A bit of challenge is a good thing, right? I already sewed my 2022 Sewing Challenge with that great Luzerne trench coat (it can be se seen here:
https://www.minerva.com/posts/1134742), but I wanted another challenge.
Hence came the idea of sewing a woven blazer, something timeless, but with a twist.
I had bought Pauline Alice’s Saler pattern when it was first released. It seems that 2022 will be the year of “patterns bought, never sewn”!
The Saler jacket is your typical blazer pattern with all the bells and whistles. I fell in love with the curved front bottoms and the lovely welt pockets. Shoulder pads and sleeve heads along with multiple layers of interfacing make for a tailored jacket.
Such a sewing project needed a muslin. I started with a straight size 42 (sizing ranges from FR34 to FR48).
Muslin assessment showed that the back was way too wide, the armscyes were way beyond my shoulder joints, and the collar was way too close to my ears! Actually, nothing was new to me, they are standard adjustments for me. However, the length was spot-on, with the curve of the waist right on my natural waist. It’s drafted for a height=165 cm (I’m 164 cm) with a B cup.
I shortened the center back by 6 mm, I narrowed the shoulders, and reduced the slope of the shoulder. These alterations took me a whole week because the pattern is made of numerous pieces and, for instance, the front and back have princess seams. So you need to alter all of these pieces.
I ended up sewing a size 38 for the armholes/sleeves/shoulders blended to 42 at the waist/hips. I really love a fitted jacket at the bust and upper body. The Saler jacket is meant for people with a B cup, but I’ m rather hollow at the upper bust and I had too much fabric there, making the jacket ill-fitting.
Once I was done with the alterations, it was high time to cut the good fabric.
Look at this fabric! Isn’t it lovely with its golden Lurex threads and its plaid pattern? Wasn’t I ambitious to try and match those checks on princess seams?!?
I tried and did my best, taking more than 6 hours for cutting. I started from the center back and progressed toward the front. SO MANY pieces! Fortunately for me, this was a regular plaid pattern.
I found the process of sewing rather easy, thanks to having sewn the muslin. There are many notches to help assembling the pieces. Interfacing is of paramount importance in a blazer and since my fabric was rather soft and lightweight, I used Vilene G 785 and straight grain tape for the break line. Some parts have 3 layers of interfacing so take your time and let each layer cool off before adding the next one.
The lining is made of golden liquid satin. It’s rather thick and was so easy to sew.
All in all, the sewing part went well, but I’m pretty sure there’s something wrong with the sleeves: they had too much ease and the side seams didn’t match at the seam lines. At first, when sewing my muslin, I thought I had gone off grain when cutting, resulting in a stretchy sleeve cap. However, I had the same trouble with my good fabric. I managed to make it look good by slightly moving the notches. I’ll need to walk the seam lines on both upper and lower sleeve parts to check if they’re the same length.
I was concerned with sewing the welt pockets with flaps, but the instructions were really clear and that was fun. I did a lot of basting and tailor’s tacks because that fabric didn’t handle chalk well. I took extra care to get this jacket right!
The collar was also a first and It was rather pleasing to have it stand up so well.
I added some extra steps like understitching the front facings. First, I understitched the front to the facing from the bottom to the breaking point then I understitched the facing to the front from the breaking point up.
I also tacked the sleeve hems so they will stay nice and sharp overtime.
My buttons came from my stash. I love big buttons and the ones on the front are matte, not glossy. Perfect!
I’ll probably sew another Saler jacket next winter, but this time with a a size 40/44 blending because I can’t really put on any other garment thicker than a t-shirt underneath this Saler jacket.
Isn't it cute paired with another Minerva project (my skinny denim Ginger:
https://www.minerva.com/posts/1129230)
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