Vogue 8300 FO

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Vogue 8300

Misses Jacket in 3 variations, unlined jacket with darts and collar variations, pockets, three-quarter length sleeves, long sleeves and snap closures with button trim or loop and button closures. I'm working up Version A with a grey wool blend fabric, using the sleeves from Version C, omitted pockets and put in a lining.
Despite the pattern being labeled very easy, this project gave me a run for my money. I was having issues with the collar, shoulder pads, lining and facings. Honestly, I was a nano-second from trashing it, but decided to step away from it and called my sistah-friend Andrea to keep from pulling out my hair. While talking to her and lamenting about my jacket woos an epiphany hit me and realized how to rectify the collar issue.

Primarily the issue with the collar was that I was following Marta Alto's (Jackets for Real People) technique for attaching the upper collar to the lining and lower collar to the fashion fabric and at the same time trying to incorporate the pattern's collar instructions. In doing so, the collar was not laying right... talk about a total button head. Once I realized the errors of my ways....lol - I totally focused on Marta's technique.

My happiness was short-lived I was having problems attaching the lining to the facings. Although Marta showed her technique for attaching facings to a lining, my facings were attached to the front panels unlike hers in that they were separate facings. Off the top, I HATE facings. As I'd mentioned the jacket's facing are part of the front panels and after attaching the lining to the facings, I would end up with bunching along the bust area. For the life of me I couldn't understand the logistics of attaching the lining to the facing without it looking wonky. So what is a girl to do... I hacked the facings off the jacket as well as the lining and barely missed ruining the garment because I decided to do it after the jacket was assembled....sheesh

Let me tell you.... the problems just kept coming. The next issue was the shoulder pads, I'd put them in, took them out, put them back in only to take them out again because I was experiencing the linebacker look. I believe the problem occurred when I decided to shear off 5/8" from the jacket armholes. After trying the jacket on several times I noticed that I had too much room going on in the shoulder area and in decreasing the armholes I failed to take in consideration the shoulder pads. However, I'm thinking I could use sleeve heads, which would fill out the gap between the arm and the sleeve top or just leave well enough alone.
Its still a work in progress despite all the issues. I'm not sure how I feel about it until its totally completed. So I will push-on and look for sleeve heads, find buttons, attach lining to the bottom, hem the sleeves and close up the opening in the sleeve.