Well this has been one of the most fun outfits I’ve sewn in a while! I’ve been lusting over making a co-ord blazer and shorts set for while and I’ve been so inspired on Pinterest to try a fun pop of colour and to recreate a cropped blazer style. I love the whole vibe of a matching set and wanted to challenge myself to make something a bit more daring and imaginative!

Choosing the pattern

So this is the Heather Blazer pattern by Friday Pattern Company and I fell in love with the slightly oversized fit because it seems much more beginner friendly. It’s not a traditional tailored jacket but I love the modern elements that makes it feel stylish and sleek. It comes with a button fastening in the front and sits just below the hips. The jacket is lined and is a great starter into learning how to line a jacket and finish it super neatly.

Choosing the fabric

I have been looooving bright colours and when I found this vibrant yellow Cotton Twill, I just gasped. I knew immediately I wanted to make some sort of matching outfit and because it’s a medium-weight fabric it felt like a great pairing for this project. It’s very soft, irons well and keeps it’s shape without feeling or looking to stiff. I also chose a knit interfacing instead of a standard papery one and it really helped the fabric keep it’s softness and fluidity.

Construction

I hardly ever sew toiles, but I knew for this project I needed to make a test version as I’d never sewn a blazer before. I made a toile in a size Small and really loved the overall vibe of the jacket. The toile was made out of a grey fabric that I think is some sort of Linen or Cotton – I got this ages ago in a local market so I’m not entirely sure. I also used a floral cotton lining and I didn’t realise how cool it would be to have a bright pop of colour inside. This version I decided not to crop it and follow the instructions exactly as the pattern recommended so I could feel confident when sewing the final version. I only had 1 major hiccup which was sewing the hem. There is a YouTube video the pattern company created specifically dedicated to this part of the construction as it is confusing, but I still managed to mess it up! Thankfully all of you over on my Instagram @tammy.handmade helped me out and shared that I effectively sewed too far down and missed a notch (which worked!)

Since I was fairly confident with the sewing process, I dived straight in and altered the pattern to be more of a cropped style and omitting the pockets and button closure. I decided to sew a size XS this time, and I’m glad I did because it wasn’t as oversized as the first attempt. I do love this pattern a lot, and the instructions are really easy to understand. Whenever there’s a sew-along YouTube video, I always feel like I have something to reference back to as well which makes it feel less daunting when trying something new. This time though, I managed to sew a few puckers into the sleeve head when attaching and I gave up and left them in as a feature LOL!

To go with the co-ord vibe I sewed up a pair of Megan Nielsen Opal Shorts in a size 8. I actually made the first pair not too long ago, and I have a whole separate blog post about that pattern here. As a set I think they compliment each other beautifully. To me, sewing is all about trying new things and pushing yourself to create you wouldn’t normally buy or wear and I’m glad I had a dabble at making such a vibrant and daring piece!