Hammered Seams

Before I set the sleeves, I finished the lower edges with self made bias cut from this permanently wrinkled, speckled grey, fabric. I wanted to use silk Dupioni because it presses so very crisp and flat and comes with that slubbed look that would work well with the mottled grey of the coat only, I didn't have any. This fabric has similar properties, the color is perfect, and it pressed and turned nicely too.




I opened up the end of the sleeve seam, stitched the bias right sides together, turned it to the wrong side and tacked it in place by hand, and then re-closed the seam stitching across the bias. It ended quite nicely although it's a bit bulky. I recently read about hammering seams to flatten them - which makes sense - that's what a clapper is for. I think a hammer would be a lot easier. With a smaller head, I'll be able to see better.

These side and sleeve seams are placed rather strangely. They are offset instead of meeting which eliminates bulk. However, when the seams are pressed open, the edges of the main garment and the edges of the sleeve seam overlap. Again, it's slightly bulky. A little hammering should work here too. Then, I can trim and wrap the sleeve seam allowance in more pink silk. LOVE the way that looks.

When I tried the jacket on, there was a gap along the front neckline that hadn't been there earlier during the muslin stage or before the sleeves were set in. When I put the jacket on Millicent, it was still there. Ta da - this dress form really works. YES YES!

As you can see in the image below, the gap is about 1/2". There are two ways to work with this. I can either ease in the excess when applying the bias binding or open the shoulder seam and move this section backward. I'll move the seam first. If that works, it's the easiest way to go.





To finish the edges, I'll sew bias around the neckline, down the fronts, and around the hem starting and stopping at one of the side seams just as I did with the sleeves. The line of the bias is one of the reasons why I picked a color that blends so well. I didn't want a "see me" line across my back end. I've come to really appreciate my body in the last few months but I'm still not willing to add any "headlights" to my hips.

Before sewing the bias on, the hem has to be level. One of the women at Arts & Crafts club is a retired seamstress. She told me a trick for hemming your own tops and jackets. Attach a piece of chalk to a table at the correct height and then turn around next to it. Interesting. I'd still want someone to check that the line is level before I started cutting off any fabric because...




... I asked Howard to help me measure a level line around the hem thinking I could adjust length up or down from the line. He used a yard stick, placing a chalk line at the top of the stick all the way around. As you can see, the line goes up significantly in the front. I am NOT that flat. I think he was pulling the fabric back. Luckily, the line forms a nice curve around the back where I can't see so I'll be able to work with it. I imagine the table made chalk line would be similar.

Hopefully I'll finish the jacket this weekend but I'm not sure. I have a coffee date this morning and then I want to vacuum and clean the bathrooms. My daughter is coming for the weekend, mainly to visit a friend with a new baby but in-between her activities, we can visit and Sunday is "our" day. The two of us are having breakfast together Saturday and her and her Dad are having breakfast Sunday for our alone with a parent times and then we have a family event planned for the five of us on Sunday. I'm really looking forward to seeing her.

Marianne wrote: From your post today, I can see how much it means to you to contribute in a financial way.

Actually, I think you missed my point. If it was important to me to contribute by making money, I'd get a job. That's the culture that I was raised in, one where women work, and it's the culture that I live in, one where our value is far too often equated with our job title and our income level. I disagree with that way of thinking - for both women and men. That makes me somewhat out of sync with my age group although that's changing. I'm talking to more and more women my age who feel the same way that I do. However, right now, of all my friends, I am the only stay at home, non-income earning, woman that I know. That impacts the relationship.

What I intended my post to say is that I recognize, respect, and am grateful for my husband's willingness to be one hundred percent responsible for the keeping of our household financially. That's a huge responsibility that I think a lot of women fail to fully appreciate. Overwhelming responsibility is something I struggled with over the years that Howard travelled for work and then was so sick so perhaps I'm more sensitive to it.

I have other responsibilities. It's not all work for him and all play for me but the weight of our responsibilities is quite a bit different. If I don't make dinner or clean the bathroom today, we'll be fine but if he doesn't go to work this week, we won't. That's a pressure that I'm happy to take a break from even though the truth is that I am contributing financially.

There are two ways to contribute - by earning income and by spending wisely. If I focus on spending wisely, in part by using what I have, then I'll only ever return to a formal position because I want to and not because I need to but only if he continues to be willing and able to carry that responsibility because right now, he's keeping me in the style to which I'm becoming accustomed - LOL.

Lyn wrote - Please know that when you say "I hope that in some way I am still teaching, supporting, and encouraging through the blog by sharing my life" - You are! All the way to Australia.

Thanks Lyn. I really appreciate your kind words. It's so amazing how the Internet connects people from all around the globe. It has some real negatives but the ability to exchange inspiration and information is amazing.

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Just to clear up any misunderstandings...

In Marianne's comment on today's posting below, she wrote - I apologise profusely for all my misunderstandings and misinterpretations, and I promise not to comment anymore on your private life or your choice of words. I am very sorry for any hurt I may have caused you or your readers; that was never my intention.

I sent her an email saying - No need to apologize what-so-ever. Your questions started an interesting discussion. I love having a thought like that to think about. Kept woman definitely used to mean exactly what you were thinking although now it's used more in fun (I should have clarified that to mean here, where I live, among my friends and that we use it in a fun way that is sometimes tinged with envy and longing.) which is how I intended it, although it is also true.

I don't think you've hurt anyone's feelings - certainly not mine. Feel free to post comments. It's interesting to see how we all think, what we have in common, and how we differ. I especially enjoy the cultural differences. I think they help to connect us more by having different awareness and understandings instead of thinking our way is the only way.

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Have a great weekend - Myrna

Grateful - seeing Jessica this weekend