BLAZER PATTERN

Challenging first blazer but done!

I now realize I was a bit ambitious selecting this pattern for my first blazer, but I learned a lot! In retrospect, the pattern is approachable for someone with some experience. The pattern includes excellent tailoring details and is very well drafted. Notches were well placed and helpful except for the sleeve, which really had only one notch but instructions referred to two notches. It seems the second “notch” is the seam that joins the front and back sleeve. Lovely finishing option with bias binding. The combined collar/collar stand is nice. I made a size M with sleeves lengthened almost 4”. Dislikes - the button size listed for the sleeve slit is incorrect. 1 cm buttons are too small. Should be 1.5 cm. Some of the instructions took some time to decipher, for example, the part that said to place sleeve and sleeve lining so they are “sitting correctly” really meant place them right sides out. Once I reread multiple times and paid attention to the figures, it all worked out, but some parts racked my brain a bit. Attaching the collars almost made me abandon the pattern while making the muslin. It was extremely fiddly and frustrating. I’m glad I didn’t abandon the pattern, but I did abandon the instructions (I’m not on FB, so could not go there for help). I ended up using a different method for lapel collar construction from a fantastic Atelier Saison video, which was so much more straightforward even though it involved some hand stitching, which, in my opinion, can save the day when you don’t want to fight curved pattern pieces or your sewing machine. Finally, the instructions did not specify how to finish the hem of the front facing. I figured it was the same as finishing the slit hems and that’s what I did. Overall, this was a challenging yet extremely satisfying pattern. I like the unstructured design that makes an outfit look thoughtfully put together but not “buttoned up.” Highly recommend.