Results tagged “back to school” from Fabric.com Blog

Being a preppy girl at heart, I fell in love with blazers a few years ago and my favorite retailer, J.crew, sells one that is at the top of my list. It is velvet, cropped, fun and a little funky given the colors it is offered in; it is just perfect. However, its price tag puts it far from my reach. I decided that recreating it would be a great addition for back to school season. College students, teachers and professionals all need a great blazer so why not make your own inspired by this great high-priced piece from J.crew.

I am starting with Simplicity's Amazing Fit Blazer (2446) because it offers the fit I am looking for (fitted and trim) with the cropped option as well as hip length so I can make several different versions if I like. I am also attracted to the fact that you can get a custom fit with this pattern given that you can cut for your bust size and it teaches you how to baste, fit and tailor to your size. While this is a very attractive feature, I am making this while 9 mos pregnant for wearing after I have dropped my baby weight so getting an exact custom fit will not work for me. However, my DIY custom dress form (see post here) will help me get a basic fit, similar to the fit you will get shopping off the rack or purchasing a blazer from our inspiration store. I will be cutting for the biggest bust size because I am on the busty side plus I want to wear it right away. I will also be cutting one size larger than I normally wear for the same reason. I love the velvet look and will be using our Doux Cotton Velvet, which is a dream to work with. I wanted to be daring and use our Lime Green at first but thought something a little more neutral might be better for my first velvet blazer go-around so I choose Green Lily, which is actually more of a dusty teal than green. The color is true to the sample below and not to my pictures. I tried to get it in the best light to make the color of the jacket true but it was either sharp details or great color. I went with details for you. 

So far I have the shell completed and that was a task because of all the fitting. This means cutting and pinning, then basting with 1'' seams then fitting, occasional ripping out and repining then marking, ripping out all the basting then re-sewing. Phew! I actually just basted with RS together instead of WS together because I overlooked that bit in the instructions by accident so I sewed over my basting lines and it saved a bit of time. I did end up ripping out about 8-10'' of my basting on the back to accommodate my hips and also on the front to a lesser extent. I ended up going from 1'' to 1/2'' at the back and to 5/8'' on the front.

Before fitting

My one pet peeve concerning this pattern is that there are several different seam allowances and all are written on the pattern pieces and not also on the pattern instructions. Since I trace my pattern pieces onto freezer paper I have to pull out my tissue pattern every time to check on a seam allowance. If only Simplicity had thought to include them again in the instructions.

After fitting

I am going to be making some pattern modifications as we go along including a fun collar among others. The only differences I can see from this pattern and our inspiration is the angle of the pockets, and the omission of the welt pocket right above the right side flap pocket.

Stay tuned for the conclusion of my blazer in part 2 and I can't wait to show you my fun lining!!! 

Back to school time for me has always been synonymous with book covers. My brother and I would raid mom's paper bag stash and cut and color to our hearts content. Today, paper bags are a fond memory paired with remembering when we could eat Little Debbie's not gaining an ounce and run around outside for hours without even thinking of napping (not like to today when I yearn for naps). The reduced availability of paper bags means that we must turn to other mediums for our book cover materials and what else, but fabric, would be my first choice. It is also a better choice. It will last longer than paper, can be easily patched should it rip and can be easily coordinated to any book bag or jacket for the ULTIMATE back to school outfit.

My Fabulous Fabric Book cover is easy to make and here is what you will need to make one.

Materials:

½ yd of fabric (quilting cotton, linen, twill, etc) for exterior

¼ yd of fabric for lining

½ yd of fabric for bias tape binding or one package of prepared bias binding

Download your instruction sheet here.