Burda WoF 12/2007 #115 and Simplicity 5914: swishy skirt suit

Finally here are some photos of the skirt suit I made using Burda WoF 12/2007 #115. Firstly the jacket:

As I mentioned in a previous post, the jacket is 115A in the 12/07 magazine, which is shown in the magazine made in a bright fire engine red, but I chose a far more subtle charcoal wool flannel, with white topstitching to emphasise the seam lines. I made a size 38 which fits very well, despite the jacket sticking out there under my arm due to my awkward pose (this photo was taken at 7am in the morning on the way to work, hence the grimace!).

I didn't make any substantial changes to the pattern, only those arising from not understanding the instructions or minor stuff ups.... As mentioned last post, I substituted a traditional double welt pocket for the one piece bound pocket that the pattern calls for, simply because I couldn't understand what how to do it (I wasn't the only one, a reviewer over at pattern review left the pockets off altogether for the same reason). My cuffs weren't wide enough to overlap for some reason, so I didn't follow the instructions but rather I sewed the cuffs to the sleeve, sewed on the grosgrain ribbon and made a button hole for the tab closure instead of a welt because I was too lazy. I've also discovered that I have sewed the sleeve lining in twisted which makes the sleeve very wrinkled, so I'll have to take this apart and resew it. What a PITB....

The skirt is View B from Simplicity 5914 (the one in the photo), which has a marvellous swishing action around my knees when I walk! It is made up of three panels across the front and three panels across the back made identically, so to achieve a better fit across my rear I tapered in the top half of the gores in lieu of darts because my rear is not as flat as my front. The only other changes I made were to include a lining, and to use an invisible zip. To match the lines of the jacket I topstitched the seam lines with white cotton and whilst the vertical seams of the skirt and jacket do not really line up I think it is a rather good effect.

And here is an action shot, taken by one of my work friends in the restaurant strip in East Sydney after a verrrrry long lunch which explains the wrinkles in the skirt. I suppose I could take the skirt apart and underline it to minimise the wrinkles, but I doubt I will so I'll just live with it as is.....

Christina asked in the comments to my last post what I would wear underneath the jacket. Well here I have worn it with a scoop neck RTW top which has reached the end of it's life 'cos it's a bit stretched out (as you can see in the first post) but I love the colour so I gave it one last wear. But it's a good question because with the shawl collar and wide opening to the jacket I don't think a collared shirt would work, but maybe a boat neck top or just a round neck top would be fine. Or if I'm feeling particularly over the top, possible a blouse with a bow around the neck!

And to everyone else who left such lovely comments on the previous post - thank you so much!