My First Ever Leather Jacket!!! / La meva primera jaqueta de pell, oh, yeah!

I am so proud of myself I'm gonna burst, maaaaaan!

I made it!

A real leather jacket my own pattern, that has come out of my new Bernina and its essential walking foot!!!
Estic molt orgullosa de presentar-vos la meva primera jaqueta de pell!

I've learnt my trade in Don Morin's course in Crafsy about sewing leather bags, and also from Sterlacci's book (not that I could even follow the instructions for the actual construction of garments in there...). Leather needs a different approach, but I better explain it step by step to better illustrate the process:
Després de fer un curset a Craftsy sobre com cosir pell, i llegir-me un llibre sobre com es confeccionen les peces de pell, vaig comprar-me tres pells de napa per 60 euros a Curtidos Cabezas i vaig posar-me a treballar...

First, I used my own pattern for the Chanel Jacket, 'cause it is faultless. I tried it with some cheap felt to try out difficult items, like sleeves caps, zippers, pockets or neck... 
Vaig utilitzar el meu patró de jaqueta Chanel, i el vaig fer en feltre per provar totes les parts difícils de la jaqueta.

The first outstanding issue with the felt version was sleeve caps... you cannot ease those 4 cm with leather, no way. So, I look in the internet about reducing sleeve caps length. Right to the point! It was a perfect variation.
El primer problema eren les mànigues. No podem arrugar 4 cm de màniga per encabir-la al forat, així que vaig buscar a internet com fer una reducció de les mànigues, que va resultar perfecta.

 

After getting a good fit, I used the felt pieces, with the alterations and additions, like pockets, to mark the pieces into the leathers' backs with a felt-tip pen. One good thing about leather is that you can put pieces in all directions. We must cut the pieces leaving an even seam allowance all around, because that is going to be our guide in machine sewing.
Amb les peces de feltre descosides vaig marcar els patrons al revers de les pells amb un retolador. Un avantatge de treballar amb pell, es que podem posar les peces en totes direccions, no hi ha un "fil"

 After cutting all the pieces we will reinforce some of them with thermofusible jersey interlining. In this case, I used it in the central front pieces, in the back yoke, around pocket holes and in the neck. Careful with the iron! We must use a thick brown paper between the iron and the leather.
Un cop tallades totes les peces, vaig aplicar entretela de punt de la que s'enganxa als frontals, el canesú de l'esquena, les butxaques i el coll. Alerta al olanxar, hem de posar un paper d'emblar gruixut entre la planxa i la pell.

The first part we are going the construct is pockets, Proportionally, they took quite a lot of time!

Primer, les butxaques, que em van costar una setmana!

 

 

After cutting a central line and two small oblique lines at the corners, we glue back open,using special glue for leather... 

Tallem amb el cutter giratori una ratlla i dues obliqües als extrems.

...and holding it open with some tape. Later on I used paper tape and it was more gentle to the leather. 

Per a què s'enganxi bé, millor utilitzar cinta carrossera fins que s'assequi.

 

Time to machine-stitch the zipper to the bottom part of the pocket, but first I glued the zipper to the jacket, because I could not think of any other way to hold it in place as I sewed! Once it was dry, I also glued the bottom piece of the inside pocket. I had stitched the interlining fabric to a leather band. That way you see leather through the open zipper.
També vaig enganxar la cremallera pel darrera, i la solapa de pell amb el folre que formaran el sac interior de la butxaca. Un cop secs, ja els podem repuntejar a màquina.

The second part was the upper inner pocket. I glued it into place first, and then I top stitched it, going also around the corners, until I met the bottom line. Then I put all the threads towards the inside and knotted them together. This is a necessary process since one cannot sew back in leather. So we must secure it that way.

Després la part superior de les butxaques, enganxem i repuntegem quan estigui sec, donant la volta a les cantonades, fins a completar el rectangle.

 

Once the pockets were finished and its bags sewn together, I proceeded to sew all the jacket's seams together except for the shoulder seams. Here my new Bernina, its walking foot and the metallic clips that hold the pieces together. See how cutting an even seam line was important. 
Un cop acabades les butxaques, i cada cop amb més confiança, vaig cosir totes les costures al voltant de la jaqueta i el canesú de l'esquena. Llavors les inclinava a un costat, picant amb un martell de goma, i les pespuntejava amb la màquina. 
 

 

After stitching every seam, I moved the seam allowances towards one side, helping myself with a rubber hammer, and top stitched it to hold it in place.  See how even and straight Bernina's stitches are...

Meanwhile, I'd been sewing the lining together, and pressing its seams open. I hold it to the jacket's bottom right sides together and glued the bottom seam to the jacket, using some clothes pins to hold it together as it dried. Finally, I stitched and topstitched shoulder seams, and hand-sewed the lining shoulders on the dress form.
  Mentrestant s'anaven secant les peces, vaig anar cosint el folre. El vaig cosir la final de la vora de la jaqueta, que vaig girar i la vaig enganxar a lloc, aguantat-la amb agulles d'estendre. Llavors vaig cosir i repuntejar les espatlles de la jaqueta i els del folre, aquesta a mà i a sobre del maniquí.

I constructed sleeves parallelly. First, the seam with the zipper, top-stitched as well, and then the second seam, less visible, I simply glued it open. I machine-stitched the lining to the bottom seam allowance, turn it over and glued, as I did in the bodice.

Finally, I put the sleeves to the armholes, stitched them with the machine with no problem at all, and sew the lining by hand. I secured the lining along the frontal zipper and the sleeves zippers as well. 

Amb les mànigues vaig cosir i repuntejar primer la costura de la cremallera (són de dues peces). L'altra costura la vaig cosir i la vaig enganxar amb cola, oberta. Llavors com amb la jaqueta, vaig cosir el folre de les mànigues a la punta de la vora, que vaig girar i enganxar.

 

Finally, it was time for the Mao neck.This was an addition I made to the original pattern, following Aldrich's instructions. I sewed the right side first, rolled the inside and machine stitched it in place. It was a miracle it turned out almost perfect. In fact, one side was longer than the other (OMG!!!). I decided to topstitch the upper side too, and make a little fold in the longer corner, hold by the topstitching... 

El coll finalment. El vaig dibuixar jo mateixa seguint les instruccions del llibre de l'Aldrich. Primer el vaig cosir i girar de tot arreu excepte de baix. Vaig cosir la part de fora a la jaqueta, agafant també el folre, i llavors la part de dins al vaig entornar i la vaig repuntejar per fora. Era una peça compromesa, però va sortir molt bé finalment.

 

Miraculously, it worked!

 

I put some details as zipper-pullers and... VOILÀ!

 

   

 The final result is so nice, I cannot believe it!

Comfortable, warm, stylish... 

 

 

 

Big thanks to my little cousin Maira who came to the rescue with a kick-ass reflex camera. BAD PICTURES are over!!!

Gràcies per la càmera, Maira! S'ha acabat la misèria!

 

My new Benina 380 has been up to the task. The walking foot works perfect, and stitching and topstitching 3 or four layers is easy-peasy for it. I only had trouble topstitching the neck, where I had 4 or 6 layers, and it skipped stitches some time. Also during this project, The machine got stuck and I had to reiniciate it to go on, as if the needle got stuck, and the machine did not answer to the pedal.

La meva nova Bernia 380 ha estat a l'alçada en aquest porjecte tan complicat... el doble arrastre funciona de meravella, i cus i repunteja sense problemes... quasibé. Al fer el coll, on ja tenia 4 o 6 capes de napa, se'm saltava algun punt, i com que era una zona molt delicada, ho vaig haver d'arreglar com vaig poder... També em pasava sovint que se'm quedava parada i no responia al pedal... era com si l'agulla no pugues pujar. En aquestes ocasion , havia de parar la màquina i tornar-la a engegar, i llavors funcionava sense problemes. Això només m'ho feia en aquest projecte.