Thursday, May 5, 2016

Sleeveless Victoria Blazer

We've all done it. Made a pattern that we loved, plotted 50 more versions, then instantly moved on to "ooooo shiny!" and neglected the tried and true. I made my first Victoria Blazer almost exactly two years ago...eep! I LOVE that blazer, it's one of my favorite things I've ever made. For all that time, I've been wanting to make a second (and third...) and I finally did!


The Victoria Blazer pattern, from By Hand London, has three views. This is View 3, a long sleeveless blazer. This is also, apparently, the least-popular view, because I couldn't find any photos of it made up when I did a search. Probably because a sleeveless blazer doesn't have a ton of utility. But I'm pregnant, and my internal body temperature is cray-cray and all over the place, so a sleeveless blazer will get use around here!


The amazing fabric I used is from Organic Cotton Plus. It was sent to me for free in exchange for this review. This is the first time I've done a review for them and made something for myself! (See previous items here and here.) Originally, I wanted some of their yummy linen to make an even slouchier blazer, but it sold out, so I went with this grey twill that had a bit more body. The lining is a pink batiste. Both of these fabrics are SO NICE. Lately I've been sewing less frequently, but with higher quality fabrics, and it really makes a difference. I could easily finger-press both of these, they didn't fray after cutting as much as a poor quality fabric, and they washed up like a dream.


This is the smallest size, US2, and as you can see it's oversized on purpose. I made no alterations to the pattern, though I did construct it in a different order so as not to switch thread so many times. Additionally, I clean-finished the armholes using the Colette method that I recently used on a sleeveless dress. The tutorial is for a knit dress, but I can attest that it works just as well on a woven jacket. It's fiddly, as I said before, but you can't beat the effect.


The jacket lining was finished by hand at center-back. Somehow I found the time for that with two kids running around. And I tell you what, sewing a jacket completely from woven fabrics was much easier than the ponte and stretch silk charmeuse I used before!


The more I look at these photos, the more I like this blazer. When you're pregnant, you tend to feel like a lumpy baby factory, without much shape (even more so in my case since I've been pregnant the last 16 out of 20 months). This unstructured blazer doesn't have any shape, either, but it LOOKS classy. Which means I feel classy.


The last blazer I made had issues with the lapels and collar flapping around. After a good press, it's not so much of a problem. I attribute that to a fabric with less bulk. The ponte from the previous blazer was pretty thick. You COULD topstitch those lapels, or hand-tack them, but I think they're fine.


This is another area where you COULD topstitch to keep everything in place, but I don't think it's really necessary. This pink batiste is so soft, I can't wait to use my scraps for pocket bags. And maybe the twill for some sort of baby jacket?


I love this version as much as my last one, and I know I'll be reaching for it as much as I can. The grey and pink fit into my wardrobe, and it's just fun to wear high quality fabrics. Thanks so much to Organic Cotton Plus for providing the fabric and giving me the push to sew this pattern again!

1 comment:

  1. I can attest to the awesomeness of Organic Cotton Plus fabrics - I always wondered why a pattern would list broadcloth in the suggested fabric section, until I ordered a swatch from OC+. What a difference from the stuff at the local chain fabric store. Anyway, besides that, what a lovely make! And nice job finishing the armholes.

    ReplyDelete

I would love to hear from you! Please feel free to comment below.

Newsletter sign up

.