Vintage Wool Auburn Blazer

Robin (of Stash) and I decided to sew blazers last spring. We had a sewing day together, did a ton of work, but a blazer takes longer than a day to sew, and I stalled out once I got home. Cooler weather and the #Worktober prompt from Alexandria Arnold got me in gear to finish it up!

This is the Cashmerette Auburn Blazer, a classic blazer with princess seams, a notched collar, back vent, and a single button closure. 

The Auburn has options for angled welt pockets, vented sleeves, or a cropped length, but I did a pretty stripped down version without any of those things.

For fabric, I went with a piece of grey vintage wool suiting from my mom's stash. It's got a tiny light grey and charcoal grey check to it.

My mom told me she originally bought the wool at a mill end store in Uxbridge, Massachusetts in the late '70s or early '80s. I don't think it exists anymore, sadly.  The price was right: $6.80 for a 4.25 yard piece! I didn't use all the wool, and think there's enough for a pair of pants, too. Check out the tag: 

The lining, which I forgot to photograph, is a rayon bemberg; I can't remember where I got it, but I do know that I hate sewing with it! Next time I would use a more stable lining, like cotton lawn, for the body and just use the slippery lining for the sleeves. 

I used a Jasika blazer notions kit that I've had forever from Closet Core Patterns, so I added in some details that the Auburn didn't call for, including sleeve heads and weft interfacing for the upper back.

I cut a size 20 with the C/D bust option, which worked pretty well. Maybe I should have graded up at the waist, because it pulls a bit. 

I did a muslin first (go me!) and, because the upper back was pulling, opted to do a 1.5 inch full upper back adjustment, like this tutorial, which widened the collar and neckline a bit, too. Sometimes I can see the weird wedge shape the adjustment created at the upper back (like in the photo below), but sometimes it's invisible. 

So my thoughts on my Auburn blazer: I think it looks pretty good and I'm pretty happy with it. It was a fun project to dive into. Certainly some fit issues that could be resolved, of course. 

I'm not sure I would make this style again, though. I find the fitted style and princess seams make the blazer a bit too feminine for me, if that makes sense. I prefer a looser, more casual blazer that hangs open nicely. Just a personal style preference!