This is a fairly old make, from March last year (pre-lockdown #1!), but I have not had the time to post about it, so I’m now going to rectify that. I made this because I was attending an awards ceremony in London to celebrate a friend’s award and I needed something formal to wear. I had two formal jackets – a little black one (too little if I’m honest), which had recently had an escapade with some mould (see Wardrobe Scent Bags post), and a thick winter tweed one. The tweed wasn’t going to work (too drab for a celebration), and it was a great excuse to try out this pattern!
1. The fabric
To make this I used left over scraps of the Robert Kaufman cotton flannel which I had made to previously make my Pippi Pinafore. I didn’t have much left of it so I knew I’d need to get creative in order to make something out of it. For the lining I used the black cotton lawn which I had also used for the Pippi Pinafore.
2. The pattern
This blazer is a pattern from By Hand London. I have seen lots of these made by the people I follow online, and it seemed to look great on all body types. I particularly liked the cropped version. It was a bit tricky to get all of the pattern pieces out of the fabric that I had. I ended up making the cropped version but a little more cropped than the pattern suggests, and I shortened the sleeves by about 3 inches. I made the size 12, and I decided not to do any bust adjustments (though maybe I should have).
3. The challenges
I found this pattern a pleasure to sew, mainly because it has a lining so I didn’t need to worry about finishing off the edges! The instructions were clear and I didn’t have too many issues but I did need to take my time in places. The big issue I had was that the lapels didn’t line up and I didn’t notice until right at the end – so if you’re making this pattern be extra careful when attaching the collar and lapels! I didn’t have time to correct the mismatch in time for the awards ceremony which was a real shame, but when I got home I unpicked it all and resewed it. I also found that the back didn’t fit very well, it was hanging away from my body by the waist (I think as a result of my sway back), so I put a dart in there at the same time.
4. The final result
The blazer fits me much better now, but I can’t decide whether whether it flatters my figure or not. I feel a little like Toad from Toad Hall when wearing it! On reflection I think I probably should have done a narrow shoulder adjustment, because I feel that the shoulders are too broad on me and perhaps the longer version would suit me more. I think it looks a bit better when I pull it together at the bottom edge so I might add a clasp. But I am happy with the garment itself, and it works for zoom calls if you want to look more formal. I think I’ve sewn it quite well and the fabric is really lovely so it feels luxurious when I’m wearing it.
The sewing resolution 