The Headless Pattern Review

Design and Sew - The Big Easy

What better kind of review to launch on Halloween weekend than one with a headless person that appears to be of Ghostbuster StaPuff Marshmallow Man proportions? I tried hard to update the picture for this review but the waning days of autumn light just wasn’t bright enough to be able to see detail. Time to revert back to a headless pic. I probably should have held a jack-o-lantern in my hand but it seemed a bit of overkill. Regardless, it is getting cool outside so it is time to turn to an old standby, The Big Easy by Design and Sew.  

 

Description

This unlined loose fitting jacket has a large, soft collar that frames the face and can be fastened in a variety of ways. The funnel-like collar, View C, stands away from the neck and buttons on the center front. This jacket has rows of topstitching, raglan sleeves that roll up, a choice of pockets and only 3 main pieces. I made a version similar to view B.

Why this fabric was chosen.

I like the neck treatment and the easy design of the pattern. I wanted to make this out of wool instead of fleece. Lois Ericson’s patterns can be a bit unpredictable at times so I limited myself to something that I already had in my stash. I went on my search for a wool that was big enough piece that would lend itself to fraying for fringed edges. I choose a wonderful piece of checked lightweight wool with a lot of drape and body. This complements the neck design especially well. The combination of the wool with the cuddly neckline makes it warm enough to be worn as a fall coat.

Some things to think about before you start.

Designing the closure was a real process for this coat. The single layer of fabric in the front will not support buttonholes adequately. I went on a search for a piece of red suede like fabric that could be used as a band with a loop button closure. Nothing matched. I checked a local leather store but everything was too heavy and would have weighted the front of the coat. I thought about ties but rejected that. It went on and on. What did I decide on finally? Nothing. Sometimes less is more. A big chunky pin I have looks great If I want to close it. Most of the time I just let it hang loose. The quality of the fabric makes this an attractive alternative. I used the roll up cuff sleeve finish when I first made it. However, the wool kept catching on itself and the cuff would progressively turn up more and more. I lopped off a large amount and hemmed it. The sleeves are very long! The sleeves are quite tapered at this point, so a small tuck in the sleeve was unavoidable near the seam line. I “cheated” and make a pleat in the sleeve to make it a more flattering width, hides the tuck, and sewed on one for the buttons I bought for my original closure ideas. It covers the mistake and I like the finished look of the sleeve. The fabric I chose frayed easily so fringing the edges was quick. I did have to redraft the collar slightly so the top edge remained on the cross grain along its entire width. After the garment was entirely constructed I straightened all the edges if they weren't already. I ended all seams short of the edge where the fringe would begin. If the seam went to the edge it would not unravel through the seam. I sewed a narrow short zig-zag around the edges at the depth I wanted the fringe to extend, 1/4", then started gently pulling threads. It worked quite well and stayed even all the way around.

Choosing the size.

I always choose the size of Design and Sew patterns by the flat pattern measurements and the amount of ease I want. ! I thoroughly checked the pattern pieces against a loose jacket that I already own also. Never go by the pattern measurement and recommendation for this pattern line. Raglan sleeve’s depth is difficult to predict based upon measurements but I was able to determine that I needed to cut a smaller size in the arm area. In the end it was still way to low. I didn’t think it was as flattering as it could be so I increased seam depth at the underarm to 2 ¼”. That improved it a lot. The rest was fine.

Construction Tips & Techniques

The instructions were quite adequate for the pattern. This isn’t always one of Design & Sew’s strengths so I was delightfully surprised. The collar is part of the front body of the jacket and then is sewn to the back with a squared seam insertion. The instructions for this process are good but study them well before your start. The back collar seam needs to be sewn opposite of the rest so the unfinished part is hidden. That area of construction is confusing but easy once you have the directions mastered. Make sure you stay stitch the corner before sewing. You may also want to use a small piece of fusible interfacing in the area if your fabric ravels excessively. I edge stitched along the collar seam to relieve some of the stress in that area. I used seam tape to bind the edges in the collar and sleeve area. It has been a long time since I have bound seams and I discovered the quality of seam tape today is way too stiff to lay well. A tailor I know recommended Dritz’ Seams Great as an alternative that I will use next time. It is clear and extremely flexible. I used flat felt seams everywhere else on the jacket since the drape of the jacket often allows the inside to be visible. I trimmed the excess part of the seam where the fringe would be so I maintained a single layer all the way around.

Level of skill needed.

The pattern itself isn’t difficult to construct. However, the fitting and adjustments needed would call for someone who is adept at alterations or pattern modification.

Satisfaction with the project and more ideas for this pattern.

My fabric didn’t lend itself to looking exactly like the pattern illustration but the picture accurately depicts the garment and its fullness. I like the graceful way the garment drapes and the versatile neckline. It is not available from most commercial pattern site but may be available through resale. I questioned rather I should put this up here. However, I think the fitting issues, fabric selection and design process used in this pattern is pertinent similar patterns.

This would be a good pattern for hand woven fabric. It definitely showcases the fabric used in construction. I may sew a different version of the pattern at a later date. The advantage of this pattern is it will assume the look of whatever fabric used and each one could be unique.  Using fleece or a boucle’ would make this a warm cuddly casual coat for those cool fall days.

It would be a good palette for surface embellishment. I saw a wonderful jacket like this in a store today. The front was made out of this elaborately yarn embroidered wool with drape similar to this garment. The sleeves and back were made of a subtle patterned contrasting fabric. I just wanted to put it on and snuggle up it.