Tuesday, February 25, 2014

On the Work Bench: Alexander McQueen Kimono Jacket

I mentioned this Alexander McQueen free downloadable kimono jacket pattern on my sewing plans post a few weeks ago. Now I'm struggling to sew it.


Original Alexander McQueen 2003. Image source.

You see, it makes Burda look incredibly user friendly by comparison.

Luckily, I was warned by at least one concerned citizen that printing and taping the 50 page pattern would make my eyes cross. So, I let Staples do the work for me.  You can opt to print this pattern out on large format paper. 

That said, a headache seems inevitable with this pattern. The instructions are minimal and the origami back is challenging.  Don't believe me?




This is the front and back piece.  Take a closer look at the darts/tucks.



None of these "darts" are actually sewn as darts. You match up various lettered points and sew a complicated series of tucks. The instructions don't tell you whether you should be making the tucks with right or wrong sides of fabric together. And from what I can tell, it depends on which tuck you are sewing. You are supposed to end up with this:


The origami back

I have no idea why I didn't pick a brocade for this jacket. Perhaps it was to make it even more of a challenge, but I picked a totally inappropriate fabric. It's a wool/cotton in a fun leopard print from Paron. The problem is that it's really kind of mushy and soft, when this pattern would work better on a crisp cotton or something with a firmer hand.


My fabric from Paron

One of the reasons I chose this fabric is that the "wrong" side is very nice looking, and this is an unlined jacket.  So, while I procrastinated starting all the crazy darts and tucks, I Hong Kong finished all the easy-to-sew seams with black silk charmeuse bias tape that I made.


Wrong side with HK finish


There have already been a few moments when I thought all was lost. OK, perhaps I'm making this sound a bit too dire. I did figure out a number of things and am moving forward, taking copious notes. If I do succeed, I'll share my process. Here's a start...



Alexander McQueen Kimono Jacket
First, the single size pattern is, in fact, a European size 40. It's noted on the pattern pieces.  This roughly corresponds to a Vogue size 10. Lucky for me, this is my size.  That said, I added to the seams at the two sides just in case I need extra wiggle room.

Next, I sorted out which pattern piece is for what. In the instructions they are just numbered. Here they are:
  1. Front and back piece - cut 2
  2. Center back pleat - cut 1
  3. Back facing - cut 2
  4. Front origami piece - cut 2
  5. Sleeve - cut 2
  6. Lapel short side - cut 1
  7. Lapel long side - cut 1


That's all for today. I'm in the middle of pleat mayhem. If I sort it out, I'll share.

I'll be back later this week with more on the Sew Sexy Sew Along. Are you sewing anything fun or challenging this week?

24 comments:

Clio said...

So impressed you're tackling this! Pattern Vault had a post on this pattern last year and I think she included a link to a blog post that explained its construction in more depth....

Clio said...

i agree with heather - i think that is the first place i saw this jacket pattern, actually. good luck!

Clio said...

Thanks - but don't be too impressed until I actually finish it. Right now, victory is not assured! Pattern Vault had some great links - the tutorial that Blythe Stitches did is the best I've seen.

Clio said...

(Thanks. I need it!)

Clio said...

After seeing the pattern pieces, I feel like if I had handed in something that looked like that in college, they would have told me those were the most deformed darts they'd ever seen and to go back and do them properly.
I do kind of like the little peplum in the back though, sort of like they used to put on victorian jackets to go over the bustle.

Clio said...

They do look incredibly deformed, don't they? I'm not sure why exactly they're drawn in as darts, since that isn't how they are sewn.

Clio said...

major win on the staples route. you don wanna mess with DAT. can't believe you're tackling this.....

Clio said...

yeah. That makes two of us. ha ha ha. I hate taping things together when it's only 4 pages, so best spent $15 ever!

Clio said...

I got as far as printing it out and taping half of it together before I had the inevitable "squirrel!!" moment. lol Good luck and I'm looking forward to seeing how you progress with (and hopefully vanquish) this pattern~

Clio said...

Yes! It was Catherine Daze's version that made me bump this up the to sew list. What a good idea to look on YouTube.

Clio said...

Heh, every version of this I've seen is slightly different if you look closely. I ended up ripping out a few bits on mine and I still don't think it's 100% right. But it doesn't really matter because it always seems to look great.

I did spend aged studying the pictures of other people's versions on the Show Studio site and that helped a lot.

Good luck! Looking forward to seeing your version.

Clio said...

It's such a cool design, I've saved the pattern somewhere but thats as far as I got! I think Catherine Daze has made it up and featured it on her blog.

Clio said...

Wowsers. I totally get why you picked that fabric - it looks gorgeous with the HK seam though! good luck with the pleats :)

Clio said...

Such a great challenge! Cheers to you for taking this on! It is going to be a work of art! I can't wait to see your finished jacket!

Clio said...

Lord, that looks impossible.I fucking hate tucks. You really do love a challenge T!

Clio said...

It's really a compulsive moth-to-flame sort of thing. I can't help it!

Clio said...

I want you to know that I haven't been able to stop thinking about this ridiculous garment. I'm a 40 also. Seriously, I cannot undertake this. I do not have the fortitude. But it is very intriguing.

Clio said...

holy moly! what a pattern...!
:-)

Clio said...

Ha! I think this pattern would drive you bonkers - there's just not much of a way to alter it. I think the fit thru the back and sleeves will be pretty forgiving because of the volume of it, but the bust? I just don't know how I would fit it.

Clio said...

I saved it sometime about three years ago. So, it was about time.

Clio said...

Yeah, it seems like there's no definitive way to sew it. Sigh. I've got lots of pictures bookmarked...

Clio said...

Ambitious! Looking forward to your tips & tricks. I'm also going to make this one day. BTW have you checked out this tutorial for this pattern: http://blithestitches.com/tutorials-tips-and-tricks/tutorial-de-mystifying-alexander-mcqueens-kimono-jacket/

Clio said...

I have - I think this is pretty much the most thorough tutorial/tips out there at the moment. I think this could be gorgeous on you!

Clio said...

Stick with it, it will be a thing of beauty. I downloaded this pattern a few years ago and have never made a start.