Lekala 4329 In Pleather

I have just completed my first ever sewalong with Lara of Thornberry.  The pattern Lara chose was Lekala 4329.  I had been scheming a similar type of jacket for a while at this point so jumped at the opportunity.  I must admit that it also helps that Lekala patterns are soo cheap to buy and customised to individual measurements.  I am a lazy sewist so muslining and fitting alterations I find a bit of a bore.  I like visual progress and none of that behind the scenes stuff screams visual progress at all.  Now I took a punt on this pattern and after a cursory wave around with the measuring tape over the pieces I began nervously cutting.  

The fabric I chose is a looped back knit with a coated front side.  The coating means the fabric has very little stretch.  It is nice to work with but very unforgiving of mistakes which meant every seam needed to be carefully considered.  Also, I bought the remaining fabric on the roll from Cotura Fashions so there really was no going back once this was cut out. 

Fortunately as I found out, the fabric can be lightly pressed. Because the fabric was quite light and drapey, I felt I needed to add some extra warmth for the winter.  So, instead of lining the jacket in an acetate lining, I have opted for a poly sateen with a flannel interlining.  This did make the process quite convoluted but I am really happy with the weight and feel of the resulting lining.

I felt that the jacket was a little long so before finishing it, I shortened it by 3cm.  This of course meant shorteneing the collar as well.  I was a little concerned that this would alter the proportions of the collar but because I intended to wear the jacket without the recommended belt it ended up being a fortuitous decision and now the collar is a more petite version of its former self and actually sits neater without the belt.  I think if I had left the extra 3cm on it, it may have flapped about and been quite annoying to wear.

And the verdict!  Well, I think the last photo speaks for itself.  I am extremely pleased with how it turned out and actually wore it to work today, in the rain.  No, they are not stripes on my back but actual quite heavy rain!