Tuesday, August 7, 2018

Lekala #4339 Waistcoat for Lidia

A few months back, Liddy was watching Netflix with the little girls.
I think she enjoyed Ballerina as much as they did.
(I often delegate supervising movies to the older girls, they know my views on what I deem suitable and act accordingly)
Lidia loved the outfit Felicie is wearing.
A waistcoat over a tee, denim shorts over legging and lace up boots.
She asked if we could recreate it.
Although there were other waistcoats that were a better match, Liddy preferred this one with the lovely collar.
The fabric is the Herringbone wool I purchased off of eBay a few years back.
I picked up a roll, for under $20 including postage.
The same cloth I used for...
these dungarees

another pair of dungarees
this coat
And another pair of dungarees.
I used a copper coloured stretch satin for the lining, I prefer apparel satin for lining as it wears better and give more structure to the garment.
Rather than trim my lining and sew my facing to the edges I turned the facings and top stitched them in place.
Lekala don't give you separate lining pieces but rather, instruct you how to trim your main pattern back.
I also chose to under-stitch my seams to prevent rolling.
I went in through the side seam opening (left to facilitate bagging) and under stitched the arm holes, by hand, with a running stitch.
There were no ties on the diagram but they appeared when I printed the pattern and were mentioned in the instructions, the magic of Lekala.
The fit was spot on!
To give a bit more structure, I interfaced every piece, lining and main, with sheer weft interfacing (except for one side of the collar).
The buttons are leather knotted ones, the pocket is a faux welt.
I am glad I used the ties, it allows her to cinch it in.


~My Verdict~
I really like Lekala for fitting free sewing. Liddy is very slim but has broad shoulders and is taller than Jed. Sewing for her with basic patterns requires a muslin and a lot of tweaking.

This was not an easy sew, it was time consuming with all the prepping of interfacing and stay stitching.

I did bag the lining, except for the arm holes. These I did by going back in through the side seam opening and slowly pinning and sewing the seam in small increments. It was incredibly fiddly but left only a tiny gap to be hand sewn.

That said, I really enjoyed it. I do love sewing coats and the like. The fact that they last a long time and hand on well, is a bonus.


Next, the shorts!

Thank you for reading xxx N

8 comments:

  1. Great pattern choice - such a nice feminine cut! I love the herringbone fabric. You have done so much for that initial $20 investment.

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  2. Lidia has such good taste! The outfit she wanted is a charming look on her. The vest pattern (U.S. for waistcoat) is one of the prettiest I have ever seen and yours is just stunning. I can't wait to see the whole outfit! I am so glad you posted the photos of everything you have made with that wool. It was fun to see! What a wonderful and economical purchase!

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    1. Hallo! How are you?
      Thank you so much.
      It is fun to look back at my babies, Trixie is 4 at the end of the month.
      xx N

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  3. Thank you Aynsley, it is such a pretty vest.
    I have sewn so many garments, sometimes you get lucky.
    xx N

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  4. I love herringbone - all the garments you have made from this are so lovely. So good with that copper stretch satin lining too ;o)

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    1. Thank you Colette.
      I always think of you when i sew with this. xx N

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  5. Seriously, that fabric! BEST. DEAL. EVER. And you've used it so well, too! I loved seeing the inspiration for this vest, Felicie has Liddy's shape and grace! Gorgeous, gorgeous, and your handpicked understitching is TDF.

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  6. Thank you Inder.
    I love how versatile this fabric has been, I still want to sew more things, all the things!
    xx N

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