Eowyn Victory Dress Part 2: The Jacket

Yesterday I dyed the fabric for the jacket, and today I worked on drafting the pattern.  For the bodice of the jacket, I used Simplicity pattern 4940, which is a pattern that I turn to for a lot of projects.  In addition to the gown, there is a separate bodice pattern.  It's actually two pieces, so I had to alter it into one piece.  I did make some other adjustments, including lower the bottom of the bodice (I still have to make it a tad lower).  I do still need to work on the sleeve area, as it doesn't fall quite right with the drafted sleeve.

The fabric is a gold metallic brocade from JoAnn Fabrics.  I dyed it in my washing machine on the medium load setting with 2 tsp Teal and 2 tsp Evening Blue Rit Dye.  I think it turned out pretty well!  After careful consideration, I decided that the best thing to do was to make the next draft of the bodice out of the actual fabric.  The reason for this is that the fabric is a lot stiffer than the muslin, and I wasn't sure if it would lay the same way.  Luckily, I have about 16 yards of this stuff, so as long as I work with the same pieces over and over as I make my adjustments, I'll have enough to make more.

Here is the base of the jacket, both front and back.

The sleeves really had me confused for a long time (and I can't say that I'm NOT confused by them right now).  First, they are split in the front, which is actually more difficult to figure out than it seems.  Second, there aren't many reference shots of the sleeves, and they're not very good quality, so the shaping, the length, and the cut are difficult to discern.

After trying to modify one of my sleeve patterns, I decided to attempt draping.

But first, because my only reference photo of the length and width of the sleeves is of Miranda Otto from the back, I had to make a duct-tape dummy of just my bent arm.  I pinned this to my mannequin so I had a shape upon which to build the sleeves.

This is only a start, but I am heartened by how it went.  I think if I can use one of my sleeve patterns to do the shoulder area, I'll be able to use the sleeves that I formed by draping to make the rest.

Draping - Rear View

 And here's the sleeve sewn onto the bodice.  There is a lot of material that I have to remove under the arm and figure out how to do the split a little better.  I also feel like it needs to be slightly wider.  Also, the sleeve isn't actually that long, but I haven't figured out long they need to be.  I need to be in the proper shoes, first.

So, that's where I am now.  Tomorrow I'll post about the front panel (front piece?  What do I call that?)  I actually worked on that the other day.  Because so much of it requires trim and beads and embroidery, I'd like to get the base of it finalized this weekend so that I can start the detailing.  I ordered all of my lining yesterday, so I'm hoping that I'll be able to finish the under dress next week.