I made a blazer, and learned a lot along the way

I completed another project on my garment sewing bucket list — a tailored men's blazer. I used a cotton/linen blend in light gray with a cotton lawn lining so that I could wear the jacket comfortably in the summer. I also wanted to start with a more casual jacket to learn about construction and not worry too much about making huge mistakes.

I learned quite a bit following (and then adjusting) my pattern. I used the Burda 6872 men's jacket pattern. After making a muslin, I made some adjustments. I wanted the sleeve vents to be functional and not decorative, so I had to figure that out. I also wasn't satisfied with the method for lining the back vent in the pattern. And I changed the shape of the lapel to something more like my other jackets hanging in my closet.

In addition to my muslin, I made a lot of test pieces and prototypes. I learned to sew a lined vent. I used the same technique for both the back vent and the sleeves, adjusting the size and adding buttonholes on the sleeves. I also found a treasure trove of YouTube videos of garments being constructed in a Japanese sewing factory.

I also adjusted my seam allowances, which I think helped with construction. Since all of my seam were enclosed (fully lined jacket, no raw edges exposed), I didn't need the full 5/8" seam allowance which is standard on most sewing patterns. A lot of the videos I used to help learn techniques seemed to use 3/8" or 1 cm as their standard, and sometimes less. I adjusted my pattern pieces for 3/8" seam allowances (removing 1/2" to all seams, not the hems), and I even used 1/4" for the collar band and collar attachment, making this seam much easier to maneuver.

After watching my YouTube videos and making practice pieces, I pretty much ditched the Burda instructions and instead went with the Japanese garment factory video's order of operations for their women's tailored jacket.

Resources

Sewing a lined vent (back slit, but also useful for sleeves)

How to sew a jacket (Japanese garment factory sewing videos, 7 parts total)

Materials used

Kaufman Essex Yarn Dyed Linen Blend Homespun Charcoal Fabric

Kaufman London Calling Lawn Red Flowers Fabric (Similar fabric, Leaf Spray in Navy no longer available)

Jacket sew along

After making one jacket successfully I'm going to give it another go later this summer. I may use a different pattern, and definitely plan on adding a few interior pockets (which were lacking in this version). I've already picked out some fabric!