Simplicity 1688

I have had this jacket hanging in my wardrobe for ages now and it has been out and about a fair bit, but for some reason haven't got round to actually talking about it. Today I managed to part with it for enough time to take a few marginally okay photos! 

I love all the co ordinate suit outfits that are all over the high street at the moment. matching skirts with crop tops, and boxy jackets with matching shorts. Here are a couple of my favourites from my Pinterest, including some Cluless references of course!

All images from various users on Pinterest

I made a top and matching skirt last year out of a baggy dress, so I decided to make another matching set. This time I'm going for a jacket and skirt. I wanted a suit that would be very summery and one that I can wear on holiday. (Although I definitely already have too many outfit options for a one week holiday!) I do also want to be able to wear it for work in the summer though, so I did want it to be fairly practical.

I went for this Cynthia Rowley Simplicity pattern for the jacket, as this looked quite boxy, like I wanted. I've never made a jacket before so I didn't want to go for something too complicated and fancy no complex button holes/pockets to deal with. Even so, I was expecting to have trouble with the facings and linings, but surprisingly this was one of the easiest garments I have ever sewn!

 

I made no alterations to the pattern as I didn't need it to be especially fitted anyway. I cut in between a 12-14 (which is larger than I would ever need in high street clothes, but I have learnt to ignore this after coming out with tiny doll clothes too many times!)

The fabric I used was a cotton; black with cherries on. For the lining I just used some old silky scrap bits and pieces, because I am too impatient and didn't want to wait to until I had brought new lining to start the project. So inside, there is a mixture of red, black and green satin going on, which I can pretend was intentional. They all came from various tops and skirts I have cut up in the past. 

I followed the pattern exactly which is rare for me, but it came together pretty well and I am really happy! The only thing I didn't think about well was matching up the print. But as the cherries are pretty hap-hazard, I don't think it matters too much. So a matching skirt in the same fabric is next on the list!

The only slightly difficult thing about this pattern was making sure the curves on the neckline and bottom of the jacket matched up, but they came up fairly symmetrical. I'll definitely be using this pattern again, perhaps for a slicktly thicker fabric in a tweed.