I really need to get started on my Tessuti fabric challenge.
I’m ‘almost’ settled on this fabric becoming a jacket – and I will make a skirt to pair with it.
I can’t imagine wearing this as a suit – that said, I think I Heart Fabric’s Tessuti outfit is fabulous – yup I never make any sense. I am shorter than average (yes really – there seems to be a wonderful blog mythconception out there that I am much taller than I really am, that’s OK people let’s stick with that). I tend not to wear too much pattern, particularly darker ones, as I think it visually shortens me – when you have an excessively tall husband you think about these things!
My original plan had been to make up a dress with a bolero. A Simplicity 2444 dress style and a figure hugging bolero using the reverse side of the fabric for trim around the neckline etc. However after much fabric patting and excessive amounts of umming and ahhing, I just don’t think it’s ‘me’. I just can’t comfortably wear that amount of ‘matchy matchy’.
I think it’s going to be a casual jacket with a skirt with trim, I’m not participating in sewing challenges or competitions unless I can do them the SewBusyLizzy way, I’m interested in makign things which are ‘me’, a reflection of my style, taste and lifestyle. Anything else feels like a sellout.
I’ve narrowed it down my jacket choices to four. Yesterday it was two, the indecision is killing me!!
The contenders
I’ve had a crush on this pattern ever since Handmade by Carolyn made it for her daughter – I love the slouchy style of it. I can imagine wearing it and loving it – with a short skirt or coloured skinny jeans. I’m just worried the fabric is a bit ‘busy’ for it, then again sometimes those visual conflicts work a treat. Love the soft flippy peplum. Would make the long sleeve version.
McCalls 6611
I’ve made this before and really love the jacket. I like the peplum and the cropped style.
Clearly I’m developing a peplum obsession (and excuse me that chick looks like she wielding a riding crop – so stern!). I’m small and I like the shape peplums create, a bit of curvy illusion is good for a skinny wench. I like both the short-sleeved and long-sleeved version. Worried it’s a bit mother-of-the-bride in a so much pattern, not creating it as a suit.
Crossover blazer – Burda Style
Just love this one. Would have to buy it online and tiled it all together… and no seam allowances make things more complicated again…
I’m interested in your thoughts, I think ELH is sick of hearing about it…
I often find hearing people’s thoughts help me clarify my own. And quite frankly having mental conversations with myself has been going on for weeks, I’m getting quite sick of the little person in my head prattling on endlessly! Let’s shut her up.
Have you seen Karen’s (Did You Make That) fabulous Minoru in the Tessuti challenge? That girl can sew!
IN OTHER SEWBUSY NEWS
I’ve started this jacket. Looking nice… so far… I’m up to the fringing. I wish Burda Style had more patterns starting at 32 or 34. So many of them start at 36.
Burda 03/2013 jacket. A pretty wool blend.
So I searched the Burda site again and found this jacket which could be contender No.5.
Stop looking Lizzy and sew something!!! SOMEBODY STOP ME.
Sew Busy Lizzy 
I think I like the Burdastyle crossover one the best. Reckon it would be worth the piecing together and adding seam allowances to show off the reverse side of that gorgeous tessuti fabric… Altho I’m sure you will rock whichever one you decide on!
Oh I meant the reverse side for the collar!
Yes, I love the idea of the reverse side of this fabric, it makes for interesting options…
I was just reading back over this weighing up the options if I were making this jacket for me. In the end I decided I’d probably go with Option 1 – Burda 7401. I really like long tops and jackets because I tell myself it gives me the illusion of a long torso (also a shorty!). It would be very closely followed by Option 3 – Burda 7495 because I do love the flouncy peplum look.
Having a look at how they both style them tipped me in the end because I could see myself dressing up or dressing down the Burda 7401 whereas the other one would lend itself to dressy/corporate only.
Hope this helps in some way!
Thank you, I do keep coming back to 7401, I’m very distracted about this project for some reason!
Cross over blazer! Just enough detail to be interesting for a sewing challenge but still allowing the fabric to speak. I think the style of buttons on the image would go with the fabric as well. It’s up to you though Lizzy. Can’t wait to see what you decide
I thought I had decided on 7401 but then I saw that blazer and hence my crisis! LOL. It’s just lovely
I can see why you are in such a dilemma… there isn’t a bad choice… all of them would work! I’m voting for the crossover blazer. How good would it look with skinny jeans? Smart, funky and comfy.
V.true. I stumbled over it last night and my crisis deepened. It was going to be 7401 but I’m thinking it needs a much plainer fabric, something slubby… The crossover blazer is fab, it can be worn in different ways which I like…
I like the crossover blazer. Just the right amount of structure but still appropriately casual. Though cutting and taping all that together might be enough to make me choose something else!
LOL glad I’m not the only one who thinks like that. Although is its a PDF I can just cut my size rather than tracing as well!
I have cut and taped a TON of kid patterns since that’s how most of the indy patterns come, and even those small patterns suck to piece together. I have to REALLY want to make something to do it with an adult garment!
The blazer pattern is only 25 pages – which I think is pretty reasonable for a jacket.
i really love the burda crossover blazer! i’ve done a lot of .pdf patterns lately and while i certainly don’t enjoy the cutting/taping/tracing process, for a style i really love i think it’s worth the extra effort.
PDFs don’t bother me too much, at least I can put them together and chop out chop out my size, if it’s wrong you just print another!
Phew…I’m not the only one stopped dead in my tracks with jacket analysis paralysis!!! You’re not helping with this gorgeous array of options ;-).I thought I had it narrowed down but I MUST get a copy of the first one you listed ….the Burda 7401. Love the kimono sleeve on that blazer. But for the Tessuti fabric, I agree with the others re using it for the cross over Burda.
Yes I agree, I must have stumbled across the blazer late last night for a reason. I’ve just printed it out. However I could still have a change of mind before I cut the fabric LOL
I’ve got 7401, I’m just waiting for the right fabric…
Hi Lizzy. I don’t think I’ve replied to you before, but I would suggest the McCalls pattern you’ve made before, because it seems to be a better shape than the others (in the photo of the one you made) and therefore will show your sewing skills to better advantage for the competition.
I’ve been sewing for many years, and am very impressed with the fit and finish of your sewing, so I think you would be wise to use a pattern that will reflect that.
I can see why you are drawn to the others, but I want you to win! (I’d enter the competition myself, but I am running an alterations business and haven’t got time, unfortunately).
I’ll be very interested to see what you finally decide, and of course, the finished product. Good luck. Trish.
That’s really good advice – and thank you so much for your kind comments.
I adore the crossover blazer but I am worried that the size 36 will be a little too big in the back and shoulders. At this stage, with so little time to go, I don’t really have time for a muslin – McCalls fit me straight out of the packet, I got lucky!
Ow, what a choice! Could I suggest just buying enough fabric for all of them? ok if you won’t (or can’t!) do that, I’d go for the crossover blazer too. Just coz everyone else is and that much sewing-blogger-awesome can’t be wrong, right?
(ok I don’t think it matters which you use coz you’d totally rock all those choices 🙂
thank you that’s so sweet 🙂 I think that I might get a tad bored of four jackets all the same colour… though i do love blue…
Maybe you could incorporate some of the details from the Crossover into the McCalls pattern? Whatever you decide will come out great – I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
I adore the crossover (as everyone else does!) but I’m very tempted by the Fashion Star jacket. TrishB’s advice ring very true & she makes an excellent point. It’s such a nice fit, I’m just not sure what to pair it with…
The Burda one with the peplum and the two buttons at the front. Hands down!!!
My vote is for Burda 7401. 🙂
I love the last one. You can make use of that collar by using the other side of the fabric! If I remember correctly, it’s the opposite? When I look at your three choices, number one and number three look remarkably similar…which says to me that you like that particular style because you’re choosing it again and again. You also said you “loved” each of them! Anywho, my observations! Whatever you make will be will be SoLizzy, What always works for me is to flip a coin…when it’s in the air you know which one you’re hoping for! You’ll have to adapt this one for three items, though 😛
I do love them all. I think I will leave 7401 for another day as I think it is best suited to a different pattern. I absolutely love that one & I want that project to be a goodie!
I’ve chosen all of them for the ability to show the reverse side of the fabric on the lapels, I guess you just see a bit more of it with the crossover blazer that everyone loves!
I think I will decide tonight. There is the one which I think I should make, the one I want to make and the other I now have another fabric in mind for now…
Make the one you want to make…in my experience, sewing has been so much fun when I’m excited about what I’m making and not doing something I feel I ‘should’ do.
I never been very good at doing anything I should do… Some many have called me naughty… I prefer to think of it as determined 🙂
I think I’ve made my decision, I had a flash of inspiration as to what to pair it with and I think I’m happy now… I think…
Lol…good for you. Bad girls are the best 😉
It seems to be shades of difference. There’s something about each of them reflected in at least one of the others. I can see why you’re giving yourself headaches! My choice might be the one you’ve already made that McCalls 6611, perhaps simply because, with time tightening, it’s one you know fits and looks great.
I think I’m having a peplum phase at the moment, I’ve always liked them on jackets – not on dresses. I think I shall end up with a wadrobe of them eventually!
Oh I LOVE the crossover blazer from Burda. I might have to have a go at this myself. I know what you mean about PDF patterns… I’ve got two printed out and ready to go, but just haven’t got round to sitting down and taping it all together.
Looking forward to seeing how you get on!
Although some days tiling a PDF is much more fun than tracing off a Burda magazine pattern sheet, that’s hard core!
I think I will definitely make the blazer up, perhaps not in this fabric, it’s very busy. I think I’ve settled on an idea… unless I wake up tomorrow with a new one!
I actually bought the Burda 7495 to do a RTW knock-off with the dress, but the jacket is quite good too.
My vote would have to be for the cross-over blazer though – I actually saw it made up this afternoon at a blogger meet-up. Definitely gorgeous!!
7495 is a great jacket, it really caught my eye, especially the layered peplum!
Was the blazer made up in a plain fabric or a patterned one? I think the Tessuti fabric might be a bit OTT for the blazer. It’s got such wonderful design elements it would be a shame to overwhelm them with detail.
I was just looking at the pattern details of the McCalls pattern I suggested you use, and the sketch below the option where the jacket is made in cream fabric over a long green dress might be a possibility (though I realize the crossover jacket is getting the most votes!).
Back to the McCalls jacket: if you lengthened the peplum and made a pencil skirt, as suggested by the drawing, I think it would look amazing on your figure as you are slim (and I assume tall).
You’ve obviously got a lot of the readers of your blog thinking about it!
Burda 7495 has my vote. I’d love to see you do the 7401, but not for this fabric- have all these comments gotten you sparked yet?
I agree 7401 is not the right choice for this fabric. However I will make it one day as I love the look of it!
I’m almost decided on one now. Tomorrow is another day and it could be something else by then…
I look forward to seeing the plan!!
What did you decide? I really love the crossover blazer, but the McCall’s blazer that you made before would look great in this fabric, too. Honestly, I know that I’ll love anything you make! Looking forward to watching this jacket come to life!
I adore the crossover blazer but think it’s perhaps the wrong fabric for it. The fabric feels… well very synthetic and I think it would be a shame to use it for that, I’ve almost made a decision… almost..
I really like option B of the Burda 7401 and the crossover blazer is really nice too! Good luck choosing. 🙂
It’s a tough one I like them all and I will probably make them all eventually…
Don’t you love it when you ‘narrow’ things down and then the next day, the number was higher than the day before? Lol. I really like the Burda Crossover Style Blazer. I love the way they folded up the cuffs and have them looking all geometric.
heheh what did you decide in the end you are too funny!!
I’m still working through the crisis!
I vote for burda 7401. That’s really smart and hip looking. I linked over to the jacket Karen made. That’s like a work of art.
Oh man I gotta wade in too even if you have made up your mind already! I love the fabric but you’re right about the pattern intensity and a suit! On the jacket front I think just vote out 7495 and the 5th Burda one you linked to! I think the other three would work with the print and on you too.
I shall wait with interest to see what you decide!!
PS if you wanna go with the Burda linked jacket I can photocopy the pattern sheet etc and post it all to you if you like :o)
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