Doctor T Designs

Woo!  Made it!  The final piece in my wardrobe sudoku is done.  The final piece was certainly the most time consuming; it is this version of the little french jacket from the February 2013 BurdaStyle Magazine:

My version, of course, is teal and black:

Check out that plaid matching am I right?  I went simple with the lining – black poly charmeuse – since the rest of the colors were so dramatic.  I also bagged the lining, which gave a nice finish to the inside.

Here is my official Pattern Review:

Pattern Description: Women’s fitted jacket with contrast trim, three quarter sleeves, and welt pockets.

Pattern Sizing: Burda sizes 36-44.  I made a size 42, grading out to a 44 on the arm.  I made a few slight fit alterations as described in the alterations section.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, very easy.  I think anyone who has sewn from Burda before would not have a problem.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the envelope once you were done with it?  Yes, very much so!

What did you particularly like or dislike about this pattern?  Likes: I like the 3/4 sleeves, the contrast trim, the welt pockets, and the v-neck.  It was pretty simple to construct, as far as jackets go.  Dislikes: It is a bit boxy of a shape.  I thought the wide v-neck would help balance out my somewhat narrow shoulders, but it just feels very boxy to me.  Also, I did not like the sleeve fit (you can see how low/how much it pulls in the model photo even), so I adjusted the sleeves a bit.

Fabric used: Poly boucle, faux leather, and poly charmeuse lining fabric from fabric.com.  I bought all these fabrics specifically for this project and for my sudoku wardrobe.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: I took in the back neckline with a half inch dart adjustment to the pattern piece, as the 42 is too large on the back of my neck.  I also adjusted the front sleeve seam by 3/8″ – it was far too restrictive so I thought by moving the seam back towards the armpit it would allow for greater range of motion.  It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was a MUCH better fit with much greater mobility after doing that alteration.  Finally, I added an extra 1/4″ to the back sleeve seam so it would not be as tight and restrictive.  Oddly, I did not have to make a swayback adjustment, perhaps because this jacket is so short, and my swayback is a bit lower than where the design hits?  Anyway, I did not have to make that common adjustment on this pattern, which was pretty nice.

Would you sew it again?  Would you recommend it to others?  I don’t know if I will sew this again.  I’m not completely sold on this style for me, or, at least, not this pattern anyway.  I do love my fabric choices and the details, I’m just not sure if I love the style of the jacket.  I would recommend this pattern to others, but I would suggest checking fit before cutting into the good fabric.

Conclusion: I’m pretty happy with my jacket.  I love the fabric and the details, but I’m not convinced it is the most flattering style.  I’m thinking I need to play around with it in my wardrobe a bit more – it looks great with the wide trousers in my Sudoku wardrobe, but I think it might look nice with a nice dark jean or some of my other dress trousers.  I’m sure I will get some good wear from it, I’m just not sure I love it as much as I thought I would.