ponte roma | After Dark Sewing

Here’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for.* My Grainline Morris Blazer.

*(Slight exaggeration perhaps but I know one of you is at least!)

I finished it last week; it took about a week of evenings to make.

I didn’t like it at first; I can see the imperfections and the difficulties I has with the sewing machine eating it were clear in my memory. But I have to admit that it’s growing on me.

For a start it’s comfortable. It fits all right. I lengthened the sleeves because I like my sleeves long, and I’m really happy that I did that. And I love the colour. It goes with everything! [Nearly.]

But I stitched almost all of it using a stretch stitch, which perhaps wasn’t necessary. I also used my walking foot, which is noisy and takes forever! As you can see it is a slouchy fit!

Step 15 and sewing the hem and front facings down was confusing. I got there in the end but it took a LOT of unpicking and chewing of the fabric. (By the machine that is – not me!) And the end result is messy. I can’t even say I learned anything because I’ve already forgotten what I did and I didn’t write it down!!

I’m really ashamed of that! It looks a right mess!! But I had just had enough by that point and just rammed it through the machine.

The other two things that bug me about the finished piece are…

1) The interfacing is on show. Not when it’s worn but I can’t help but think there should be a lining piece to cover it. And 2) There are two raw edges. It’s fine in this case but had I used a fabric that frays then it wouldn’t be so fine. Did I miss a step saying to finish those edges?

The rest of the blazer’s seams were finished with an overcasting stitch. I didn’t need to finish them fray-wise but I quite like the neatness of it. Apart from round the armholes in places where my machine liked to take a good bite.

I will probably make another although not in such an annoying, light and cheap ponte roma.

I’m not sure about how it’s sticking out in the above photo. I want the entire lapels to lay flat.

Don’t laugh at this final photo. I was saying how it’s not even hanging symmetrically. I don’t know if that’s just the photos or it’s always like that and I messed that up too!