Hi makers! And welcome to Week 4 of the Quiltsew Along for the Quilted Nutmeg Jacket :)
This week we will cut all the pattern pieces, we will start sewing the jacket together following part of the instructions you will find when buying the pattern and we will finish the seams with bias tape :) Let's get to it!
CUT ALL PATTERN PIECES
Pick up all your paper pattern pieces, place them on top of your already quilted fabric pieces (each one to its correspondent fabric piece), pin / use weights and cut around as you would do with any other garment. A 3/8''/1cm seam allowance is included.
I cut 2 front bodices, 1 back bodice, 2 sleeves, 1 upper collar, 1 lower collar (only lining fabric), 4 pockets (lining fabric) and 1 ruffle piece (lining fabric).
NOTE: Make sure you have already done any changes you wanted to do to the pattern pieces before cutting. On week 1, I showed you how I changed the front bodice (ignore this pic below, as I took it before getting rid of the button placket) and the sleeves.
LET'S GET SEWING!
Now, it is finally time to start sewing your jacket. You can follow the booklet that comes with the pattern, although not all steps are needed and some change. You can also follow the steps I am sharing here and next week.
French inseam pockets
We are going to start with this super nicely finished inseam pockets. The original Nutmeg only has this type of pockets on the trench version and patch pockets for both the trench and the jacket. As I wanted a 'clean' design at the front bodices, I decided to switch things around and used the pockets for the trench, here.
You can of course use the patch pockets, inseam, none or both! If you fancy these French inseam pockets, follow along below. If not, follow the instructions on the booklet.
1. Mark where you want your pockets to be on the side seam of one of your front bodices. With wrong sides together (the wrong / inner side of my jacket had the lining on it), place one of your four pockets where the marks or notches are, pin and sew using a 1/4'' seam allowance.
2. Trim the seam in half and press the pocket and seam towards the outer of the jacket.
3. Now fold the pocket and place it right sides together with the front of the bodice. Roll the seam, pin and sew using a 1/4'' seam allowance. Press the seam and then the pocket towards the outer.
This is how it looks on the other side.
4. Repeat with the other pockets, placing them on the side seams of the back bodice and the other front bodice.
5. Now, with wrong sides together, place the side seams of front and back bodices on top of each other, as well as the pockets, pin and sew using a 1/4'' seam allowance. Start at the armhole and finish at the hem, going around the pockets.
6. Trim that seam in half.
7. Now, place the bodices with right sides together, pin again and sew using a 1/4'' seam allowance. Give everything a nice press!
TIP: I used clips here as well as pins as the seam was quite bulky.
8. This is how your final pockets will look! Professional and super nice, right? :) If you go for patch pockets, you can finish your side seams with bias tape.
Shoulder seams
The final step for this week would be to sew the shoulders and finish them with bias tape.
1. With right sides together, place front and back bodices, one on top of the other along the shoulders, pin and sew using 3/8''/1cm seam allowance.
2. Now, let's bound these seams :) Pick up the bias tape and cut the appropiate length for each shoulder seam (maybe a bit more just in case, like half a cm on each side). Here, you have two options:
a. Sandwich the seam allowance between the fold of the bias tape and pin. Sew close to the inner part of the tape, just a couple of mm away from the edge. If you haven't had much practice, it is possible that your stitches won't grab both sides of the tape or that the bottom one, the one you can't see, will move as you sew.That's why I opted for option b.
b. First, unfold one of the sides of the tape and with right sides together, pin it to the seam. Sew right on top of the line marked by the fold as shown.
Then, trim the seam in half so that it is not so bulky and press the tape away.
Sandwich the seam allowance with the other part of the bias tape, covering it and pin. Sew close to the outer fold of the binding, just a couple of mm away from the fold. Now, there are more chances for your stitches to catch both sides of the bias tape.
My stitches are a bit wonky as the seam was quite bulky but they will do :)
NOTE: I didn't go for Hong Kong seams or an open bound seam as the material was already quite bulky and I worried having to do this twice per seam, but the option is there should you want to take it.
And that is it for this week! Thank you so much for following along and see you next Saturday for our final week of the quiltsew-along :)
PS. You can contact me at any time on Instagram or by email at hi@cocowawacrafts.com if you have any doubts.
Ana
xxx