When I was gifted one metre of very loose weave wool/silk blended plaid by my real life sewing pal Angelika I didn't have a jacket in mind. My initial idea was a pencil skirt, but such a loose weave wouldn't have withstood up to all that sitting and standing.
The inspiration for the jacket came from a woman I saw walking down the main street of Sydney in a checked red and black unstructured jacket with wide lapels and leather (real, I think) sleeves. She looked stunning!
Alas my one metre was not going to deliver wide lapels, so I cut a very old Burda pattern with princess seams for a "Cocoesque" jacket. I think the faux leather sleeves rescue my jacket from looking frumpy. Glad the sleeves serve a purpose because setting them into the plaid was very difficult and the results are far from perfect. The welt pockets were also challenging.
I've worn it a few times - it was actually finished before I started on my tailoring project - but I lacked a photographer. After putting up a plea on the Sydney Spoolettes Facebook group, I found I was not the only sewer with a neglected blog in need of a photographer. Today enjoyed the radiant winter sun in Sydney's Hyde Park with with Susan from Measure Twice-Cut Once and Pamela. Hope to turn it into a regular Thursday meet up.I wish I could say I've finished my tailored jacket. In my rush to bring it home, I really messed up the lapels. So out comes the seam ripper for a re-make. I put too much into it to accept second best!
Meanwhile happy sewing!
