Hi Friends,
Note: this post contains some affiliate links. Also this post is picture heavy. Grab a drink and come sit down….
It’s SO nice to be back with you. If you have been following me on Instagram you would have already seen all of the following pictures. But today’s post gives those of you who haven’t seen them a chance to do so, as well as reading a little bit more about the construction of my tailored wool blazer and also reading my honest review of Craftsy’s Classic Tailoring: The Blazer Class. My blazer is now fully completed but I am waiting for a good day weather wise to photograph. It may be a while….
I followed Classic Tailoring: The Blazer to sew my blazer. I have never sewn a woven lined, notched lapel blazer before, nor have I ever done any tailoring. This class, IMHO, is not aimed at complete beginner sewists. That’s not to say you have to have any knowledge or experience of tailoring. Not at all. But the class does assume quite a lot of prior knowledge/ expertise. You have to know how to cut out a pattern, cut out fabric on grain, make a muslin, fit the muslin, make changes to your pattern and cut out your fashion fabric and lining. There are also other things which the class doesn’t show you (see below). If you need help on those other aspects there are other Craftsy classes which maybe you should consider taking first? BTW, Butterick 4610 (now OOP) is included with the cost of this class.
The class is spread out over 10 lessons which take up approximately 5 hours viewing time. You start off being shown how to create pattern pieces for the inner supporting structure for the blazer, which are cut from muslin and hair canvas. You then move on to cutting and applying hair canvas for the blazer fronts and being shown how to mark pad stitching lines, do the pad stitching and also how to establish (on the muslin/ tissue) and mark the roll line using twill tape. Note: you are also shown how to do a bound button hole, but I chose not to do this on my blazer.
After this you move on to the construction of the undercollar. Again, you are shown how to mark and do padstitching. The concept of turn of cloth is explained, but it might have been nice to have had an example where the instructor actually had to do an adjustment because, TBH, I still feel a little confused about the concept 🙂
The body is next assembled and the instructor talks about using wigan in the hems of the blazer. I could not get hold of any wigan and chose to use a lightweight knit interfacing instead (you can see in the first photo above). Worked fine. You are also shown how to apply a shoulder stay. All good stuff.
After this you move on to attaching the undercollar to the blazer, and are shown how to catch stitch seam allowances to achieve a clean, smooth finish. You are shown how to alter the (two piece) sleeve pattern pieces to include a vent. I think it was good this was included as part of the class so that you can alter future patterns that might not have this feature. The instructor also demonstrates a neat way to line the patch pockets and attach the pockets to the blazer.
The next stage is setting in the sleeves. TBH I was a little dissappointed with this aspect of the class, in that the setting in of sleeves is not actually shown in the class. It is completed off camera and then a completed example shown. Again, this may have been a case of assuming prior knowledge of how to do this, but it might have been nice to have seen, for example, setting in a sleeve using a bias sleeve head method (which is what I chose to do). Also, personally speaking, I am not able to obtain nice shoulder pads local to me and this is why I generally prefer to make my own using the pattern pieces.
The lining is assembled next. Again, I was a little surprised at this aspect of the class. In all the stuff I have read in tailoring books/ online etc most people seem to advise adding about 0.25 inches at the underarms of lining pieces (to allow it to fit smoothly over the underarm seam without distorting) and also to the side seams of lining pieces – again to ensure the lining will not pull the blazer once assembled. The instructor doesn’t make any mention of this. You are told to simply follow the pattern instructions to cut the lining out and then told to basically take less seam allowance at the shoulder seam to account for the shoulder pad. Hmpf. Didn’t like this. I followed my tailoring book for this part.
Other things which the class includes which I chose not to do: I machine stitched my facing seam allowances in place (didn’t hand stitch) I used my machine to add a decorative stitch to the back lining pleat rather than hand feather stitching. I machined in my sleeve lining rather than hand stitching it in place.
Still awake? Ok. The upper collar is now attached to the lining and the upper collar/ lining unit attached to the outer blazer. You are shown how to trim the seam allowances, press the blazer and baste the lapels whilst pressing to encourage the turn of cloth. These steps are crucial to getting a professional finish on your blazer. You need good pressing tools to get a good finish (wooden clapper, press cloth, tailors board etc). These are demonstrated in the class.
The final steps of the class show you how to hand stitch the lining in place (and finish your bound buttonholes if you chose to do them). It also shows you how to tack the roll line and collar to the lining to keep them together and how to complete the topstitching, sew on your buttons correctly and then finally press!
A lot of work right? In case anyone is wondering this blazer took approximately 3 weeks to complete (not working on it every day, but in small chunks as and when). As someone who generally avoids handstitching I did not find the work tedious or dull. I learned such a lot and although I don’t know if I will jump into making another hand tailored jacket for a very long time (if ever!) I do not regret the time spent making this piece.
To conclude: yes, there were things which I didn’t like about this class, but overall, I definitely do recommend it. I have the Tailoring the Perfect Jacket book (which I also highly recommend), but I would not have been able to complete this project with the book alone, even though the book covers all (and sometimes more) than the class. Having the instructor demonstrating the techniques is invaluable and I was also able to ask the instructor questions which she answered. So yes, I do highly recommend.
Up next will be final photos of the completed blazer (on me) and a review of the pattern itself. Well done for reading this far 🙂
Have a great rest of the day and look forward to reading your comments/ questions!
Until soon….
Well worth the effort for such a beautifully made blazer. I’m looking forward to seeing you wearing it.
Thanks Tanya
Wow, what a gorgeous jacket! Like Tanya, I’m looking forward to seeing the modeled pics.
Thanks michelle
Looks awesome! Love the fabric too.
I have the class and have watched through most of it (skipped some parts) just to watch, and I learned a LOT.
Do you think maybe the instructor left the parts about the extra room in the lining out because the pattern was drafted for it?
Hmmm that’s a very good question and one I didn’t really think about tbh. But as the sleeves and side back and side front pieces are all cut from the same pieces as the jacket itself I am dubious. I mean, the side back and side front pieces are really where you need that extra room so I am glad I followed the tailoring book and added the extra space.
Kudos to you for embarking on this journey. You have made a high quality tailored piece that I know will look fabulous on you. I look forward to the photos of you modeling it!
I signed up for this Craftsy class as well so I appreciate your honest review.
Regarding the decorative stitching on the back pleat lining, is it just decorative or does it also serve a purpose?
Hi Tomasa, it’s really just a decorative way to secure the back pleat to one side (and I suppose strengthen that back pleat). But I have never used it before in any lined jacket or coat and never had any issues with its absence 🙂
I’ve already seen the pics you posted in instagram but enjoyed reading this detailed post, the blazer looks great and i’m sure it will look even better on you! I’ve taken this class too and made a men’s coat last year using these techniques,I would also like her to have shown how to set in the sleeves and would prefere to see more about fitting the sleeve.
Thanks aida. Still a great class but I also have the fusible tailoring class with pan Howard: maybe I will try that next.
well I love that class just wish it had covered the fitting of the sleeve too, have you already watched Pam’s class? what do you think of it? I would like to take the Jacket Fitting Techniques!
Your jacket came out so nice – you should be proud of all the hard work you put into this project. Well done! BTW, who is the instructor for the Craftsy course?
Hi turnofcloth its steffani lincecum. Thanks
Well as much as I love tailoring, you just confirmed why I lost interest when I took a class in the 90s! Too much work for me. I guess I need more “instant gratification” projects, haha! That said, it looks gorgeous and I’m very impressed with your skill and talent.
Instant gratification is always good but I also like to challenge myself once in a while. Keeps things interesting for me.
I can’t wait to see it on you. What a great fabric choice for a classic blazer, I think it will look lovely with a silk blouse. Yes, a lot of work but those are good fundamentals for jacket making – although I mostly use all fusible interfacing but then do all the other hand sewing you describe.
Thanks Beth. Now I have done all that work I NEED some sun to photograph! 🙂
What a great and thorough review. I really enjoyed reading this. Your blazer is gorgeous and I can’t wait to here your review of the pattern. 🙂
Thanks Andi
I’m a big fan of the Craftsy courses because I’m a visual learner, but I do find you never really know what holes in your knowledge the class will highlight until you go through them. Great job! (But it does look like an awful lot of work!)
Thanks m3isme
This blazer looks wonderful. I purchased the craftsy class also, but haven’t even started watching it yet! Nice job on yours. 🙂
Thanks Meigan
Thanks Manju for such a great review of this class. Your jacket looks like it has been a ton of work, but it has turned out beautifully. Looking forward to seeing you modelling it.
Thanks Jean Margaret
This is such a timeless/classic blazer. Great fabric and button choices. Can’t wait to see it on you!
Thanks Alicia
Your coat is brilliant! I’ve been following along on Instagram, and will be saving this post because there is a lot of useful information. I’m planning to make a tailored jacket in the next few months, it’s from a Craftsy class which I don’t think is available any more, but I have this class too. I have watched this one, but it was a while ago. My other class shows setting in the sleeves with a bias strip, and I was going to look at that bit in this class too, but won’t bother looking for it now! It’s odd that setting in the sleeves wasn’t included, but I suppose the class is pretty long as it is. I’ll look forward to seeing your wearing photos!
Thanks Lynne. I am sure your coat will turn out beautifully. Hope you manage to get started on it soon.
That is awesome and inspirational! Thanks for the great blog post.
Thank you Neefer.
Hi Manju! Thank you for this post. I am about to start the pattern, but I am having trouble figuring something out (I am doing style B, which is what I think you did), the sleeve ‘jogs’ at the hem. There are two lines for the sleeve for style A which is short sleeve, then extends beyond that for style B, but the pattern is jogged and the dotted lines to not line up. Can you demystify this for me please? I would appreciate it!
Sorry don’t know what you mean by jogs?! If you are in Instagram then find me and send me a message with a picture attached? If you can do that? Then maybe I can answer your question. Or find my email address in my about me section on my blog and send your question with photo. Thanks