Wholecloth: Friday Pattern Company Heather Blazer

This matched natural linen Heather Blazer and shorts has been a long time coming. I made the shorts last summer because the pattern is self-drafted and I can whip it up without any major decisions slowing me down. I got a little hung up on the Friday Pattern Company Heather Blazer. First I guilted myself into thinking I had to muslin, spoiler alert, I didn't and it turned out fine. Then I waffled over the lining. Why is a good lining so hard to find?! Nonsense, lead to time wasting and then the seasons changed without a linen blazer. But sometimes some time away is all you need to work through your hangups. This time, I jumped right in.

The Pattern: The Heather Blazer by Friday Pattern Company is an oversized, lined blazer, with big patch pockets, a notched collar and single button closure. As I said before, I got hung up on muslining, but after comparing the finished garment measurements to mine, I figured it was a pretty good bet that I would like it without modifications. The pattern is written for a B cup (which I am), and there are no darts or fitted elements that could cause problems. I sewed a straight medium. The only modification was to take 2" from the length. I started with a paper fitting (just held up the pattern piece with the seam allowances folded over to see where it fell), and determined I needed to remove 1" so the jacket wasn't longer than the shorts. I took 1/2" above the waist and 1/2" below. In the end I shortened the hem another inch so you can just see that shorts under it. Next time I would take a full inch above the waist. I ended up raising the button/buttonhole too.

The Fabric: This is European 100% Linen from Fabric.com in Natural. I bought it last year with this jacket in mind and ordered a little extra for the shorts. I've sewn with this fabric in other colors, so I already knew I liked the weight, drape, and durability. I love the linen rumple texture it gets after washing. The front for the jacket calls for a full sized fused interfacing. Would do something different next time. The linen and the synthetic interfacing are at odds with each other, and the front of the jacket is a little stiff. Was trying to stretch my boundaries when I picked this rather light color, but I think I'll make another darker version for when I feel content in my rut.

The lining fabric is Cotton + Steel Picnic Lawn Sunday Dress also from Fabric.com. I thought the dots would be a neutral enough print to wear with most anything. But, it's not quite neutral enough. I find myself choosing tops based on the tiny slivers of lining print at the sleeve, which was not how I wanted this to work. Otherwise, the fabric is a solid choice for a jacket lining, and works well with the weight of the linen.

The Outfit: The tank is an Ogden Cami by True Bias. I made it last summer and it's a wardrobe staple, even in this bold print. The shorts are my standard self-drafted pattern, made in the same fabric as the jacket. I wear some version of this pattern all summer (and most of the spring and fall, and now that I have a corduroy pair, most of the winter too). I just can't be bothered to wear something that doesn't fit just right. Eventually, the fashion pendulum will swing far enough that I have to change, but not yet.