The Shaeffer Jacket is the suit jacket I am constructing for my tailoring course. I am calling it the Shaeffer Jacket because it is made from the major pattern pieces of Claire Shaffer’s Vogue Pattern V8333.Since this is a class about the construction techniques of tailoring and not the patterning of suits we are all basing our jackets around commercial patterns.
The first step in this process was the construction of a mockup. Please pardon the wrinkles. I have to carry my project in a series of tote bags to and from campus on a daily basis and it is difficult to keep things smooth. The mockup was properly pressed for the fitting but I forgot to take a picture at the time so the next day I just popped it up on a handy form and took the picture. Happily after the first fitting there were only a few alterations to be made namely flattening the shoulders a little and widening the lapels by 1/2 inch.
For the construction of the actual garment. I started with two yards of this lovely gauze weight wool purchased from Mulberry Silks in Chapel Hill at 25$/yard. It was daunting to spend that much money on fabric at this point in my life but it really is gorgeous.
HOWEVER
You may have noticed that I said gauze weight wool not suiting. When purchasing my fabric I foolishly allowed myself to fall in love and follow my heart rather than staying practical and picking a fabric that, while less lovely might have been more practical. I have no regrets with regards to the beauty of my fabric, its behavior has left a little to be desired. For a start it is a bit sheer. For a second it is more loosely woven than is ideal for tailoring. To overcome these obstacles it was decided to flat line the wool with sheermist to allow the fabric to retain its lovely drape while also being more opaque.
I then cut the main body panels (We will not cut the collar pieces, facings or sleeves until later), thread marked EVERYTHING and stitched the collar dart. I used pieces of press on interfacing at the dart point to prevent raveling and to ensure that the dart would lay nicely at the tip.
You may have noticed the funky shape of these center front panels. One cool feature that really drew me to V8333 is its interesting pockets which are hidden by a pair of pleats. I am a little worried that they will come out looking unfortunate and bulky but perhaps here my choice of a very light (for wool) fabric might come in handy.
Image Credit: Vogue Patterns