Friday, January 14, 2011

Wherein I inadvertently sew a sausage casing

Greetings from my new apartment.  The natural light here is fabulous.  It's a new year, new apartment, and new job.  Now that I've told all the important people in my life, I figure I'll share a little bit of my non-sewing life with my online friends.  This fall was a frenzy of job searching and ending my postdoc research position.  Everything ended on December 31st -- my job, and my apartment lease -- without any way to extend either.  I was counting on what everyone was telling me, "It'll all work out," so I hadn't made a request to extend either one in time.

And things did work out.  What can I say, I live a charmed life?  With 15 days left in 2010, I was offered a grownup job and 2 days later I found an apartment.  I finally signed an employment contract on the 4th, and turned a year older on the 6th, leaving for the first vacation in 5 years on the 7th.  Now I'm back and have 2 and a half weeks till my job starts.  I plan to spend this time relaxing, doing some visiting with friends, and sewing new clothes for my job.  The last few weeks have been moving, wrapping up the postdoc work, and running around buying furniture (more shopping than I've done in a year.)

I'd been sewing all along, but from October through oh, today, my life has been really hectic and my blog was the first to get neglected.  

It's tempting to blame the looming stress of potential unemployment and homelessness for the outcome of this coat (at the time, I would completely forget where I had put my car which made picking up furniture really difficult!) but I honestly don't think I've made a mistake.  This coat is Burda 09-2010-101, a petite dress coat that I thought would be pretty marvy in a light wool coating.  I traced and cut a size 19, which is my size, and this is what happened.

I have it pinned just shy of center front and am only wearing a t-shirt underneath.  There is no hope for this if I were to wear, say, a sweater.  Extremely impractical for New England.
Front view, much more snug than anticipated.

From the back, it's not so readily noticeable but who wants to stand in a corner all day?
Having put it on again today, I think I also sewed the sleeves on backwards but at this point that's the least of the fit problems.  I don't know how this could have happened, other than Burda either drafted this small for "petites" or it's intended to fit more like a dress than a coat?

From the magazine  photo, I get the sense that you're not supposed to wear this closed.  Maybe it fits the model like a sausage casing as well and she just opted to leave it open? 

Burda 09-2010-101, not to be viewed from the front.  Ever.

So promising.  Maybe in a larger size?
 I'm going to leave it at this: if you are teeny, and interested in finishing the coat get in touch with me.  m3li88a(at)gmail(dot)com.  I will send this to you if you want to finish and wear it.  I had a friend who is an inch smaller in the bust and waist try this on and it was still too small for her.  I think that you will need to be 31" or smaller in the bust, have a waist of 24" or smaller and be willing to put up with possibly backwards sleeves as well as bagging the lining and adding snaps... the coat is unhemmed.  I'm going to keep this for a couple days to see if anyone's interested, but after that it'll be considered a wadder.  Sad, I hate seeing things go to waste.

Here is a photo of the lining, if you're inclined.  The fabric is lighter than a melton, heavier than a gabardine.  To be completely frank, I am a little disappointed in the quality -- it was pilling as I was cutting and marking.  Maybe, given that and the possibly backwards sleeves, this should head straight to wadder heaven?


16 comments:

  1. The coat does look great from the back. The only thing that looks wrong with the front to me is that you may have needed to lover the bust point. Looks like it would have been a wonder coat...but we learn from our mistakes. Ask me how I know!

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  2. oh, ouch. Definitely too small in the bust. How did you pick the size? Did you measure your full bust and go from there? No hanky-panky with going by your usual US size, right? Because Burda translates US sizes two sizes too small..
    Nothing should ever really be worn/tried on without an anchor point right between the breasts, but this one doesn't look like it'd help. If you fabric is so light, it couldn't be the problem. It's really supposed to be a coat, and not an unlined summer jacket.
    Ah well, congratulations on all the rest though :-).

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  3. Sorry about the sausage casing. It had a lot of cute potential--what a disappointment! But congratulations on the new job and new place with great lighting. And the 2 1/2 vacation until you start your new job!

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  4. Odd that the front is so much smaller than the back. If it was my coat I would look for the longest separating zipper I could find in a color that matches the coat fabric, preferably with brass teeth, and insert it in the center front of the coat. You could even get a zipper in a contrasting color and put the zipper on the outside of the center front for a unique look. Designers do this on dresses, google "exposed zipper" why not on a coat?

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  5. Congratulations on your new job and diggs. I'm glad I saw this post because I was interested in this pattern. The back looks fine, but there is squeeze-age in the front. Maybe a placket down the front to give more with and do similar treatment to the cuff to tie the two together visually. It's a good-looking coat and I hate to see you ditch it.

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  6. It is such a nice pattern, I love the gathered waistline - you must make it work! I'd start with turning the sleeves around - that will help more than you think. Then let out all the bodice seams - I think you will end up with a coat that at least fits over lightweight garments.!

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  7. Congrats on the job. Are you still in Boston?
    I've done something like this before, only it was a pair of pants. I adjusted the pattern to what I thought was the correct rise and width and, well, let's just say I now own a pair of trousers that fit like jeggings in the seat. I sewed these right before New Years, and I still haven't bothered to hem them since I cannot wear them in any situation where I may have to sit down (hello, crack attack) and they are so tight that the camel toe is insightly. What frustrates more is that the sewing execution was perfect and the fabric is gone. I'm trying to wear them around the house to stretch them out with hopes that they will relax enough so that I can at least wear them on the weekends.

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  8. Oh, how frustrating for you! I really do think that, if you can bear it, you should try to rescue it. It's such a nice style and if you can get it to fit I think it will really suit you.

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  9. Congrats on your job and finding a new place! Sorry to hear about your coat! Hope your next project is amazing and awesome!

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  10. Sometimes a project is so upsetting and painful that you just have to walk away. If you couldn't salvage the bottom half's wool for a skirt (maybe a seamed one or one that buttons up the front?), just toss it!

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  11. I am always a bit suspicious when Burda post photos where you can't see half the garment. Its a shame that the coat didn't work out, but its great that the important things in your life did work out!

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  12. Oooooh. That, is disappointing. Congrats on the job and apartment.

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  13. Congrats on the new job and the new apartment! That was fast! As for the coat chalk it up to a learning experience!

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  14. I agree with everyone else. Walk away from it right now and revisit it a little later. You just may be able to save it in the future. The fabric is gorgeous and I think that if you can get the fit just right, it will be a good look for you.

    Congrats on the apartment and the job.

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  15. Audrey's zipper suggestion is a good one. I was thinking that you could add a button band to both sides of the front in the same fabric if you have enough left or in plain black if this isn't possible.

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  16. Argh, too bad about the coat! I have a 31 inch bust (though NOT a 24 inch waist), so if you don't decide to salvage it (I think adding a front placket is a brilliant idea) I'll happily finish it off. I like that we share a taste for loud linings. `-)

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