Working on this waistcoat was challenging because of my poor choice of fabric. It was too thick, it frayed badly, and the multi-colored weave made it nearly impossible to see the chalk marks and the thread basting. In addition, I made this waistcoat for myself, so I had to adapt the inner construction around the princess seams of my pattern draft to fit a full bust.
As someone who’s been sewing for decades, I think the hardest part for me was dealing with the inlay and the fact that the cut edges are not just a seam allowance distance from the seamlime, as I’m used to. There were many times I ended up adding extra basting to help distinguish between the edge of the pattern and where I wanted my seam lines. I’m guessing this concept will eventually become less awkward the more tailored pieces I create.
I’m on-hold before finishing my buttonholes as I practice, practice, and practice how to make the handmade buttonholes. (When I lived in NYC I went to a small business that would make professional buttonholes with a BH machine and finish my projects with perfect buttonholes for $1 each! Now that I’m taking these courses, it’s time to learn to make my own. Ha ha)
Here are some shots of my waistcoat up to this pre-buttonhole stage. I started to pick stitch along the front edges but it disappeared in this slubby, multi-colored fabric, so I only applied it to the neckline and the back of the waistcoat. I’m generally happy with the way it turned out. I learned a lot and the next one I create will be with a thinner cloth in a standard wool in a single color…and it’ll be for a man so I can use a less shapely pattern. 😀
Good for you. The best of luck with it