Lekala 4329: Finished jacket

So I kind of skipped ahead on the sewalong and finished my jacket!
The jacket is meant to be worn with a belt but I liked the look on me better without it so I pressed the collar flat and added a press stud as well to keep the collar in place.

Alteration were all listed in the last post. Fabrics used were a poly crepe for the main and a poly satin for the lining.

I'm really happy with the fit, the drapey fabric caused me a bit of grief though. I had a lot of drag lines on the upper sleeves which I think were caused mostly from the drapey fabric. I interfaced the upper part of the sleeves, inserted sleeve heads and shoulder pads and while they aren't perfect its a lot better than before.

On that note, I interfaced the collar, sleeves, front and hems, but with this fabric I should have interfaced the back and the whole peplum too. I think it would have made the peplum sit a lot nicer.

I have a feeling I put the collar on the wrong side, but too late now to change it!

So some thoughts;
I loved the fitting and sewing process, and I really enjoyed taking my time with it. Sewalongs always push me to spend that bit more time on a garment and not rush through. I like Lekala patterns, I'm still getting used to the adjustments needed but I like the convenience, range and price of them. The instructions are very lacking, they don't seem to be translated very clearly into English and include no diagrams. It doesn't really matter on a top or pants but on a jacket like this it would have been nice to have more details. I highly recommend checking out the sewalong posts for extra help/clarification if you are looking to make this and don't have much experience with sewing jackets.

Lekala 4163: Knit jacket

 

After the wadder that was Vogue 1364 I downloaded this pattern to give it a go. It has all the things that I've learnt to look for in a knit jacket pattern, cut high at the back and with a waist tie to give some definition.
I used the rest of the blue ponte I picked up at the last Lincraft sale. Its a medium weight ponte that doesn't wear too badly, I stock up on it and the knit interfacing when the big 50% off sale is on each year.

I made a 1" FBA which was rotated into the front folds and a 1" arm width adjustment. I'm really happy with how it fits, Lekala has been a little hit and miss for me but I sent off my exact measurements for this one and its spot on. I've had trouble in the past because they go off the full bust not the high bust which is a problem if you normally have to do a FBA because the shoulders end up too wide and the armscye is the wrong angle. But I think maybe because this pattern is so close fitting (its got either none or slightly negative ease) the shoulders fit perfectly and I needed to do a FBA anyway.

 

The sleeves are a two piece sleeve which fit really well. I have found the ties pull the side seams forward and pull at the back a bit too but its not a major deal. The ties and front facing are interfaced and I'm not sure I'd bother interfacing the ties if I made it again.

 

I should mention I got this pattern from the new English site. Its a lot easier to navigate and download from than the original Russian site. The patterns don't come standard with seam allowances but you can click to have them added at checkout.

Lekala 4177: Peplum top remake

There are so many peplum tops in the shops lately and I love them!
A couple of changes from the last version, heightened the midriff band and lengthened the peplum plus made the neckline lower. Makes the proportions nicer and its such an easy top to wear I made it in grey and purple!
I'm still stuck on a twin needle sewing thing so I did it around the neck band, arm bands and hemline.
 

The fabric out of my stash, its just a cheap ponte knit from Lincraft. It pills really quickly but is a nice weight and stretch.

Lekala 4177: Peplum top

I've been eyeing off the peplum top currently in City Chic and this pattern was nearly identical except for the mullet hem which I think looks better than a straight hem anyway!

I've sewn lekala before so I knew I'd need to add seam allowances and that the instructions are pretty scant (think Burda magazine, lol). I still had credit on the original site but it looks like you can now buy Lekala patterns on Craftsy and on this new site and you can request they are sent with seam allowances (I forgot, D'oh!)

I used a ponte knit so didn't have to use a zipper but I did end up taking it up at the shoulders a lot, I think it was the stretch in the fabric made it sit way too low, plus the shoulders were too wide so they got narrowed as well. When you order from lekala you give them height, bust, under bust, waist and hip measurements, but no shoulder or upper bust. Next time I'll order by my upper bust measurements and do a FBA, so much easier than adjusting the shoulders and armscye.

The proportions look a bit off now, the midriff needs to be wider and the peplum longer too, its my own fault from raising it at the shoulders so much! I need to lower the neckline next time as well, looking a these pics its a bit too high.
I'm wearing it with a RTW shrug and my Juniper pants that I didn't think I'd wear much and have been living in them!