April 20, 2020

Blazer Bound: Adding the Lining


Welcome back to our Blazer Bound blog series! We’re taking you along for the ride as we develop a curve-friendly blazer sewing pattern.

Last time, we showed you the first two muslins. Both were unlined, and we wanted to see what impact a lining would have before we decide what adjustments to make to the overall pattern. We’re sharing photos of that process here today!

The last few weeks have been different around here, to say the least. We’ve had to shut down our studio and move to working entirely remotely due to local social distancing measures. Thankfully we were able to try out this draft of the blazer and photograph it on Jenny and the mannequin a few days before the quarantine began, and we’re sharing photos of that with you today.

It’s been so cool for us to bring you all into our pattern development process and to get your thoughts along the way. As a reminder, the photos you see here are of a first-round muslin, so all of the fit issues you may spot will be sorted out by the time it gets to your hands. Not to worry, that’s often how it goes!

Adding the Lining

A lining can help a jacket sit better and not get caught on other layers, so we didn’t want to move forward on pattern adjustments for the outer layer before trying it with the lining. We add a jersey lining into the existing stretch woven blazer, and for the sleeves lining we used a satin-based cotton because it makes it easier to put the jacket on, and also the sleeves don’t rely on stretch so it doesn’t affect the fit there.

Muslin Adjustments

We started by trying the blazer on our mannequin.

You can tell that there are a few spots where there is excess fabric that’s folding or bunching up a bit.

We then used a technique of pinching out the excess fabric and pinning, which has a similar effect as making a dart.

Then we tried it on Jenny to confirm that these adjustments worked. (And again, bear in mind Jenny is currently closer to a 20 in terms of measurements.)

Definitely an improvement!

The next step is to mark those adjustment darts using tailor’s chalk. This helps show our pattern drafter what adjustments to make. Don’t worry, this doesn’t mean there will be actual darts in all of these places! The pieces get adjusted to remove that excess fabric using other methods that don’t result in darts.

In addition to these wrinkles and folds, we found the blazer was coming up slightly too wide at the top, but slightly too narrow through the hips and waist, so we are also re-balancing the ease in those areas.

Up Next

Now that we’ve identified some of the fitting adjustments we want to make, we’ll be sending these photos and measurements over to our drafter, and she’ll be back to us with a revised pattern. We’re hoping to be able to continue making progress on this pattern despite our entire team being remote at the moment.

Have you ever tried this technique of pinching out excess fabric when doing fitting your own muslins?

12 thoughts on “Blazer Bound: Adding the Lining

  1. Miss Celie says:

    I am really loving these posts. Thanks for the explanations and details.

  2. Hedda says:

    So interesting! I took a pattern drafting class over the winter and finding the fitting process really interesting. Thanks for sharing it.

  3. Mary Ellen Eckels says:

    I love these posts! Fascinating! And boy I can’t wait for this pattern!!! I already have my stretch woven denim in my stash and it’s something I haven’t been able to find ANYWHERE to purchase in ready-to-wear – but now I’ll have my own perfectly fitted denim blazer! Yay! Thank you team Cashmerette – and stay safe and well <3

  4. Wendy says:

    I’m excited about your pattern. But may I be honest about a detail? I don’t like the way the princess seams in the front curve outward–I think it visually widens the bust area. I would want the seam to be more vertical. In my humble opinion. Other than that, it looks great!

  5. Donna Makowski says:

    SOOOOOOO excited about this project. I agree with Mary Ellen Eckels – can’t wait to have something that I have never been able to find in RTW – especially in denim!!!

  6. Tracy says:

    I love the direction this blazer is going — it has the look of a woven jacket, it a knit will be so much easier to wear. One question about your tailor’s chalk — what brand do you use? I have tried so many types and find that they’re too waxy and don’t leave a good mark like yours does.

    1. Ann says:

      Hi Tracy, this marker was recommended in an email I received from Cashmerette: Clover 4710 Pen Style Chaco Liner. It comes in all kinds of colors.

  7. Yvonne B says:

    I agree with Wendy, the princess seams the way they are now, makes the bust look too wide. I love the posts!!

  8. Carla says:

    I am on pins and needles waiting for the blazer pattern! I appreciate that you are working out the fitting issues rather than rushing the process. My work wardrobe is slacks and a blazer. It will be nice to create my own. I feel a Calder suit coming my way…

  9. Jonii Bryant says:

    I love this so much! It is really shaping up to be a great jacket. I love all the details: two piece sleeve, back and sleeve vents, even the addition of the shoulder pads and the lining! Hopefully there will also be some pocket options as well. I am really glad that the stretch woven ended up looking better – it’s a nice compromise for those of us that really wanted a woven blazer. I have to admit that I tried on a RTW knit blazer and can see the appeal now though! Thanks for including us in the process and I’m looking forward to see what the next iteration will bring forth. 🙂

  10. Sarah says:

    been a while since we heard anything about the new blazer pattern… is it still happening? excited for it!

    1. Ayelet says:

      Hi Sarah, we’re still working away at the blazer pattern! Development has slowed down a bit since we’re all working remotely, but we’re moving forward and hopefully will have more to report soon.
      -Ayelet

Let me know what you think!