I've had a lot of issues with things growing during construction. Even on straight, with-the-grain seams, my double knit fabric stretched a lot, and I had all sorts of things not lining up properly as a result. (The interfaced facing and the front piece lined up perfectly when pinned, but the non-interfaced piece grew over an inch as I sewed them together!) It's somewhat frustrating since I'm not sure what I should have done differently, but obviously something! I staystitched where told, but perhaps I should have stabilized everything before sewing. Or used the walking foot?
I also tried using bits of washi tape to transfer some of the pattern markings, since chalk usually rubs away before I need it, but the washi tape peeled off too easily and I lost some semi-important markers. (The impact of this was fairly trivial, since after all the distortion from stretching, they wouldn't have lined up anyway.)
Now that it's close enough to done to put on and get an idea of what it will look like, I'm not sure I'd like it even if it were perfectly constructed. I haven't done the side seams yet, so I can't be sure, but it's looking like it will be huge, and although I still like the idea of it, I'm finding my combination of fabric choices pretty drab.
All in all, I'm thinking this project is bound for either the trash or the giveaway bag, depending on whether I finish it or not. It's a learning experience, of course, but I'm disappointed. I had envisioned this as an easy success while broadening my horizons, and it shows me that in some important ways I'm still lacking in basic sewing know-how.
I have another transitional jacket in my sewing plans, but as my sewing ego is fragile, I think a super-easy project, virtually assured to be a success, is a better next choice. Probably another Concord, or perhaps a very simple skirt.
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