Vogue 1028 - Blazing ahead

Hallo friends,

How is everyone (that is participating) finding Me Made May '14?  If completely honest, I haven't sewn much - my mind is a bit preoccupied with sport: training for a half marathon and supporting my husband in his training for the Caledonian Challenge; which requires walking 54 miles in 24 hours to raise money for charity.  Unreal!!

Anyway, I've been doing well at wearing and thinking MMM, but not so much with sticking to my plans (even though they were only made a week ago!!).  Oh well.  

One thing I have made recently is a blazer for work.  I'm now at the age? position? where I need to have smart yet approachable outfits for work.  There has been a distinct jacket-shaped gap in my wardrobe for a while.  So, I sewed up Vogue 1028; a "Semi-fitted, lined jacket with welt pocket, front darts, princess seams in back, three-quarter length two-piece sleeves, topstitch and ribbon trim, hook and eye closing."  I've had this pattern for ages.  And the fabric actually - I bought it from Goldhawk Road in December 2012 for £5 a metre.  It is lined with silk which means it feels so lovely on the skin.

So, for the photos!  Here is the Back, Front and the Pockets in use:

The pockets are tiny - about the size of a matchbox or bank card - so they are good for attaching a work security pass and holding some business cards.  

I omitted the trimmings so the jacket doesn't close - without hands - which takes a little getting used to.  I feel a little bit like one of my teachers, but that will pass as I get used to wearing this kind of thing I'm sure.  It's pretty useful, so that should happen fairly quickly.

I've styled it for work here (in fact these photos were taken after a day at work), but I've worn it casually with a denim skirt and striped t-shirt as well.

The top-stitching on this jacket is fun - along the sleeve hems, all of the darts, the pockets and the sleeveheads.  I also like the length of the sleeves - it's such a useful and yet elegant length.  I'm not totally sold on the width of the jacket (it's a little boxy for my liking), but that is the style.  

There are three tricky elements to getting a nice finish on this jacket - the top-stitching, the neckline edge and the pockets.  The neckline edge requires a circular seam to be sewn connecting the outer to the facing.  This gets quite thick in parts, and care needs to be taken when cutting notches so that the line doesn't get angular.  The top-stitching needs to be a consistent width and length - use something as a guide (the edge of your presser foot for instance) and stick with it.  The pockets are welt pockets.  The instructions are clear, so just use interfacing, mark well and take your time.  Practice on a scrap if this is the first one you've made -  there is no going back if something goes horribly wrong!

The pattern is true to size and the instructions are clear.  So if you're in the market for a simple blazer - I'd say go for it!

Rachel