It's funny how sometimes I have to actually settle in and sew a lot of variations on a theme, and then I come out of that space and look at those items and how they FEEL on me and I say OH! I really *don't* suit this style! All the dreaming about pattern and fabric combos doesn't prepare me, at least (maybe you are different) for the reality of the item. And despite it being my 11th year sewing, I'm still constantly surprised by what I really could just skip making (if my goal is to curate a wardrobe for myself, which of course is not always the point.)
Hehe
So I got this pattern in 2015 when I lived in Switzerland. I was really super keen. So much that I did a wild, unheard of thing: I made a muslin. I made notes on the pattern about the crappy fit, didn't blog it, and moved on. I just did NOT know how to deal with my shoulders.
Now this fabric. While I was sewing I realised it would have been great pants, oooops but in the past few months I had mentally attached it to the Silvia Coatigan. And despite having the pattern printed out and ready, I hesitated. Something was not right. While riffling through my patterns I saw this and thought it was a much better fit for the fabric than the Silvia, so that has been folded up and put away.
I was left with my cut out pattern pieces - size 38, still what I would choose now, and these vague instructions to remove 1cm at the bottom of the armscye. I figured it must be my sloping shoulders, and the instructions I gave myself are consistent with a sloping shoulder adjustment. Luckily all these adjustments can be done to the cut out fabric - so I removed 1 cm from the front shoulders at the sleeve edge - just cut off a triangle tapering towards normal at the shoulder seam, and I recut the front armscye 1 cm deeper following my old, mysterious instructions.
This was a really fun pattern to sew together - it's simple, the fabric was well behaved. I took the time to topstitch a lot of things down (the pattern didn't instruct on finishing) and I added a little hook for a button since I hate things that can't be shut. I was very surprised by the great fit. My shoulder adjustments worked! I even learned how to catch stitch the hem up.
It's winter and this is a light jacket. The sleeves are slender. I can fit one layer under it. Thus, this is a jacket for a very different season, and I suspect it will go into my collection of cool jackets I like, keep and never wear. (Like my jean jacket, my Deer and Doe Nenuphar, and the adorable Waffle Dropje vest that I keep thinking of adding sleeves to....) I think I need to actually just step away from all the blazers. I have bought blazers and then sold them. I have made blazery type things and then gotten rid of them. Non-structured, woven layers just don't seem to make much sense to me if I can't zip them up. But anyway, this was fun to make.
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