (Skip ahead in the directions and consider the seam finish as given for the Side Seams – also read my suggestions below).  The inside of these seams is not seen on the outside of the jacket anyway.  

With my striped fabric, I had a challenge to match up the stripes along here – both in cutting, and in sewing.  I ‘almost’ got it perfect, but elected to ‘divert the eye’ by couching a wonderful grey alpaca yarn along both the seam and the finishing stitching.

Follow as directed, but you will have to cut off that notch on the back shoulder when you stick that seam into the fold of the front. 

I would be sure to ‘seal the seam’ after stitching by pressing flat – this embeds the fibers of the threads into the garment fabric.  THEN, press seam towards the back – and I would do from BOTH sides of the garment.  Instead of stitching close to the fold on the inside, I would rather stitch an equidistant amount from the seam line on the right hand side of the jacket.  When I do this I make use of the side of the foot – and changing the position of my needle to achieve the exact and equidistant stitching placement. 

Design Idea:  If you’ve adopted some design stitching idea for the hems, you might want to carry this through here on the shoulders as well…

Pressing Hems and Mitering Corners

These directions are quite good EXCEPT I do NOT  trim off the ‘corner’ of the miter as it directs.  Claire Shaeffer taught a class at my shop in April 2003 and I learned from her that leaving these corners intact actually helps SUPPORT the corner.  I know this is contrary to what you’ve probably been taught, but it works – try it!

The other refinement I would make to the directions as given, is that I unfold the very outermost 3/8” fold and only stitch TO that point – I think this allows a nicer finish on the corners.

Side Seams

Follow directions – though consider doing as I did – and for the Edgestitching – use a Zig Zag stitch – with Monofilament thread so that the monofilament is on the right side of the fabric (what will be seen inside).  I feel the zig zag flattens this edge better, and with the monofilament, it is not seen.  This same seam finish could be used at the shoulders in place of the Flat Fell Seam. 

You might want to skip ahead to the sleeve at this time – since you’ll be using the same finishing technique, and you may as well do this while you have your machine threaded with the monofilament…

Hems

I would never have success doing only as it directs!  Minimally, I would ‘stick’ and firm up the stitching area by sticking in some narrow fusible web strips between the garment and hem.  I might also hand baste using silk thread. 

Sleeves

The directions are fine – follow them.  If you used my seam finish above on the side seams, do the same here on the sleeve seams.  Carry through any design idea you used on the fronts on the sleeves as well…

Be SURE to note on the next to the last diagram in the first column, that you stitch from DOT to hem.  This is VERY important!!!!

For sleeve hems – do the same as I suggested with fusible web on the front hems.

Pant

The first note directs that the hem will be finished before “the waistband is completed”.  ????  The waistband has nothing to do with it – but rather that their directions want you to handle the stitching at the front tuck like a pleat on a skirt – fine, we can do that another way and make this construction all MUCH easier. They have you hem the leg before sewing the inseam.   I’m pretty picky about the length of my pant leg, so I would never hem it before stitching to the point I could fit and pin a hem.  It’s up to you – but I’ll include here how I ordered my construction…

Size Considerations

Observing that there is no side seam, but rather just the ‘design’ front pleat, and the sketched  garment, I suspected that this was amply sized.  Upon careful measuring of the pant hip width as it would be finished, I found that at a 9” hip, a Large (hip from their chart up to size 18 of 43.5”) would measure 46” around.  Therefore, I elected to cut the Size Medium to accommodate my 42” hip.   You might want to make some similar determinations. 

Finishing of Seams to begin with…

I personally don’t see the purpose of this.  The front leg seam can easily be finished once it is stitched – and, in fact, doing so will flatten it.  Inseams can be finished once they are stitched – finishing them (serging) together and pressed towards the back.  For crotch seams, I always trim them pretty small and serge anyway… so I skipped this step. 

Read through and understand their directions for ordering of construction…

Then, read through my order and decide for yourself how YOU want to do this!  (email me with which way you elected – I’d be REAL interested!  londa@londas-sewing.com  J)

What follows here are MY directions for constructing the pant. 

1.  Press front tuck to the wrong side along foldline (which is 1 3/8” from the front edge).  Test first– but for a nice, sharp crease, vinegar in water along this edge will help to ‘set’ the crease nicely.

2.  Stitch this large Side and Back Piece (6) to the long straight edge of the Inner Leg piece (5).  This is a Straight grain seam – and the threads are quite strong lengthwise.  The technique to use in stitching any straight grain seam is to sew quite TAUT – meaning that you ‘pull’ evenly from the back and front of the fabric as it feeds through the presser foot. 

3.  Seal this seam by pressing flat, just as you stitched. 

4.  Finish this seam by serging together.

5.  Skip down to last step on Page 3 of the Directions – where you , with the right side of the leg out (though it is flat at this point following my directions) – and align the folded edge of the tuck to the tuck placement line.  The seam allowance you just created in the last step should face to the outer side of the leg.  Hand baste (with silk thread) along the fold of this tuck. 

6.  Pull out that Quilting Guide that hides in your machine accessory box, OR grab your Chakoner (or any marker that you have TESTED to be SURE that it will either brush off or wash out) and mark a line equidistant from  the fold line on which to stitch.  You can see how deep this would be, because their directions have you doing this stitching from the WRONG side right over the previous seamline.  I personally NEVER do stitching from the inside when it will be seen on the outside of a garment.   (This is SEW much easier than stitching this crucial topstitching both from the wrong side, and in the tube of the finished leg as they direct you to do!)

Stitch this tuck then, from the RIGHT side of the garment – BUT, stop at about 5” or so from the hem edge!  Leave long threads so they can be pulled to the inside, knotted, and the thread tails ‘buried’.  (I always bury threads, rather than cutting close to a know – cutting close to a knot is asking that knot to come undone eventually!) 

7.  NOW – stitch the inner leg seam, and finish.  I always just serge these edges together, pressing towards the back. Be sure to ‘seal the seam’ by pressing flat. 

8.  Stitch the crotch seam as shown. I finish by serging – leaving only ¼” or seam allowance. 

Waist Finish  

This pattern was published in 2002.  Waistlines have definitely ‘lowered’ shall we say, since then….so, I decided to do a ‘flat’ elastic waist finish, replacing the waistband as directed.  I will add as well that I put darts in the back, using Loes Hinse’s European Pant for my darts.  This reduced the bulk in the back substantially.  Make sure that the pant top edge has been taken in at the seams and darts so that it is just big enough to get up over your hips - as you don't want much excess all puckered up around your waist.  Cut the elastic 1" or so wide - evenwider...) and as long as necessary to give you the fit you desire at the waist.  Butt the ends together and zig zag over a piece of scrap lightweight fabric (I usually have something inmy waste can!).  Stitch elastic onto the RIGHT, OUTSIDE of the waistline in a 1/4" seam, stretching it to fit the top of the pant.   Turn the elastic into the inside - and you'll see how nicely the pant fabric wraps the upper edge of the elastic.  Now, Do NOT stitch it down, but rather just stitch in the ditch vertically through side seams, center back, center front, and in any darts to hold the elastic down and in place. 

They are OK – but I prefer an even ‘flatter’ no-puckers waist look.  Sew… I will insert a center back invisible zipper on the next pair I do, allowing the top waist measurement to be closer to my ‘waist’, because the pant opens to put up and down, rather than having no opening, and the waist circumference necessarily being equal to my hip measurement. 

The Waistband directions as they are given look OK – I do like how it is flat in the very front.  I plan to make these pants again, and out of a lighter fabric – perhaps black linen – so with that pair, I’ll follow the waist finish as given…perhaps!  J

Hem Finish

Try on the pant with shoes you plan to wear with them, and pin your hem.  Press hem.  Trim so hem allowance is equidistant.  Finish the edge (I prefer serging).  Hand stitch with a Tailor’s Catch Hem.

Now – it is time to complete that front tuck stitching.  Fold and baste as you had when stitching the tuck, and complete the stitching, right through the hem.  Secure threads at top and bottom of this stitching as previously discussed.

Copyright 2006  Londa J. Rohlfing