Finally: Victoria II

I finished my second Victoria Blazer a week and a half ago, and only today did I have the right combination of wellness, time and weather to take some pictures.  Honestly, it was a little warm for this by the time I got home from my errands, but it was almost cool enough for it first thing in the morning!  I took a page from Ginger's book and wore it with jeans and a graphic tee:

And because that photo doesn't really show you exactly what the blazer looks like, I give you this:

And this:

This one is made of Essex Linen in Ruby, and what I thought was cotton ikat from my stash for the lining.  The Essex Linen is a fabric used by quilters - I'm using it in my Featherbed Quilt.  It's 55% linen and 45% cotton, and a little heavier than quilting cotton.  It feels a bit scratchy against my skin, but it has a great combination of linen look and cotton ease of use.  It also comes in lots of colors and is pretty inexpensive, so I would definitely use it again.

The lining fabric is a piece I bought a couple years ago from Vogue Fabrics.  I intended it to be a blouse, but then never found a pattern I thought would be a good match.  But when I bought the Victoria pattern, I immediately thought it would make a great lining and contrast collar and cuffs.  (I did struggle for a while though, trying to decide whether it really should be a lining, or whether it should become another Archer shirt.)  The fabric was labelled as cotton on the bolt, but we all know that Vogue's forte is not labelling.  This time it worked to my advantage:  I'm pretty sure (after working with it and doing a burn test) that this is actually silk/cotton - and it cost me $5 a yard!  Several months ago, I saw this same fabric at another local fabric shop for twice that price, so I'm patting myself on the back for having picked it up when I did.  It has a very soft hand and a subtle sheen that of course my camera can't pick up.

I knew that I didn't want this jacket to be cropped, but I also didn't want it to be the full length.  So I ended up taking 3" off the bottom, which happens to be exactly where the bottom notch for the pockets is.  I didn't want my jacket to have pockets because I find in-seam pockets to be a nuisance, so it worked perfectly for me.  It hits me mid-hip, which is just what I wanted for this version.  So if you're 5'4" and want this length too, 3" is your magic number!

I left the sleeves unlined on this one, partly because I didn't want to be too hot and partly because I was hoping to save enough of my lining fabric to squeeze out a tank top.  I was already on my way to having a bad cold when I was finishing this up, so it may have been sinus-brain, but the directions for finishing the lining at the armhole didn't make a lot of sense to me.  I ended up stitching around the armhole of my lining at 1/2", then clipping and folding it under before catch-stitching it to the seam allowance of the already set-in sleeve.

Because the sleeves are unlined, I needed to finish the seam.  And because I was already starting not to feel great, I didn't want to get my serger out to finish them as I normally would.   So instead I turned the seam allowances under and stitched.  I did it this way because it was the path of least resistance, but I really love how it looks! I'll have to stop avoiding this in the future!

Now here's a confession:  on both of my Victorias,  I was unable to get the cuffs to meet exactly flush on the outside.  You can see the little gap here:

So on both cuffs of both jackets, I did some tiny, invisible stitching to close that gap.  I enjoy hand stitching, and little gaps like that really drive me crazy.  I can't see how it's avoidable either, the way the cuffs are attached.  Are you guys getting yours to meet up perfectly?  I often go back to clean things up with some invisible stitches, so I just wanted to throw it out there.  A year ago I would have thought I was cheating and that I should have done it "right" in the first place, but now I feel like, hey - whatever gets the job done!  Also, when I'm hand-stitching, I like to pretend that I'm a couture seamstress . . .

This jacket was on my mind for about half the summer, so I'm glad I finally got it done.  And I think the weather will start to be jacket-appropriate any day now - I still haven't been able to wear my first one!  I have high hopes for the weekend though, when we'll be getting together with some visiting friends.

I really like this one, but I did feel a little conspicuous at the grocery store this morning.  This shade of red is not for the faint of heart!  But later I had a meeting to go to, and the lady I met with said, "I love your style!"  So that was very encouraging - honestly I do question my fashion choices sometimes.  Doesn't stop me from wearing some crazy stuff, but at least I'm aware it's crazy stuff!

Jackpot!

Well, I was wrong - my new blazer goes with tons of stuff in my closet!  I took a little look in there the other day and was able to pull eight dresses that go with it.  I didn't even move on to tops and pants and skirts in an organized way, but I've been able to come up with some ideas just in my head.  I'm really happy to know that this make won't be an orphan.

I was also very psyched to discover that it goes perfectly with three of my older and most beloved dresses that I rarely wear because I had nothing to pair with them (none of them have sleeves)!  So today I did a little dress-up session while waiting for the laundry to be done.  Please ignore the fact that my legs are unshaven and my makeup is hurriedly slapped on!  Actually, you probably can't even tell because my camera is so lousy at focusing!

First up is a deep brown halter dress from J. Crew, circa 2007.  Don't you love how they put the date on the label?  I do!  Because it's a halter and there's pretty much no way to wear a bra with it, I always felt too exposed in this dress.  So even though it looks pretty great on, I never really wore it because I just didn't feel comfortable.  But I love it with this jacket, and I think I'll actually wear it now!

I paired it with these old Sam Edelman shoes (Delicia, from about the same year as the dress) - all the interest here is on the heels:

While I had on this outfit, I took some extra pictures to give you an idea of the fit.  Remember, I made a size 4, which is where I fell on the pattern envelope based on my bust measurement.

back

It's a teensy bit fitted on me in the shoulders and across the upper back, but not so much that I can't move.

lapels and cuffs

and my cute lining!

Next I have a silk dress from Anthropologie's "We Love Vera" line that I bought a few years ago.  I bought as many pieces as I could from that line, because I also LOVE Vera - this one was called the Changing Canopy Dress.  I love the colors in this dress but was never sure how to wear it.  Enter the Victoria Jacket! (And some leopard print pumps.)

Sadly, my camera isn't showing you that the jacket is a perfect match for the pink patches in the print of the dress.  The other colors are grey, brown and orange - lovely!

And finally, one of my all-time favorite dresses, also from Anthropologie many, many years ago.  I have worn this one several times to weddings and such (and our 15th anniversary a few years ago!) but it's great to have a little something to put over it for cooler weather. 

This is a gorgeously floaty turquoise silk chiffon with a white and hot pink floral motif and a beautifully draped bodice.  I always feel like a princess when I put on this dress!  Again, the jacket is an exact match for the pink of the flowers!

And just because so many of you suggested denim, here's one look with "skinny" jeans, and another Anthrolopologie "We Love Vera" top - this one is called the Bubbly Parfait Blouse.  I think it looks OK with the jacket, but not stellar - the pink is a little off.

And I'm not convinced that wearing a cropped jacket over a longer top is quite "me."  I think I'd feel a lot more comfortable if the jacket were the longer version for a look like this. 

I'm hoping that my next Victoria will be the longer version, but I bought the fabric with the cropped version in mind, so I'll have to do a layout and see.  I felt like I had a fair bit of fabric left over from this jacket, so I'm hoping I can squeeze it out.

And now, a funny from Hubby.  When I showed him my finished jacket the other night and said, "Look at my new blazer," he answered:  "Oh - it's a shrug* blazer!"  Hahaha!  He's right!

*the back-story is that several years ago, after I'd knitted a shrug, he said, "Don't you have like a thousand of those?"

Victoria

I just finished my first Victoria Blazer.  That darn thing took me three days!  I'm blaming my fabric though - it was a bear to work with.  Also:  yesterday I sewed while tired.  Don't do it folks!  I should have known better, and I ended up sewing on my second cuff inside out AND trimming the seam down to 1/8" before I realized what I'd done!  So today that had to come out and get fixed.

Grrrrrrr.

I bought the pattern a few weeks ago, and in my stash I already had fabrics for 3 potential blazers.  I decided to start with this very textured hot pink cotton.  I had bought this a few months ago to make that backless 1966 dress I love so much, but then decided it was too stiff and scratchy for a dress.  Good weight for an unstructured jacket though!  But man, this stuff frays like crazy!

For the lining, I used "Forest Hills Voile" from Anna Maria Horner's Little Folks line.  I'd bought this to make some PJ bottoms for the Pajama Party, and then decided I wouldn't be comfortable in woven PJ bottoms.  It goes perfectly with this hot pink outer fabric, and is so silky soft against the skin.  My favorite part of this design is what I like to imagine as tangerines on the tree - reminds me of my father-in-law's tangerine grove in Turkey!

So:  free blazer!  Because to my way of thinking, once a fabric has been in the stash for more than a month, its cost evaporates.  And patterns don't count.  For me, a project is especially free if I don't have to run to the fabric store for any notions - on this one I used up odd bits of thread in almost matching colors, so YAY!

On Monday, I traced out my pattern.  I went with a size 4 based on my bust measurement.  It works for this jacket because of the stiffness of the fabric, but I may go up to a 6 next time if I want a slouchier look - my broad back and shoulders make the size 4 look a little more fitted than I think is intended.

On Tuesday I really intended only to cut out my pieces, but I was so excited about those long darts that I started sewing after all!  Here are some in progress pictures I snapped:

The color here is pretty true.

This one shows the texture.

I drew in my darts to eliminate guesswork.

I ended up constructing the entire shell and most of the lining, as well as preparing the collar, lapels and cuff.  I'd planned to leave the sleeves unlined, but once I had the shell constructed I slipped on the jacket and I just didn't like the way the textured pink fabric felt against my skin. 

So yesterday I cut some sleeves out of my lining material, sewed them up and then proceeded to set in all four sleeves.  Because my outer fabric has almost no give, it was really a struggle.  I hand basted in each sleeve before stitching on the machine - this is my preferred way to do set-in sleeves.  It really helps me not get puckers in the seams.

Everything was going great and I thought I might be able to finish yesterday.  But I suddenly got very tired in the late afternoon, and because I didn't stop the above-mentioned Cuff Fiasco occurred.

So today, the first order of business was to pick the cuff out and redo it.  I found the cuffs really tedious to do on this jacket, because they're too small to fit on my free arm.  Sewing small tubes from the inside is one of my MOST hated tasks.  But at least they came out alright:

I really wanted to follow along with the instructions so I could report on the pattern, but I just couldn't make myself do it.  I did notice though that the wording on some of the instructions is very different from other pattern lines - seemed a little more confusing to me.  And I thought it was curious that no mention was made of clipping curves (except on the armholes of the vest) and grading seams.  I did both on my jacket.  This is really a very simple jacket to construct, and I think if the instructions were a little more thorough, even a beginner could knock this one out and have a great sense of accomplishment.

I know that a lot of people who have already made this jacket either understitched the lining along the front opening or edge-stitched all the way around the fronts to keep the lining from peeking out.  I didn't do either - I found mine stayed put just with a good press, and I can always go back and do that later if it bothers me.  I also chose not to tack the lapels down - I like how they look a little open.  With this heavy fabric, I think it works, but with a lighter one I might go ahead and tack them down.

lapel rolls to the outside, lining stays to the inside

And now I have a problem:  I'm really not sure what to wear this with!  Since this stash fabric was meant to be a dress, I didn't think about what else I had in my closet that would go with it.  So I'm going to have to have a good dig through my things to come up with some outfits before modeling it.  Or, you know, just make something else to pair with it!