Simplicity 1419 Lisette Round Trip Jacket

From the packet illustration, you could totally miss this Round Trip jacket on Simplicity 1419.  It isn't photographed which is a shame as it is a lovely shape and a great entry level jacket.  During Me-Made-May 14. I saw a black version that Liesl Gibson (days 2 and 3 in the link pic) had made of her pattern and was rather smitten.    There are a few versions floating round the blogisphere so you can see what other sewists have done.  I had also ordered some Flight jersey by Birch Fabrics from Village Haberdashery and it was a lot less stretchy and also thicker than I had anticipated.  In fact it was so stable with only a little stretch so I hatched a plan to make the Round Trip jacket from this fabric.

I had .5 metres of 44" wide fabric- about 70cm short of the recommended amount so I had to do some very creative cutting and for quite a long while, I was just exasperated by the tessellations.  Eventually, after much wiping of bro, I got it to work.  Let's just say there was no wastage and I would not recommend trying to be so economical. 

I cut a size 10, adjusted the darts to make the bust smaller on the front piece but otherwise, everything else was size 10.  I ended up taking the side seams in by ½", equivalent to a full inch each side and this went into the armhole and was blended along the upper sleeve just under the top of the arm.  The jersey was quite thick and very flat so I used lightning stitch and a ballpoint needle on my Janome and the seams are a mix of unfinished (centre back) and serged.  I need a fairly nipped in shape to suit my proportions otherwise it would look too boxy.  

The shawl collar style lapels are the hardest part, there are a lot of layers and seams needed multiple layers of grading to deal with the bulk.

I added shoulder pads. I already had a ready-made pair of standard haberdashery spongy pads  and I used my remaining scraps to cover them and then stitched a few anchor points to secure them on the seams inside.  It just added a bit of extra shape to the shoulders. 

I used a stretch interfacing on the collar which I bought locally sometime ago. It added a bit of substance to the lapels and the stretch worked well with the jersey.  It looks a bit weird when you are handling it but it fuses easily ( I used a press cloth- basically just another layer of thin cotton fabric) at a moderate heat.  I used dental floss and zig zag to gather the frill- find out how at Indiesew and I've see it elsewhere too- a good method for bulkier fabric.

The sleeves are cropped, for me this worked out at bracelet length.  I used the flat method to set them in which is standard for knit construction and can be used for wovens too.   The Round Trip jacket is a great transitional piece, one up from a cardigan to wear with summer dresses and short sleeves as Summer gets a little cooler and goes into Autumn. A stable jersey like this is great for a simple jacket;  it makes the fitting easier as there is some stretch and the fabric is very forgiving.  A little bit smarter than a hoodie too (thought I do love a hoodie).