Sew-along Part V: Fitting, Goodbye and See You Soon

The jacket is now basted in place and starts to take shape, though it still looks like a mess. The real exercise of this fitting is to try to see all the possible faults and inconsistencies and fix them before we start closing the seams with hand stitches. And believe me, unpicking hand-sewn seams breaks one's heart!

For the fitting, pin or baste one sleeve to the jacket and put it on. When you have your jacket on, it's important to move around a bit: bend your arms, turn right and left, try it with the jacket open or closed.

Remember, do not press your basted seams! By pressing them with an iron you settle stitches to the fabric, which we want to avoid at this stage. It is enough to just use the warmth of your hands to press them slightly open.

Luckily for me, the time spent on the muslin paid off: my jacket did not require any alterations. But I would like to redirect you to Leisa's blog where she highlights the fitting issues with her daughter's jacket. It's so well documented! Check it out!

Today I am busy packing because at midnight I catch a plane to London! British weather, please be good to me...

After spending three and a half years in Japan, I will tremendously miss Tokyo and everything it has to offer. But I will equally miss my APAC blogging friends. It was a great pleasure meeting you and becoming your friend! But, hey, I'll see you very soon!