FOUNDATIONS REVEALED COMPETITION ENTRY
Emerald Admin
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Outline the story …
As a creative writer, I have dreamed of my character’s clothing becoming a reality to help bring forth the whimsy, adventure, and bravery it takes to go through their experiences. For this competition, I inspired myself with my story Breathe and the FR Pinterest board. If we can dream about a fantastical world, why can’t the fantastical world dream about ours? In this story, the simulation, or sim for short, of Kaleea’s father, the King, is eerily similar to what we consider a business office. For Kaleea, this is a dream world. For her, reality is what we consider fantasy. I wanted this jacket to reflect her home, status, and rank in this dream or sim world.
I could not think of a better time to be brave like my characters and make this jacket. I consider my skill set somewhere between Apprentice and Intermediate and wanted to challenge myself with the complexities of creating something bespoke. This led to pattern drafting and alterations after completing a few mockups. I had initially intended to pair this jacket with a pair of stays I had just finished. Ultimately, I decided to make a corset to achieve the proper silhouette. I never had to pivot so much with a project, but it was fun discovering how to tackle each obstacle as it came along. I wanted to be brave; this was the challenge I needed to push myself to achieve this goal.
Outline the construction…
This was my second time tailoring a garment and the first time making a jacket. The pattern I used was the TV428 1800 Jacket Bodice. I chose cream-colored cotton for the lining and dark green corduroy for the fashion layer. I used the knowledge gained from the FR Walking Skirt Workshop regarding the internal layers of the jacket. The inner layers include a coutil flatlined to all of the panels of the bodice. The lapel and collar have a horsehair canvas pad stitched to help the fabric lay/fall as intended.
I removed some length of the original pattern to help sit the waist properly. I re-drafted the lapel to accommodate the adjusted length. The seam allowances were whipstitched in place to help smooth out the curves and straighten the seams. After several attempts, I was able to add pleats to the lining.
I made the shirtwaist by altering the pattern from the jacket. I used black linen for the bodice, collar, and cuffs. Green cotton lace for the sleeves adds a bit of whimsy.
I made a corset using Black Snail Patterns #1014 for the jacket to sit correctly. The fashion layer is white coutil, and cotton is used for the lining. The bones are synthetic whalebone with strips of coutil for the casings. Metal grommets, a polyester cord, and a metal busk make up the back and front closures. Most of the stitches were straight stitches. I whipped stitched the top and bottom bias binding strips.
It looks very slick and elegant. I am always intimidated by tailoring because of how complex it is, but you for sure succeeded. Also that emerald colour just glows
Amazing, if looks so beautiful with the little chain detailing as well.
Oh Kelly, it was a pleasure to see this come together and I love how it all turned out! Congratulations!
Spectacular fit and construction, it’s been wonderful to see you work on this project!