The Brocade Makes The Jacket - Butterick B6915

A little over a year ago, I briefly mentioned my work on the muslin for the jacket of this pattern.  Since that time, I did more tweaking of the pattern and decided to use a beautiful brocade that I purchased from Mood Fabrics several years ago during a visit to New York.  

I thought the style of the jacket was the perfect match for the brocade.  Granted I did want to reduce any chance of something going wrong or turning out wonky before I cut into my fabric.  I really love the fabric and wanted to make something special with it.   

We are now in the hot, muggy days of summer.  It was 94 degrees when I took the photos of me wearing my outfit.  Though the coloration of my new suit is bright and cheery, it is perfect for the fall/winter season.  

Pattern Description:  Classic two-piece suit with a twist.  Lined jacket draws asymmetrically across the body and fastens with three buttons.  Jacket features flap detail at front.  Pants come in ankle length and includes invisible zipper on the side.  View C are wide leg pants.  I made view A and B.

Pattern Sizing:  It comes in two size groups (8 - 16) and (18 - 26) I used size 16 with modifications.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?  Yes, my outfit does look like the drawing and the suit that the model is wearing.  

Were the instructions easy to follow?  The instructions were typical and easy to follow.  There was nothing confusing about them.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?  

Likes -

• The asymmetrical style line of the jacket.
• The pleats at the neckline of the jacket
• The princess seam.

Dislikes -

• The one piece sleeve.  I prefer a two piece sleeve for a suit jacket.  These sleeves were snug and there was too much in the sleeve cap for my fabric.  When I made the muslin the amount of ease in the sleeve cap was easy to work into the armhole.  But in the brocade it was slightly difficult.  I had to set the sleeve three times.

Fabric Used:  My fabrics were purchased at Mood Fabrics during a trip to met up with several sewing friends (Carolyn, Andrea, Gaylen)  in New York.  My jacket fabric is a silk brocade and the pants is a medium weight polyester satin.  

 
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:  I made several pattern adjustments beginning with the full bust adjustment and my usual back adjustments.  I also lengthen the sleeves and added an inch width to the upper arm area.  For the pants I had to lengthen the leg and crotch.  Sorry no photo of that adjustment.

After making the adjustments and a muslin, I still needed to make a few tweaks as I sewed.  Below is a photo of me fitting the lower half of the jacket along side of photo of the finished outfit.  See the difference in the flare of the peplum.  I ripped it all out and reduced the peplum along the sides. 

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  I think once is enough.  But, I do recommend this pattern to others.  You should make a muslin before cutting into your fashion fabric.

Conclusion: I'm pleased with how this suit turned out.  I'll probably wear it the first chance I get when cooler weather returns.  This pattern is not difficult to sew. It's time consuming and you should take your time and enjoy the process.