Thursday 6 August 2015

Morris Blazer

This jacket nearly didn't make it to the blog.  I didn't want to be the only sewing blogger that struggled with this pattern.


I love the pattern and the combination of fabrics that I chose, but the fit is just terrible on me.  I used a stretch sateen for the majority of the jacket and faux leather for the lapels.  Maybe I should have gone up a size to account for using stretch woven rather than a knit.


I measured myself up and my numbers put me right on a size 14.  I left the body length alone, but added  xx inches to the sleeves (should have gone more but couldn't believe I needed that much extra length to make them full length).

I had a moment with the instructions for joining the facing.  One step tells you to fold the facing in and press, and the then next step you join them together.  To get the join to work you need to unfold and sew what you have just folded up, but this isn't mentioned.  Not a huge drama, but it did seem counter intuitive.


As you can see from the photos the shoulders are way too wide for me, not something I usually have a problems with.  I also have fold lines on the sleeves in the bicep area and a great big fold across the back where the jacket is clearly too tight.  Sorry I didn't get any photos of the back when I was wearing it, but the wrinkles tell the story.  I also found that the armhole felt really small and tight.  I'm wondering whether the combination of the too tight armhole and too wide shoulders are contributing to the pulling across the back.


I really wanted this to work, it would be perfect for the more casual environment I'm in at work.  I'm not sure whether to work on the pattern (it really wouldn't be that hard to fix) or just move on to something else.

10 comments:

fabric epiphanies said...

What a shame! Could you just make the seam allowance in the armholes slightly bigger as an easy fix? I do like the shiny lapels.

I intend to make another Morris in stretch sateen so it will be interesting to see if it makes a difference. My others are in ponti which isn't very stretchy so it shouldn't make too much of a difference.

Christy said...

What a bummer this didn't work. We've all been there. I'm sure you'll have better luck next time.It is a good pattern. My favourite that is easy to wear is a stretch pant weight twill

Paola said...

I also found the shoulder drafted wide, which is a problem I do not usually have. I also found it really difficult to ease the sleeve in smoothly in the ponti I used. Not sure where I went wrong- I too measured an exact 14, but it was a bit of a disaster. I had high hopes for this pattern, sigh!

katherine h said...

I like the look of the grainline patterns, but their tank top did not fit me through the shoulders at all, so I have not moved onto their other patterns. SO, no, you are not the only one...I think we hear about the successes more than the failures.

Coco said...

Ah...You're not alone in being disappointed in this jacket. I did a muslin in scrap knits - had to move the sleeves in at the shoulder as well and refit a couple other places. I keep thinking I'll make it again...maybe :-) Your fabrics are beautiful!

Summer Flies said...

I can't contribute re the jacket but it looks like a great fabric combo and maybe you should try and fix it. I found an old Vogue pattern with the same boxy look and lapels but straight hem and will give that a go.

honigdesign said...

Oh that's really too bad. Maybe you can pass it on to a friend with a different body shape, would hate to see all that work go to waste.

marishi said...

Glad to have found your post! I was so excited to make this jacket and what a downer. I encountered the same issues as you --> tight armholes, wide shoulders. Just did not look good at all. I am thinking about just using a sweatshirt pattern I copied from an existing garment and just add the Morris elements I like to it. I like your fabric combination as well!

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Anonymous said...

Agree, it seems to have very small armholes.I think the shoulders are wide, but a tight armhole will encourage a sleeve to drop off the shoulder, so there are 2 things going on.
It’s worth comparing the sketch of the jacket on the pattern, with the jacket modelled by the designer. They are different! The picture shows a garment that meets at the front and has a dropped shoulder. The ideal jacket modelled by the designer has several inches of space at the front and the sleeve in the usual position.
If you have any curves, it needs modifying and that’s not easy.