Schnittchen Coco in silk

The version I made for my friend was a straight size 36. The length was ok on me, as was the shape, but the shoulders and arms were way too tight.  I decided it was time to take the plunge (muslins never help me much.  All my projects are, like, a muslin for the next project.  Like life!) and I cut a size 38 on the top, merging to a 36 below the armholes.

Then this project sat around a bit because I didn't have a bobbin with black thread.  My bobbins run my sewing life.  Seriously.  The Coco is an easy project but it gives me the feel of a difficult one. I did make one change right away though - those darts, what is up with them? They are short and funny and actually make the fabric bag out.  I marked my real bust points and made proper darts.  First time changing darts, and hell didn't freeze over or anything. 

The left arm is twisted, and the left body apparently too.  But it could also do with an ironing...

Other than that, working with nubbly raw silk is always amazing, it presses nicely and eats up the stitches, and it is rough and stays put in the machine.  (I got this silk from the Scampoli in Milano, about 20euro/meter and too amazing to resist. I think I got the charmeuse at the same place because I couldn't leave without this beautiful colour in my life.) Unfortunately charmeuse is never totally amazing to cut and sew, but I do have to ask - it's normal to sew charmeuse without pins?  Or have I just forgotten what life was like without the IDT?  Never know...anyway -- crowning glory was inserted the first lining sleeve backwards.  Oh, ugh, worse than sewing charmeuse is taking it apart.  I use a 60 sharps needle when I sew with silk and fine things but it still leaves holes.  Continued in similar vein - I ended up sewing the sleeve lining a total of four times and one of them is still wrong.  Then of course my facing was on wrong and I had to undo that - also twice- I so absolutely have facing dyslexia. 

As previously, I referred to Jen's bagging tutorial because my brain is like a sieve.  I made the lining just like the exterior although I left the wonky darts out of laziness, added the facings, and then sewed around the edge and bagged it.  I did the weird octopus thing to sew the sleeves together.  It came together quite quickly other than all that undoing.

Unfortunately, I am still just not on board with the Coco.  The arm length is wrong, the left sleeve twists funny, I still don't like the fit in the underhalf of the sleeve, it hurts my pointy elbows.  I want to put a button but then the collar looks silly.  I am caving in.  I might try one more muslin of the Marfy pattern, but otherwise I am doing that 200 hour Chanel jacket seminar.  I am getting nowhere with jackets. 

Schnittchen Coco jacket

I have been on a fruitless hunt for a blazer pattern.  I guess I mean, a blazer pattern that fits without me making changes that I don't know how to make.  I know this is wishful thinking.  I made up the free Marfy blazer as a muslin.  Then I did all sorts of weird things to the armscye.  None of it was anywhere near improvement. 

I have been reading Fit for Real People.  Everyone loves this book.  I find the graphics and layout really difficult to make sense of. Also, I just don't know what changes I need to make, so it doesn't feel helpful to know HOW to make the changes.  One thing is says is that you should begin fitting at the shoulders, ie cut the size that fits your high bust and then adjust from there.  I am beginning to think this is worth a try.  Unlike all normal ladies (apparently) my bust is 35 and my high bust is something like 38.  More of that extra width is probably in my back. 

Anyway that was a lot of introduction for the Coco Blazer, which doesn't fit me at all but is luckily for my friend R!  Everyone talks about how great the arms fit.  What that translates into is skinny little arms not made for massive biceps.  I have no shoulder movement, no arm movement, and I can barely get the arms on.  The size is 38, which I would have also made for me.  I tapered to 36 because R isn't very hippy.  She is pretty narrow on top so I expect this will suit her just fine. 

Sorry my head got cut off, new ironing board/camera platform and I don't have the angle quite right...

The Coco blazer is easy to make, which is why I didn't even panic when I started cutting out this evil Marc Jacobs boucle from Mood Fabrics and it immediately started falling apart at every cut edge.  I was very hesitant with the iron, because the fabric is a bunch of different fibers including poly and melty metals.  I think that shows.  But not too badly...I sewed the outside of the blazer together in one quick go with few pins, since they became buried in the fabric and impossible to excavate. I sewed the lining and the rest of the blazer together the following day.  I had to look up how to attach the cuffs in a bagged lining.  (Grainline tutorial.) Otherwise I found the instructions brief but ok. 

Overall I still like the idea of the Coco blazer.  (More than Marfy even though I think with patience it would turn out amazing. Maybe when I find a sewing-fairy Godmother to help?) I have fabrics allll ready for a blazer!  Should I try cutting out a 42 in the shoulders/sleeves and taper to a 38 at the bust?  Does anyone else have fit advice for super wide shoulders and popeye biceps?