Things sewn in 2020: jackets

Saturday 9 January 2021

My love for sewing jackets, especially tailored jackets, continued this year despite having no real reason to wear one because I wasn't in the office for most of the year. I made 8 jackets last year, of which 5 are definitely corporate wear and 3 are more relaxed.


My most worn jackets last year are two bomber jackets both made from the same pattern but in very different fabrics. The first version is made from wool in black and white gingham, lined in black bemsilk lining. I didn't have any black ribbing, but used some black ponte fabric which has worked really well. The other version is made from a very lightweight cotton voile that I lined with a crisp cotton poplin not only to give it enough body but also to give some depth to the pale pink and pale green fern print. I used some grey ribbing from the stash. Both have been worn a lot last year and this year already (even the wool one because so far it's been a cold summer).

diy bomber jackets Burda Easy 2014 www.loweryourpresserfoot.blogspot.com

The pattern is from a 2014 Burda Easy magazine that I picked up at a Sydney Spoolettes fabric swap, and the pattern is indeed quite easy. Even the instructions for the welt pockets are pretty good for Burda.

Burda Easy 2014 magazine

My second favourite and semi-casual jacket is a linen kimono sleeved jacket made from a chartreuse heavy weight linen. This is made from a 2002 Burda magazine and I love the turned up cuffed sleeves and the slight stand up collar. I wore this a few times last year - both to the office with pants and casually with jeans.

Burda 6/2002 #101 chartreuse linen kimono jacket www.loweryourpresserfoot.blogspot.com

My third favourite jacket made last year is a vibrant emerald green wool tweed jacket heavily inspired by a jacket that Peggy wore in Mad Men. I had no reason to make this other than I loved the fabric! But I will definitely wear it to work when things get back to normal. Again I used an older Burda pattern - 4/2014 #103 which I made no size modifications to despite using a firm woven fabric with no stretch even though the pattern calls for jersey or soft wool. I hand stitched the navy blue grosgrain ribbon around the collar which really hurt my fingers but it was worth it - I love the curved front hem and the neat fit from the princess seams. I plan a few more jackets from this pattern in the future.

emerald green Mad Men style blazer Burda 4/2014 #103 www.loweryourpresserfoot.blogspot.com
Another work jacket that I made very early in the year and actually wore to the office a few times in February and early March is a blazer from Burda 9/2016 #108. I made this pattern a few years ago in a light pink soft wool crepe which I still wear frequently so I knew the pattern was good. This version is made in a teal heavy weight linen, lined in a glorious green silk. I made the matching pants that you can just see in this photo but they need some rework because they bag out quickly and get too big after about 2 hours of wear.

teal green linen blazer Burda 9/2016 #108 www.loweryourpresserfoot.blogspot.com

I have narrow shoulders and one of my obsessions is getting a neat fit around the shoulders - I'm always doing a narrow shoulder and a forward shoulder adjustment, and will re-sew a sleeve head multiple times until it's pucker free. So I don't know what I was thinking making a jacket with a quirky square sleeve head with a big pleat at the shoulder! I used a beautiful sage green wool suiting fabric that I picked up from a charity shop and thought it would look great in a fashion forward kind of way. Luckily I was able to re-cut the sleeve into a standard shape and resew it because it looked ridiculously pointy and just wrong. This is New Look 6013, and aside from those quirky sleeves it's a great looking jacket:

New Look 6013 sage green wool blazer www.loweryourpresserfoot.blogspot.com

I do like jackets with a cool collar or some sort of design twist, and this asymmetrical wrap jacket from an old New Look 6619 pattern fit the bill perfectly. The front was actually meant to be asymmetrical - it just turned out that way when I positioned the button in the best place to fit my bust and shoulders! I actually prefer the way it looks like this. This is made from a white blue and pink tweed jacket, lined in a pale blue bemsilk from the stash (I was really big on using stash fabric last year).
 
white tweed wrap front jacket New Look 6619 www.loweryourpresserfoot.blogspot.com

Finally, my most recent and least favourite is a gorgeous fuchsia wool suiting that I tortured into a tailored jacket. The fabric is quite lightweight and drapey, which I picked because the collar of the jacket I tried to make is a scarf style in a shawl neckline. The pattern is Burda 7286 view A. Well that backfired because the collar would not properly at all when folded over on itself and I got so annoyed with it that I eventually ripped the collar off and made it a collarless jacket.

I even went to the effort of making welt pockets with flaps and a bound button hole, but this fabric just wasn't right for this style of jacket. I used light interfacing to block fuse the body pieces, but the more I steam pressed the jacket the more it bubbly and stretched out. It looks ok in photos, and while I probably won't wear it in person, someone clever on my IG suggested wearing it for video calls because the imperfections won't be noticeable! So that's my plan, because I don't want to waste this fabric.

Burda 7286 fuchsia wool blazer www.loweryourpresserfoot.blogspot.com

 So I do have plans for a few more jackets this year, time will tell whether I get to actually wear them all in the office this year though!

7 comments:

  1. great jackets and such a variety, you find some really cute patterns in those old Burdas

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  2. I do love the bomber jackets...

    Your comment "tortured into a jacket" gave me a giggle.

    You were so productive in 2020 that you have totally inspired me to challenge myself and the stash this year!

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  3. Your two bomber jackets fit the bit perfectly and can see why the have been worn so much this year alone. A great collection of jackets all different and I admire your tenacity in getting that “tortured jacket” into a wearable Zoom jacket.

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  4. Wow, great effort making all those jackets and using up stash fabrics.

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  5. I think the New Look jacket is the most flattering on you. I really like that one on you, so maybe you should make more jackets with asymmetrical closures. The bomber jackets are very cute though, for a more casual look.

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  6. Love that new look pattern! That asymmetrical closure really adds a unique feature.

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  7. I love your roundups. Thanks for the effort of blogging your makes. The bomberjacks are inspiring for me.
    I hardly wear jackets, I’m more of a cardigan type. But I do love those burda jacket patterns. So maybe I will try a bomberstyle to start with.

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