Seamwork Jesse gilet
2024-Jan-08, Monday 09:45 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chebeSeamwork's Jesse is a gilet. Which is just a French word for 'vest', but being French elevates it somehow. Or, at least, helps differentiate it from the million other sleeveless tops that English speakers like to call 'vests'. This is the outerwear, outdoor, body-warmer, type.
This is part of what Seamwork now calls its 'gender inclusive fit' range. Which is what we used to call 'unisex'. But in reality is a straight-cut mens fit. It's gender inclusive only if your body isn't too curvy. This is also one of their first patterns, so the size range only goes up to a (again mens) XXL, with measurements given only for 'chest' and waist. Those looked okay for me, but I knew the hips would be the challenge. So I made up a toile of lining pieces G and H.
(I don't usually go through the toile steps, but today you get all the details.)
The hips were snug, but get-away-able. The armholes on the other hand, gapped awfully, in a way that draws attention to the fit deviation, highlighting the gender diversity if you will. (As well as undermining the 'keeping warm' goal of a body-warmer.) So I pinched some darts, front and back, for a better fit. I marked them on the toile, then transferred to the paper.
The darts in the back are especially weird, so I opted to close the darts, rotate the fullness to the hem, and leave that open, giving more room for my hips in the process. I tried this out in the toile by cutting open where the dart fullness should go, and making sure it didn't do anything too weird to the rest of the lines.
The outer layer of the gilet has a yoke, and the front darts went right through that seamline. So I rotated the front darts, and then 'straightened' them (relative to the hem), which worked great for the yoke, but the darts are technically a little low.
I then made a second toile of the lining, to check the alterations. I ended up reducing the spread at the back hem to 5cm (on each side, for 10cm total extra width). Then I transferred the changes to the outer pieces A and B, and made up a toile of them (with yoke pieces C and D) as well. Everything seemed to be okay, so onwards to the fashion fabric!
I used a silver leatherette, 80% PVC 20% PU, 350 gsm, for the yoke, a black (pre-)quilted (faux-)suede, 100% Polyester, 265gsm, for the main body, and a dark grey polar fleece, 100% Polyester, 275gsm, for the lining. I kept things simple with black thread.
I messed up the fabric choice for the inner centre-front facing. I believe it's supposed to be the same fabric as the main body (i.e. the quilted suede), but I cut them from the fleece. (Which is the same vibe as the pockets and armholes, so at least it doesn't stand out as being wrong.)
When I was sewing the back yoke to the back body I didn't notice the bobbin thread had run out. And when I refilled the bobbin I messed up threading the machine, and I had to rip out the stitching. The leatherette was now in a bad way with multiple lines of punctures. I used some clear elastic tape underneath on the third pass, and it definitely helped it not fall apart.
I'm also not sure if I was supposed to stitch-in-the-ditch along the facing stitching, but I did not, as those lines are not as straight as they're supposed to be. Instead I just picked a decent width from the centre-fronts and went with that. I then positioned the snaps in the middle, and hammered nine silver Anorak/Jacket 15mm snaps in place. And I was finally done.
This is so comfortable, and warm! I've never had a gilet not make me feel like malformed sausage before. It has plenty of play for layering jumpers (aka sweaters) underneath, and I can see myself living in this when camping. It's also delightfully half-way between farmer and sci-fi, which is a vibe.
This is part of what Seamwork now calls its 'gender inclusive fit' range. Which is what we used to call 'unisex'. But in reality is a straight-cut mens fit. It's gender inclusive only if your body isn't too curvy. This is also one of their first patterns, so the size range only goes up to a (again mens) XXL, with measurements given only for 'chest' and waist. Those looked okay for me, but I knew the hips would be the challenge. So I made up a toile of lining pieces G and H.
(I don't usually go through the toile steps, but today you get all the details.)
The hips were snug, but get-away-able. The armholes on the other hand, gapped awfully, in a way that draws attention to the fit deviation, highlighting the gender diversity if you will. (As well as undermining the 'keeping warm' goal of a body-warmer.) So I pinched some darts, front and back, for a better fit. I marked them on the toile, then transferred to the paper.
The darts in the back are especially weird, so I opted to close the darts, rotate the fullness to the hem, and leave that open, giving more room for my hips in the process. I tried this out in the toile by cutting open where the dart fullness should go, and making sure it didn't do anything too weird to the rest of the lines.
The outer layer of the gilet has a yoke, and the front darts went right through that seamline. So I rotated the front darts, and then 'straightened' them (relative to the hem), which worked great for the yoke, but the darts are technically a little low.
First toile of lining with darts marked, front
Photo by chebe
First toile of lining with darts marked and fullness slashed, back
Photo by chebe
I then made a second toile of the lining, to check the alterations. I ended up reducing the spread at the back hem to 5cm (on each side, for 10cm total extra width). Then I transferred the changes to the outer pieces A and B, and made up a toile of them (with yoke pieces C and D) as well. Everything seemed to be okay, so onwards to the fashion fabric!
I used a silver leatherette, 80% PVC 20% PU, 350 gsm, for the yoke, a black (pre-)quilted (faux-)suede, 100% Polyester, 265gsm, for the main body, and a dark grey polar fleece, 100% Polyester, 275gsm, for the lining. I kept things simple with black thread.
I messed up the fabric choice for the inner centre-front facing. I believe it's supposed to be the same fabric as the main body (i.e. the quilted suede), but I cut them from the fleece. (Which is the same vibe as the pockets and armholes, so at least it doesn't stand out as being wrong.)
When I was sewing the back yoke to the back body I didn't notice the bobbin thread had run out. And when I refilled the bobbin I messed up threading the machine, and I had to rip out the stitching. The leatherette was now in a bad way with multiple lines of punctures. I used some clear elastic tape underneath on the third pass, and it definitely helped it not fall apart.
I'm also not sure if I was supposed to stitch-in-the-ditch along the facing stitching, but I did not, as those lines are not as straight as they're supposed to be. Instead I just picked a decent width from the centre-fronts and went with that. I then positioned the snaps in the middle, and hammered nine silver Anorak/Jacket 15mm snaps in place. And I was finally done.
This is so comfortable, and warm! I've never had a gilet not make me feel like malformed sausage before. It has plenty of play for layering jumpers (aka sweaters) underneath, and I can see myself living in this when camping. It's also delightfully half-way between farmer and sci-fi, which is a vibe.
Seamwork Jesse gilet in black quilted faux-suede and silver leatherette, finished, back view
Photo by chebe
Seamwork Jesse gilet in black quilted faux-suede and silver leatherette, finished, front view
Photo by chebe
