Skip to main content

Made by a Fabricista: By Hand London Victoria Blazer

Hello there!  I don't know about over in your neck of the woods, but here in Indiana it's been raining cats and dogs for the past couple of weeks.  I've been anxiously waiting for the weather to let up so I could get pictures of my next make for the Fabricista blog, The Victoria Blazer.



The pattern is By Hand London's Victoria Blazer that was released last year in their Spring/Summer collection.  It's a casual blazer with 3/4 length sleeves that have french seamed cuffs so you can wear them up or down.  The jacket variations are full length, cropped and sleeveless.  The design is casual and laid back so there is a generous amount of ease which makes for a very easy fit.



The pattern calls for a light to medium weight woven fabric with some body such as cotton, linen, chambray, denim, tweed, etc.  Ponte or double knits are also good options.  I used a slightly stretchy vertical striped cotton sateen from Julie's Picks last month.  I like to live on the wild side so I cut my fabric on the crosswise grain to end up with horizontal stripes.  Before I got all cut happy I took a couple of things into consideration first...
#1 - Stretch...The fabric had absolutely no give on the crosswise grain.  Stretch would of been a big contender if the jacket style was more fitted but it's not so I wasn't worried.
#2 - Drape...I knew cutting against the grain would affect the drape and in effect cause some fit problems.  I was confident I could work those out so I got to cutting.



Ok let's get down to the nitty gritty, fitting and construction!  Again because of the oversized fit of the jacket I was convinced fitting would be a breeze.  Still though I made a muslin to be sure.  The shoulder seams drooped a little too far past my shoulders for my liking.  I shortened those by 1/2 inch.  I also had to shorten the sleeves by 2 inches...I have some short arms.  

The pattern instructions/illustrations were very clear and easy to follow.  BHL also has a sew-along over on their website if your like me and need a little extra hand holding.  Hey nothing wrong with that!

When I arrived to the point where the jacket shell was completely assembled I seen where cutting on the crosswise grain was affecting the drape.  You can see in the picture below how the back balloons out A LOT.  To correct this I added two back darts, 6 inches in length and 1 in wide.


The blazer has a partial lining.  The sleeves are not lined and the lining is left unattached at the sleeves.  I found this kind of odd so I followed a few other bloggers and attached my sleeve lining to the sleeve seams.  This also helps to keep the lining from sagging and peeking out at the bottom hem.  You can see below how I attached the lining to the sleeve.  This picture was after I washed the blazer so my pinked seams weren't as pretty and ironed flat as they once were but you get the idea.  My lining was a lightweight cotton poplin from my stash.



I ended up doing two photo shoots.  After going through the pictures from my first shoot I was just not happy with the way the back of the blazer was still ballooning out.  Ok ok I wasn't happy with my hair either but that's a whole nother story!  I had already washed it once hoping it would soften up and fall into place (the blazer, not my hair) so I got out my seam ripper and re did the back darts.  I lengthened them another 2 inches making a total of 8 inches in length and widened them another inch each for a total of 2 inches in width.  I think it was an improvement.  You decide...



This blazer came together pretty quickly.  I worked on it for an hour or two each evening after work and had it completed by the weekend.  If casual and laid back is your style then this pattern has your name written all over it.  I'm more of a fitted jacket kind of gal however with my shoulder/sleeve alterations and the body of my fabric I think I found a nice balance between the two.  I would/will make this pattern again and opt for the full length style.  I love how cool and chic Victoria herself looks in the vest styled over a cute little black dress.



 - Shannon from Shanni Loves

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! All comments are reviewed before posting to help us eliminate spam. Your comment will be posted within 24 hours.

Popular Posts You Might Like

Made By A Fabricista: Vacation Vibes

We will be traveling to the Caribbean for Spring Break this year, so I started thinking about what I wanted to take with me that would be easy to wear, but also light and breezy.  Personally, I love wearing linen because it looks so luxe while still being really comfortable. Since coordinated sets are still on trend this year, I thought it would be fun to create some pieces that I could mix and match for a relaxed vacation mini-wardrobe.  (I just need to remember to pack my travel iron!)   I went through all of my patterns and came up with five different patterns that I knew would would coordinate well with each other, and that would work well with linen.  I wasn’t surprised when all the patterns I chose came from Pattern Emporium.  Their whole aesthetic is clothing that is on trend, easy to wear and comfortable.  For my first set, I used the Lightweight Yarn-Dyed Chambray Linen in Soft Oat.  This fabric is so incredibly soft and airy. ...

Made By A Fabricista: I Love A Bomber Jacket

Hello friends,  I’m Byrd, and today I’m excited to share my latest Fabricista project with you.  There’s something timeless about a bomber jacket that makes it a staple in my wardrobe. It’s effortlessly cool, versatile, and perfect for layering through the seasons. But what makes this particular bomber jacket even more special is its thoughtfully designed pattern. Not only is it a standard pattern, but it’s also adaptive—meaning the length and closures can be customized to suit your needs, whether you’re standing, sitting, or using a wheelchair. This level of inclusivity in design is something I truly appreciate, and that’s why I’m especially excited about this make! The Fabric: Cotton Poly Poplin For the bomber jacket, I chose a Salamander White cotton-poly poplin , and it couldn’t be a more perfect match. Poplin is a fantastic choice for outerwear because it’s lightweight yet durable, with just the right amount of structure to hold the classic bomber shape. The cotton-poly b...

Made By A Fabricista: Pleated High Waisted Pants And How To Style Them

Hi sewing friends! Today I’m excited to share some awesome trousers that I discovered last year when I was a tester on this pattern. These pants are seriously amazing and magical because they are pretty beginner friendly but you get a real ready to wear and higher end look due to a few clever features. I also think they are flattering on a variety of body shapes and sizes so all in all, this pattern is a winner for me. I’m also going to share three top patterns of different styles that work well with this trouser style. Have I peaked your interest? Let’s go! These magical trousers are the Padget Pants from Petite Stitchery & Co (PSCo). This pattern is size inclusive and goes up to a 5X or 62 inch hip. It also includes a great projector file with mirrored full pattern pieces (yay for good projector files!). Here are a few action shots of these awesome pants: The instructions specify a knit fabric, but many of the testers on the team made them in stretch or even non-stretch w...