Victoria in Stripes

Can you believe it? I finished another garment. Never mind that I’ve had this beauty on my sewing table for a banana amount of months. No matter. It is done. It is pretty. And I’ve gained a new respect for the whole sew-when-you-have-time method. For a while there I was feeling really sad that I wasn’t able to devote hours at a time sewing. Once I let go of that I realized how much relaxing a few minutes here and there can be. So yeah…the more you know 🙂

I was inspired to make a blazer similar to this one, except made by GAP. I bought a cute navy and white stripey ponte knit from an online vendor. Sadly, I didn’t realize I was buying by half a yard and not a yard (don’t you hate when that happens! A big bugbear of mine. Silly, Mela) and didn’t have enough. So enter the lovely Victoria blazer. I wasn’t sure the boxy silhouette would suit me but I figured, what the heck, let’s find out!

Being pressed for time these days, I decided not to do a lining. I finished the collar and lapel edges in green bias binding and simply folded the hem under and stitched. Ta-da! Easy breezy. 

Based on the finished shoulder measurement, I traced size 14/18. I still found the blazer a bit too wide and will have to take in the pattern by an inch or so at the shoulders. For the sleeve I added 1 inch using the slash and spread method, and 1 inch to each side, so 3 inches in total. To the back and front pattern pieces I added 1 inch to the armscye width. I also interfaced the collar, lapels and cuffs. For a cleaner look I tacked down the lapels.

Forgive my weary eyes in the side profile photo above. With the days getting darker earlier the best time I can get photos taken are before G leaves for work so that meant rushing to get dressed and forgoing my morning brew.

I’ve only matched stripes twice before, one by luck and the other was a basic skirt. Nothing to brag about. This time I took my time laying out the fabric and pattern pieces and cutting them out in one single layer. It helped. I think the only place the stripes failed to completely match were at where there’s some excess sleeve ease business going on. So I’d like to think I did an okey dokey job there. But I will save my bragging rights for the day I match plaid. Yes, ma’am.

With the year quickly coming to an end (I know, I’m totally a bit ahead of myself) I’d like to say that this jacket is fulfilling my Sewlution! Sure it’s not the lined, fitted glory of a blazer I had in my head when I made the sewlution, but it is a blazer. And let’s be frank, I can’t be certain I can make a fitted lined jacket before the new year. So yeah. I’m calling it: Sewlution accomplished!