Finally Finished! Victoria Blazer - By Hand London

Hi Everyone,

I know, you only saw me yesterday, but I'm on a week off at the moment, and these were my 'plan-free' days. Therefore you get lots of me on your feed! Makes me look like a prolific sewer too so win win.

SO... here I present to you my finished Victoria Blazer...

I chose to do the cropped version, as I have a few 'boyfriend' blazers that I don't really wear any more, and I thought the cropped one would look cute over full skirted dresses. However after seeing some long ones, I may be tempted.

I don't know what I can say about this pattern that hasn't already been said! It's very cleverly drafted and comes together so quickly. I was stumped by the front dart/collar step for about 24hrs but then I saw the light (after a lot of twitter help), and it really is ingenious. The pattern instructions are as clear and well written as always.

I'm a UK 12, but as the jacket is quite loose, I cut the UK 10 as I like my jackets more fitted. I did measure some of my other favourite jackets first. Even at that, it's still very loose fitted!

My shell fabric is from the Birmingham Meetup (thanks to whoever donated!) and the lining was a scrap that I just managed to squeeze the pieces out of. I loved the thought of contrast cuffs, and this was confirmed when I saw Marie's blazer.

It does kick out a bit at the back in the cropped version. I feel a bit like a bell :) 

I love certain details in the pattern, like the turned up cuffs, and the fact that the collar seam turns into the front dart.

Onto the aforementioned cock-ups.

I had trouble cutting out the blazer front. The UK10 and UK12 lines are both dots (the size 10 dots are slightly bigger and slightly more frequent) and they made my eyes a bit googly at times as I found it difficult to differentiate. I had problems where the neckline dips down to the dart point as the different sizes, and both sets of dots, all overlap. I did manage it in the end though. 

However, as I was putting the shell together, I realised that I cut the front of the blazer too short. 2cm too short. All of the bodice sizes are spread out, so I had cut the 12 crop line instead of the 10. Stupid me.

ulgh

I decided that I wasn't against it being shorter so I cut the back to match.

Now some of you out there, may have realised the repercussions of such a decision, but I shamefully did not until I had attached all the lapels, and stitched the lining in at the front.

For those of you who have yet to click, The lapels were now stitched along the full length of the front, with no fabric left below them to hem the blazer. 

ULGH

I did even see that they were the full length, before stitching in the lining, and it didn't click.

After that I also noticed that my cuffs were the wrong way round, with the outer kick on the inside.

ARGH!

And so I decided to go to a barbeque instead of getting angry and wrecking it.

So on Sunday I put it back together the way it should have been (with some 2cm trimmed lapels) and finished it off. 

I also found out that when I had cut out the lining, some of it (the underneath bit when I matched the sevledges) was much shorter than the other bit. So in the end I had to do some careful alignment when stitching it down, to make sure that I could in fact stitch it down. 

I decided to copy a dress of mine, and align the lining at the armhole with the armhole seams and finish the lining against it instead of handstitching. 

My sleeve had no give in it in that direction to ease in the fullness, so I had to gather the sleeve heads.

No dudes. I am terrible at gathering, but I had a small epiphany for doing it on the fly in this situation which worked a treat. I might do a small example blog for you guys if anyone is interested?

Now my dear friends, I have a surprise.

I didn't even realise it until I finished the blazer.

I made a suit

 Some of you may be thinking - when did this happen?

Some of you may recognise it, but you're not quite sure from where.

This is a skirt I made back in April, I never blogged it, but I wore it to the London Blogger Meetup in April.

It was Butterick B5285 (View B). I meant to blog it, but it sort of got left behind! 

What do you guys think??

Emmie

xx