A New Jacket - Part Two

Jacket Construction

After getting all the pieces fused, I was able to start construction on the jacket, and actually made quite a bit of progress.  This is probably due to a few things.  One, I've made this pattern before.  Two, this is a jacket for a boy;  there is no major shaping as with women's jackets, thus making it quicker to make.

The first things I did were elbow patches and pockets.  These are best done when everything is flat.  Once everything was ready, I stitched all the pieces on with some double topstitching:

After that it was just the regular construction:  shoulder seams, side seams, sleeve seams, attach sleeves, attach collar.  Not hard, not exciting, but at least a little gratifying in seeing the garment take shape!

Note the undercollar, cut on bias with seam at center back:

This morning I was also able to cut out all the lining, facing and remaining interfacing pieces. I still need to do a few changes to those, but maybe tomorrow I'll get the lining put together!

Q/A:  From Connie,  "Would you please give some pointers how to press and fuse the interfacing so that the nap is not crushed?" Corduroy is much like velvet in that it has a nap that can be crushed via ironing.  Corduroy, at least in my experience, is a bit more forgiving than velvet and quite a bit more durable (Remember those corduroy pants we wore as kids in the 70's?  Not much would destroy those).  Once I've washed it, it seems to look like it originally had - either that or I haven't noticed iron marks or crushed nap.  Keep in mind that has been *my* experience, but if in doubt, treat your corduroy like velvet.  If you're going to fuse interfacing, then use a velvet board or a piece of velvet on the ironing board, fuzzy side up to protect the corduroy during pressing.  As with velvet, take care when pressing seam allowances so that they do not show through to the right side;  use just the tip of the ironing along the stitching line, or a piece of manila folder under the seam, or press over a wooden dowel or similar tool.  Lastly, do not use a heat setting higher than necessary on your iron - too much heat can be a bad thing in some cases.

Parting Shot:  Emergency Kit.  I've been wanting to make a second emergency kit for hiking for a while now.  I emptied the one that we have, just to see what was in it and get ideas as to what to put in the second one.  Ideally, the second kit will be lighter, and used for shorter hikes or for when we're both out hiking, but in two different locations.  I wouldn't want to have to use any of this stuff, but it nice to have when you need it!