Teal Moto

 I'm still trying to figure out my motorcycle jacket options, so I had the idea to revisit Vogue 1714

but without the peplum.  Yes, I know, the peplum is what, at a glance, sets this pattern apart from other motorcycle jacket patterns.  However, a less obvious thing that differentiates this pattern from others is that it's not quite as boxy as the motorcycle jacket patterns I've tried. (As I type this, I'm wearing one of the extra boxy Kwik Sew 3764 I've made, but in knit as an intentionally casual kinda thing.)

I initially thought I'd make this with some robin's egg blue pleather that's been in my stash for 20 years, but I changed my mind when I started sewing it--the surface was extra plasticizer oily and stuck badly to the presser foot when I tried to top stitch.  With most vinyls I've sewn, I only needed to change to a leather needle and they sewed fine, no excess sticking.  Well, then, that would be a good opportunity to finally use my roller foot, right?  Well,  then, that was when I finally realized that the roller foot I had--gift in a random lot of presser feet--was for a slant shank machine.  So.  I wouldn't be using that pleather. (And, honestly, I wasn't fond of the oily way it felt. The rest is going to the craft thrift store.  I'm also ordering a roller foot that will fit my machine.)

I had, however, been ready to make a blue moto jacket--did I have any suitable fabric that was anywhere near close in color...but that I wouldn't mind having used if the jacket didn't turn out so well?  I looked in the part of the fabric stash reserved for heavier fabrics--nothing. (There is a pale green twill that I do want to use for a moto jacket, once I decide on a pattern.) But, oh, yeah--there was some fabric up in a different area, because it hadn't fit in the heavy fabric area.

It was a Walmart mill end precut, the roll in the center here

However, when I unrolled it, I realized the side that had been out was the back of the fabric.  The face looked like this

Which is very interesting, but also very orange.  So I had buyer's regret and wedged it into a weird place and kinda forgot about it.

I decided that, for this project, to get my blue(ish) moto jacket, I could go ahead and use the reverse after all

The orange does peek through--and it's black light reactive, so, if I ever find myself under a black light while wearing it, that'll be fun--but it doesn't read as strongly as orange from this side.

While this zipper does not match, it still matches better than it did the pleather's blue.  I had a button that matched the fabric very well, but I chose this one to echo the zipper color.  I also honestly had not expected the thread to match well--I was taught that the best match in thread is always going to be slightly darker than the dominant color of the fabric.  This blue I had is lighter, but it still manages to somewhat disappear into the fabric texture.  That made me and my love of top stitching happy.

As with most mill end precuts, I have no idea what the fiber is. It sews nicely, and I was able to press at the highest heat with no damage.  It feels (and smells) like yardage jacquard 'tapestry' fabric.

Construction was extremely straightforward.  If I think I'll make this again, I'll trace off size 14 and convert the back lining to be a single piece of lining, with a center pleat, sewn to a neckline facing.  As it is, the back lining is exactly the same as the back shell, made of a center back, two side pieces, and a yoke that goes straight to the collar.

I sewed the lining to the sleeve cuffs by machine, bringing them both out the bottom of the unfinished jacket and stitching them together in a flattened circle. It's hard to describe and feels like I'm doing something wrong when I first start pinning them together.  I like this technique.

The sleeves are two-part so have to be set in the round.  I may try cutting the sleeves a size smaller than the bodice, to eliminate some of the sleeve cap ease.  It's not the worst ease I've encountered, and the thick spongy fabric worked through stitching without bunching, but I prefer little to no ease.  It's really not necessary.

Still, this is how it ended up without pressing, so it's not too bad.

I was originally planning to bag the lining, but I decided to go with a waistband instead.  I used the waistband pattern piece from Kwik Sew 3764

Although I had to cut it a bit narrow, to work with the fabric I had left. I did the usual process of fusing the interfacing, pressing the whole thing in half lengthwise, pressing under one edge at the seam depth (altered to ½" here to counteract the necessary narrowness a bit), sewing the unpressed edge to the inside of the jacket, flipping it around, finishing the ends, pinning the pressed edge in place to hide the previous line of stitching, then edge stitching along the pressed edge from the outside.

I like how clean this looks from the outside, even if it doesn't line up as precisely on the inside.

Say it along with me: It's fine, and nobody better get close enough to me to see this.

The back isn't super complicated, but still gives plenty of opportunity for my most belovèd top stitching.

Is this jacket everything I hoped it would be?

Alas, no.  However, the oddness, I'm pretty sure, lies in the fabric.  I'll very probably try this peplum-less version again, just in a more reasonable fabric.  But I don't regret making this!