Apr 9, 2015

A Could-be-Neoprene Long Jacket

A Could-be-Neoprene Long Jacket






        What is neoprene anyway?
It's a synthetic rubber. In its non-foam form is very elastic and as a foam laminated onto knit jersey offers good insulation. The laminated neoprene is usually the one used by the apparel industry and comes in various thicknesses: 1.5, 3 and 6 mm being the most common especially in sports gear like diving dry and wet suits. Because my fiancé owns a couple of said suits I got to study the fabric and figured it should be interesting enough as a long jacket. So with the 3mm sample at hand I begun drawing one. Because of its nature, neoprene does not press so it had to be without darts yet I wasn't ready to go for the boxy cut. It had to have some shaping. Princess seams were the obvious choice - topstitching was the next, in order to force the seams to lay flat.. Being my first time with such a fabric I wanted to keep things fairly simple - avoid layering and no complex closures and collars. The two piece sleeve was the exception to the keep-it-simple thing. I think a rigid material sort of requires a two piece sleeve. Finally I chose the empire waist silhouette because ... well ... I like it.

        The good
        I love the colour ... This acid green shade was the main selling point for this fabric I got from Supercut. I like the silhouette - I think I achieved a good balance between sporty and cute. And lastly allow me to pat myself on the back for drafting the sleeve. My first time drafting a two piece sleeve and I did a bang up job if I may say so.




        The bad
        Not all neoprenes are equal. Little did I know some neoprenes are not neoprenes but neoprene lookalikes. This one is more of a bonded jersey. Maybe the bonding was done using an almost invisible layer of neoprene or maybe it's another bonding agent… I do not know. Fact is there is no elasticity. If you pull the fabric you will literally hear the bonding layer crack and the fabric will deform - zero recovery. It is also very thin so it required interfacing... I should have used a heavy non stretch fusible interface (to avoid the above deforming) but I didn't. Why? Momentary lapse in judgement. What about insulation you say. None. Wind will pass right through it. I did not try water... I'm afraid to. To make it a little warmer I thought of using polar fleece as lining ... and because it's polar fleece why not go color crazy !?. In theory using polar fleece is an ok idea; in practice in this case, it needed a stiffer shell. The problem is that it hangs on the clothes and interferes a little too much with the drape in movement.




        Looking back now I think the fabric would have been better suited for a mid-layer kind of garment like a cardigan or something.

        The pictures





        I must admit for a while there I considered taking it all apart, re-interfacing it and maybe changing the lining but this time in my personal internal battle between laziness and OCD ... laziness won. I had also a small push from some of the gals at the Italian Sewing Meet-up (btw fantastic experience!!!) ... they convinced me it would be difficult and messy. Meanwhile I've been wearing it (for the past almost two months now - it is light and comfy and easy to carry around in trains for instance) and the window I had to modify it closed on me. I'm thinking when I'll get my hands on some sports grade neoprene I'll just remake this ... or maybe not.
        What would you do?






        As per my usual I'm including the pattern I used; again for scientific reasons. It's the draft of the shell with no seam allowances included. Use with caution... it is not a standard size but fitted to my body. You will be able to download it until my next post.... whenever that may be as lately I've been incredibly busy with school and work and some other general life stuff.

        Ps. I am of course wearing it with my Turias :)
        Update: zipper closure detail on Instagram



Thank you for visiting. I would love to hear your opinion.

Giacca in Neoprene(adiacente)






        Cos'è il neoprene comunque?
        E’ una gomma sintetica. Nella sua forma colata è molto elastica mentre come schiuma laminata su maglia è un ottimo isolante. L'industria tessile impiega solitamente il neoprene laminato sopratutto nei spessori 1.5, 3 e 6mm: i più comunemente usati per l'abbigliamento/attrezzatura sportiva come le mute da sub. Visto che il mio fidanzato ne possiede un paio ho avuto la possibilità di guardare bene, tirare, piegare il tessuto/materiale e concluso che si mi piacerebbe una giacca. Con il campione da 3mm in mano ho preso a disegnarne una. Per sua natura il neoprene non si stira perciò niente riprese. Non volendo un taglio squadrato la scelta ovvia è stata il taglio princesse. Per appiattire le cuciture ho scelto di impuntare tutto … o comunque il possibile. Dato che era la prima volta che utilizzavo tale materiale, il piano era di provare a semplificare il più possibile le cose - evitare spessori eccessivi e niente chiusure o colletti complessi. La manica a due pezzi è stata l'eccezione forzata diciamo. Penso che un tessuto rigido richieda solitamente una manica a due pezzi. Finalmente ho scelto la silhouette impero ... perché è una tra le mie preferite.

        Mi piace
        Il colore ... questo verde acido è stato la ragione principale per la quale ho acquistato questo tessuto da Supercut. Mi piace anche la silhouette - penso di aver trovato un buon rapporto tra sportivo e carino. Per finire permettetemi di darmi da sola una pacca sulla spalla per il progetto della manica. Questo è stato il mio primo progetto di manica a due pezzi e penso di aver fatto un ottimo lavoro - se posso dirlo.




        Non mi piace
        Non tutto il neoprene è uguale. Poco ne sapevo ma alcuni tessuti neoprene non sono neoprene ma sembrano neoprene. Questo qui è più un accoppiato in jersey. Forse il collante è uno strato sottilissimo di neoprene o forse qualcos’altro, non lo so. Il fatto è che che non c’è elasticità. Se lo si tira si può letteralmente sentire lo strato di collante crepare ed il tessuto subirà una deformazione permanente. E’ anche molto sottile quindi ho dovuto usare della fliselina per provare a irrigidirlo e stabilizzarlo … La ragione per la quale ho usato una fliselina elastica sinceramente mi sfugge … devo aver avuto spento il cervello. Per quel che riguarda l’isolamento … beh … non c’e isolamento. Il vento ci passa a traverso come se niente fosse. Per farla diventare un po più calda ho usato una fodera in pile … e visto che parliamo di pile perché non sbizzarrirsi con il colore!? In teoria utilizzare del pile all’interno è un’idea ok ma in questo caso e visto che il tessuto della scocca non è molto rigido, la fodera attaccandosi ai vestiti sotto interferisce con il drappeggio sopratutto in movimento.




        In retrospettiva penso questo tessuto sarebbe stato meglio adatto per uno strato intermedio tipo un cardigan o qualcos’altro.

        Le foto





        Devo ammettere che per un pezzo ho preso in considerazione l’idea di smontare tutto riattaccare della fliselina rigida e rifoderare con un altro tipo di tessuto magari, ma in questo caso, nella mia personale battaglia interna tra DOC (intesso come disturbo ossessivo-compulsivo) e pigrizia ha vinto la pigrizia. Ho avuto anche un piccolo aiutino a decidere da parte di alcune tra le ragazze all’Incontro di Cucito (a proposito, fantastica esperienza!!!) che mi hanno suggerito che sarebbe stato un lavoraccio con dubbi risultati poi. Nel fra tempo e negli ultimi due mesi all’incirca l’ho comunque indossata parecchio - è leggera, confortevole e facile da portare in giro sul treno per esempio - e la finestra che avevo per modificarla penso si sia chiusa. Forse un giorno quando sarò riuscita a mettere le mani su del neoprene neoprene come quello delle mute la rifarò semplicemente … o forse no.
        Voi cosa fareste?






        Come al solito includo il cartamodello che ho usato; come sempre per ragioni scientifiche. E’ la bozza (il draft) della scocca senza margini di cucitura. Usare con cautela … non è una misura standard ma è adattata al mio corpo. Potrà essere scaricato fino alla pubblicazione del mio prossimo post - una settimana, un mese chissà … ultimamente sono stata super impegnata tra scuola, lavoro e vita in generale.

        Ps. La sto ovviamente indossando con la salopette Turia :)
        Update: dettaglio della chiusura lampo su Instagram



Grazie della visita. Mi piacerebbe moltissimo sentire la vostra opinione.

72 comments:

  1. You look so fierce in this! I kind of want you to be a undercover secret agent in a Bond movie or something wearing that outfit :) The jacket has a looovely silhouette. And the finish looks flawless. So impressed.

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    1. Oh ... Thank you! A Bond movie ... I should run and change my shoes then ;) ... Bond movies require stilettos :)

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  2. One of my favorite colors! Kudos on drafting your own pattern and the 2-piece sleeves! Of course, that has got to be the best solution to fitting a garment to your shape. I love the silhouette, especially from the back, it has a lovely hourglass shape. Quite a coincidence that you published pictures of a jacket under arches today, and so did I!

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    1. Thank you Sara! Did I read your mind or did you read mine :D !!!

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  3. Such an amazing colour and a great fit :-) definately wouldn't take it apart to remake it especially as for two months its been such a great item for you! Where did you find such an awesome photo location? it looks beautiful x

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    1. Thank you Jennifer! ... I am lucky enough to just step out of my door and have a location like this one. 90% of my pictures are taken within a 50 meters radius from my home... To be honest for me it's sort of boring and old looking ... go figure!

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  4. Una volta di piu, sono molto impressionnata per il tuo lavoro e la tua maestria. Capisco cio che dici a proposito di la fliselina ma cuando guardo le foto non faccio attenzione a questo detaglio. La sola cosa che mi importa e l'aspetto moderno ed epurato del tuo look e piu precisamente della tua giaccia : ho caricato subito il tuo modello: Vado a provare di adattarlo al mio corpo. Grazie mille di condividere il tuo lavoro con gentillezza e generosità! A presto:)

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    1. Grazie mille Annie ... Un bellissimo complimento il tuo. Mi dispiace non ci siamo viste a Milano ... caso tipico di sfiga che vede benissimo! Spero ti trovi con il modello e se ci sono magari delle cose che tu avresti disegnato diversamente ti prego dimelo ... mi fido del tuo giudizio :) xo

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  5. Veramente lavoro sublime...il modello della giacca molto elegante e lineare..mi piace molto complimenti...

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  6. I'm amazed by your jacket Sasha! The fitting is perfect and those style lines are so pretty (I particularly love the back tab). You pull that colour amazingly (don't even try of approaching lime greens and yellows near my face, it's tragic!) and the fabric looks perfect with the shape.
    Congrats!

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    1. Ohhhh Pauline! Coming from you means a lot! I don't know why ... maybe because winter is a particularly sad season where I live, but I find a good splash of colour is sometimes good for morale :)

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  7. Mi piace tantissimo la linea della giacca! E' davvero perfetta (anche il modello)! Non la disfarei...e ne farei subito un'altra...se vuoi ti posso dare anche le mie misure ;o) Comunque secondo me sei pronta per la collezione!

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    1. Grazie di cuore Silvia ... sei come al solito troppo gentile! Vorrei anche ringraziarti di nuovo per aver organizzato l'incontro - tu, Anna, Niko e Marine siete state bravissime! xx

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  8. Sasha, your drafting skills are on point! Especially since you've actually been wearing it and it hasn't stretched or deformed from wear. That's awesome!
    I really really like it!

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    1. Thanks Tasha! Sadly I can almost feel it loosing shape :(((

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  9. sei perfetta e vista dal vivo è ancora più bella!hai fatto un lavoro eccellente e la pacca sulla spalla te le do anche io, così ne hai due :D! sei veramente bravissima Sasha!brava ancora!!! un bacione grande, a presto!

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    1. Grazie Niko :D e grazie per l'incontro .... fantastico ... alla prossima!!! Un bacione!

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  10. I love this color and design - looks amazing! The pockets are perfect and I love your zipper! Thank you for sharing!

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    1. Thank you Meagan! To be honest the pockets are a bit small and more decorative than functional ;)

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  11. my heart hurts from the beauty of this jacket. STUNNING!

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    1. Queen of stylish color says she likes it!!! I am officially happy!

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  12. Very cool! I love the shape of the sleeves / sleevehead!!

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    1. Thank you Delphine! I must admit I'm obsessed by the shoulder/sleeve junction - I think it can make or break a garment .... so obviously I'm really glad you appreciate it :)

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  13. OH! WOW! Your jacket is beyond gorgeous! The colour! The silhouette! The technique! It's all so beautiful. Looky how the sleeve seams match perfectly to the back princess seam! And you've achieved lovely waste definition with a difficult fabric. And I love the back placket! And those in-seam front pockets! I've been fingering RTW neoprene dresses, thinking about taking the plunge {haha}. You've shared such helpful information, thank you! Could be a lot trickier than I originally thought.

    I'm downloading your pattern, thanks ever so much! That's very generous of you. Not sure of your size, but I'll see what I can do.

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    1. Thank you so much Sue! I am but no means an expert in neoprene ... all I can suggest is choose the kind that best matches your project ... it is not a common material so I guess some trial&error is "normal" ;) ... experimenting with new fabrics is fun though !

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  14. wow this jacket is absolutely stunning you look fabulous in it! its such a shame the material didn't meet your expectations, it looks brilliant!

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    1. Thank you so much! I seem to often find myself challenged by the materials I use ... I wonder why!?

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  15. It looks pretty incredible to me! I know that pictures don't always communicate a lot of important things about a garment, but if it looks this good and you're getting use from it I think letting the lazy side win out is wise :)

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    1. Thanks Morgan! The thing I like most about sartorial sewing is that you sort of build a history into your garments... you form a relationship with them that is difficult to convey through pictures.

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  16. oh, those magnificent seamlines!!! so perfect. it just gives you such a beautiful silhouette. sorry the fabric isn't up to snuff, but this jacket really is glorious.

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    1. Thank you Kristin! The fabric is really nice but it just did not meet in practice my idea ... my bad ;)

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  17. Wow, just wow. Sasha you are one incredibly clever human being. Self-drafted! I can't even find the words. If the neoprene thing is for you definitely get your hands on some more (better) quality fabric and get cracking girl. This is a fabulous silhouette. Much love from me

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    1. Thank you Jillian! I don't know if the neoprene it's the thing for me ... and I don't know about being clever - fact is I am a very curious human being, all for trying things out ;)

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  18. Wow that looks stunning. I wish I was able to draft patterns myself. So nice and fitted and the finish is so neat.

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    1. Thank you so much Nathalie! I'm so glad you like it:)

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  19. Ciao, complimenti per la giacca, molto bella e d'effetto! Per quanto riguarda il materiale, forse anzichè il neoprene hai usato la poly lycra... ne ho visti dei campioni lo scorso autunno ad Abilmente

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    1. Grazie 1000! :) ... penso che sia proprio un accoppiato di jersey - se tiri bene puoi letteralmente separare i due strati ed in mezzo si vede il collante che appunto potrebbe essere un strato molto sottile di neoprene :D

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  20. It looks fantastic. Such a great colour. I'd put this down to being a wearable toile and source some more neoprene for version 2! It's not really a fabric that turns me on, but it looks marvellously 60's chic in your design. You're a clever clever lady!

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    1. Thanks Sarah! although as a painter a do prefer oils I also paint in acrylics ... and I do combine the two on occasion - I like trying things out - sometimes I get good results sometimes I don't. It is part of the "game" :D
      Maybe for the version 2 I'll manage to find some of that double layer scuba Prada used (that everyone thought it was neoprene) and push this even more towards a "pradish" '60 Captain Kirk's wife look ;)

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  21. Ciao Sasha complimenti per la tua giacca e per la manica in due pezzi che hai realizzato per essere il primo progetto con manica a due pezzi che fai posso confermarti che hai fatto un ottimo lavoro!!!

    Mi piace molto il modello che hai realizzato, il tessuto un po' meno, non sono una grande amante dei tessuti tecnici ...ma nel complesso sei stata super ok!!!

    Spero che al prossimo incontro avremmo occasione di parlarci!!!

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  22. Sasha, you have made an amazing job in both drafting and sewing this jacket. I don't know how long it took you but it fits you perfectly. Especially I like the back view!

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    1. Thank you Aida! It was not exactly a one day job but I did enjoy myself :D

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  23. I think it looks great. Definitely don't take it apart. You can think of it as a wearable muslin and use what you've learned to make an even better jacket next time. I love it!

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    1. Thank you so much Kate :) ... yessss... a wearable muslin!!!

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  24. Thanks for showing your fantastic jacket and sharing your pattern. I'll give it a go. Would love to find some neoprene.

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    1. It would look lovely on you .... If you decide to try and adapt it for yourself and find issues please let me know :)

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  25. Stunning! The color, the shape the fit - it all looks perfect to me!

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  26. Gorgeous! You've inspired me to try a neoprene jacket with the red/black reversible neoprene available at Mood. Looking forward to downloading your pattern -- thanks for sharing it.

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    1. That neoprene from Mood looks gorgeous ... !!!!!

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  27. Most definitely make it again! If I had just looked at the pictures and not read the words I would have thought it a designer jacket featured in Maire Claire or Elle, etc. And what a lovely backdrop for your photoshoot. Love it.

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    1. Thank you so much!!! ... what a nice compliment I'm seriously blushing here :D

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  28. This is SO cool! It looks AMAZING on you! I'm sorry that the fabric isn't quite what you'd hoped, but really, the jacket is so beautiful that I hope you continue to wear it!

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    1. Thanks Ginger! ... fabric not being what I hoped for seems a recurrent theme for me ... arrghhhh all I can hope is that's just a phase ;)

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  29. Bene! Sono contenta che non l'hai disfata ;)....tienila così è pur sempre bella.
    p.s. E' stato veramente un piacere conoscerti di persona.
    Ciao. Ilaria.

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    1. Grazie Ilaria :) ... anche per me è stato un piacere conoscerti - spero di rincontrarti presto!!!

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  30. Questa giacca è stupenda, sia vista dal vivo che in fotografia....semplicemente perfetta! La vestibilità è incredibile e hai fatto benissimo a non scucire tutto e rimontare la fodera perchè secondo me non ne valeva la pena, è bellissima così! Il colore verde acido che hai ulizzato è fantastico, uno dei miei preferiti, e adoro il contrasto con il blu interno. Molto interessanti le info di premessa sul materiale, davvero utili, grazie mille! :) Grazie anche per il pdf del tuo cartamodello ;)

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  31. SO VERY AWESOME. That acid green is hands down one of my most favourite colours. And you did an amazing job wrangling such a bizarre 'fabric'. The sleeves and shoulders look perfect!! Love this to bits.

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    1. Thank you so much Melanie! coming from such an accomplished seamstress means a lot :D

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  32. Splendid!!! The ultimate sporty elegance, excellent drafting, perfect styling. I'm so grateful you post the pattern too. Unfortunately the link doesn't work for me, it says"404 - file removed or deleted". Anyway great job! Annina.

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  33. Complimenti! Trovo molto bella questa giacca, sia per la linea che per il tessuto. Per non parlare delle rifiniture... perfette!
    Ma il file del modello è stato rimosso?

    Anna

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    1. Ciao Anna, grazie dei complimenti ... si il file è stato rimosso ... i file free sono disponibili solo per pochi giorni per dare la possibilità a le amiche che seguono il blog regolarmente di scaricarli (non chiedendo compensi non posso permettermi il hosting prolungato) ... perciò ti raccomando di seguire il blog magari ci sarà un altra cosa che potrà piacerti ... a proposito sto traslocando a www.secondopiano.space :)
      Un caldo saluto
      Sasha

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  34. Ma....Sasha,mi sembra nonostante le tue recriminazioni,una giacca bellissima!!

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  35. I loved loved loved this jacket! Can't even dream of possibly creating something similar with as much finesse as this one. But I am just curious to see what went into creating this stunning piece. Would it be possible for you to share the pattern by any chance? My email id is astha.vijay@gmail.com :)

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  36. I loved loved loved this jacket! Can't even dream of possibly creating something similar with as much finesse as this one. But I am just curious to see what went into creating this stunning piece. Would it be possible for you to share the pattern by any chance? My email id is astha.vijay@gmail.com :)

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  37. Your jacket is stunning and love the colours. I have been trtying to find some good quality neoprene ever since buying a wonderful coat in a pop-up shop in Madrid. My coat is mustard and has a suede-like finish on the outside and a grey jersey on the inside of the fabric. Unlike your fabric is is light and totally windproof so the perfect answer to a simple coat. If you find any neoprene worthwhile please let me know. By the way my coat cost 40 euros so I figure the fabric was not that expensive or maybe I was just fortunate.

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