An eye-searing green floral Grainline Studio Morris Blazer for your viewing pleasure:
I actually started this Morris Blazer way back in March when my mom was in town. Remember we made her one, too, and had planned to take a mother-daughter green blazer photo? But I struggled with fit, got frustrated with it, and balled it up in a corner for a few months, so we never got our matchy-matchy pic.
When I cut this Morris from this electric green floral stretch cotton sateen, I went up one size from my last Morris (from 2 years ago!), which felt a little bit tight overall, to a 16. I preemptively did a 1" full bicep adjustment on the sleeves and lengthened the sleeves by 2" to get them to full length, rather than bracelet length. Then I got to sewing...
But when I went to try on the blazer, the shoulder area was a bit of a nightmare (now that I take a closer look at my old Morris, I had a similar issue, but it was less obvious in the fabric). So much sleeve cap ease that the top of the sleeve was quite bunchy, almost gathered. Also, the shoulder seam was dropped. I also felt like the blazer was a bit high under the arm, choking my armpit.
The combination was quite unattractive on me (sorry, I should have taken a photo so you could see the "before"), and uncomfortable to boot. It was at this point that I lost patience (probably too soon), and temporarily gave up on the blazer.
The combination was quite unattractive on me (sorry, I should have taken a photo so you could see the "before"), and uncomfortable to boot. It was at this point that I lost patience (probably too soon), and temporarily gave up on the blazer.
I dragged it out recently, though, and the fix was really pretty simple! I cut 1/2" off the entire armscye, all the way around, and then sewed the sleeve back on. This seemed to help all of my problems at once!
The shoulder seam is raised further up so that it's no longer dropped. The wider armscye allowed me to set the sleeve more easily, with far less of the excessive gathering at the sleeve head. It also lowered the seam from under my armpit, making it more comfortable to wear. Hurrah!
The only issue my changes seem to have caused is that the sleeves are now a little bit (well, precisely 1/2") shorter than I wanted them to be. If I make this again, I would lengthen them another 1/2" to account for that.
In the end, I am really happy with the blazer!
The fabric is fabulous (my local shop, Hieng Yoo Huat, has been killin' recently, particularly with regard to stretch sateens!). Also, the small changes fit changes I made (going up one size, full bicep adjustment, lengthened sleeves, armscye alteration) made this significantly more comfy and better fitting than my previous version!
I'll totally wear this blazer all the time: it's one of those items that can be worn to in an office or a casual setting on the weekend. Here I've paired it with my white Cashmerette Springfield top and black Style Arc Beth pants.
Now to make myself a more neutral colored Morris. Maybe solid black or navy for the next one?
