Vogue 1642 - I think I overdid it!

I have so much to say about this pattern. I am just going to throw it all out there. I like it. It is warm, wooly, cozy and the perfect thing to wear with that snowy environment you see behind me. Recommended fabrics are medium weight wool, flannel and fleece. The design of this pattern makes for some serious bulk with those fabrics and that took a lot of care and attention. Because I chose a wool,  I felt my fabric required techniques that would be more involved than any fleece or flannel versions.  I did a muslin as you saw in a past post here and made even more changes, leaving the hem the length the  pattern specified and taking down the sleeve width even more. I wore this out socially last week with friends. I got oooos and ahhhs but I am still not sure where I stand on this yet. We'll discuss.................I will review this by it's parts, a bit different from my usual format but I'll start with pattern and fabric. 

Pattern:

This is Vogue 1642, rated "EASY". I do not think so. The inset corners on the collar alone take this out of easy status, right there, so be forewarned. This top has raglan sleeves fitted with darts at the shoulder which I like. The sleeves are cut VERY wide. I removed a full inch of width from them but would remove even more if I make it again. It is intentionally cut large and I like that as I most likely will have a turtleneck or sweater on underneath this top.  It also contributes to that cozy sweater-y feel. The way I constructed it makes it an outer garment if it is not super cold. There is a lot of volume here but that is well shown in the photo on the pattern envelope as well as in the width measurements on the back of the envelope. Don't be surprised unless you didn't do your due diligence. I did the XS size and the bottom width is 41 inches, pretty much the same at the bust so I didn't do my usual FBA.  I did petite the pattern as always. I also cut the height of the collar down about 3/8ths of an inch and cut down the pocket and flaps as well. 

Fabric:

The fabric is a 100% wool boucle. I believe I got it at Fabric Place Basement in Woburn. It is lovely and I am glad I used it for this design. Using this in wool, IMO, requires that it be lined. Despite the fact that wool is recommended as one of the fabrics to use, no lining is offered. Not a good idea.  What I chose to do was underline my boucle with Bemberg rayon lining fabric. It worked out well.  I did not interface the collar as I wanted a sloppier look and there were a lot of layers going on here. 

Underlining  meant the only two vertical seams were finished with a Hong Kong treatment. You can see that above as well as the lined sleeves felled to the underlining.  Since the facings would show when worn and since the boucle was bulky I bought some lovely THIN rayon ponte. Wrong move!

Sleeves:

For the sleeves I really wanted to use a Nancy Zieman technique I like and you can see more of here. The sleeves are fully lined and hand stitched to the bodice in the end and it's very easy. Initially I cut the lining wrong but I was able to piece a new lining. Unbeknownst to me, bemberg rayon has a nap so it doesn't match. Who knew? Who is going to see the inside of my sleeves? No one! The sleeves had a full inch of width removed from them from the wrist to the armpit. 

                              
I hand stitched wiggan to the hems of the sleeves to give them some more body and a bit of a roll, the way I learned with Claire Shaeffer. They would be limp other wise and I like that extra body.  

Above you can see how the sleeve was sewn to the lining at the hem edge. then the wiggan was installed and the lining pulled up and the hem pressed into place and the lining then  cut. This was all opened up again as you see above and the entire lining and sleeve seam is sewn in one operation. The sleeve is then pressed, turned and the lining fell stitched into the bodice.

Collar:

The collar consists of two sections - the back and the front part with the zipper. The back and the front both are faced with the ponte but there is a "pleated underlay" that is seamed between them at the zipper, also of the ponte. The underlay is also faced with more ponte. So at that zipper we have two layers of ponte for the underlay, another layer of ponte for the facing, the zipper tape, and the boucle, five layers in all. Then at the bottom of the collar unit we have all of that plus 4 more ponte layers for the pleats, the underlining and sewing across through the zip and inset corners. This is no easy pattern, people! Just to get things even was difficult. I never do but this time I stay stitched all edges involved on the collar and the bodice with 1.5 stitch length. I sewed in the bottom only of the collar finding the nylon coil not too bad to sew through. I also found sewing through that lightweight ponte was like sewing through iron. It took a few needle tries to get the right one, a size 16 stretch and all the layers were happy. 

Above you can see the bulge of all the layers, crazy!

After sewing that little bulky bottom part I graded out as I could, respecting the zipper and the unraveling boucle. The boucle unraveled in the direction of the seam so if I serged it, it would have just pulled off, oy.......... Once that was all secure, I  decided to to a trick usually saved for plaid matching. I matched my staystitching lines on the collar and bodice and slip stitched them by hand  in place on the stay stitching lines. There was a subtle curve to the collar and it would have been lost if I just machine stitched it on.  This is starting to be a major hand to-do! After the collar was all slip stitched into position, then I could turn the top inside out and machine stitch the seam on the hand stitching line. 

Pockets:

When I wore this top out last week I didn't have any sort of closure on the pockets. You couldn't even see them. I had been all over the web and to the chains looking for rose gold buttons or such to put on the pockets, total strikeout. Then a bag making friend suggested I tried magnetic bag snaps but here is her brilliance. Magnetic bag snaps do not show on the outside of a bag. They come in pretty, shiny colors but they are on the inside of the bag and they stick. I did not need my pocket flaps  to really close. I just needed some bling to match the zipper. My friend suggested just putting the male part of the magnet snap on the outside and be done with it. Brilliant! There is nothing for it to fit into as the male part looks more like a big rivet and can't function without it's better half and there is nothing to connect that better half to and still show. Just too cool! 

So I installed the magnetic male stud and was very happy. There is a piece of crinoline then a piece of wool  for the legs of the magnet to be hammered down to. 

One caveat about these pockets. if I were to make this again or if you do, make the flaps a bit wider. They are the exact size of the pocket width. The garment moves and sways due to its volume  and these flaps can look like they don't line up with the pockets because they are the exact same size. I would make each side a 1/4 inch wider. 

In conclusion: 

If I were to make this again, and I might in a lighter weight fabric, I would totally eliminate the underlay. It serves no purpose and makes the collar lean way out in front of the wearer's neck. This would eliminate a major amount of bulk that is in the area at the bottom of the collar at the base of the zipper. I would make the flaps for the pockets wider. I would decrease the width of the sleeves at least another half inch, for a total of an inch and a half. I would like to try this in a heavyweight linen or such and see what happens. In the end I think I have a beautiful jacket that feels really great on my body,and that I will wear for many years. It is warm, comfy and stylish. I just think it would look better and be more attractive without that pleated underlay.. I would not hesitate to recommend this to an experienced sewist with the above caveats. I think you will be glad you made the effort. It really is nice...........Bunny