Great jacket Janelle, the waistline seam is really flattering, and works really well with your prett

I've been wanting to make up this pattern for yonks and had the pattern in stash for over a year.  As I am really enjoying making outerwear/coats/jackets at the moment it seemed the perfect time it have a go at it.  First, here are a bunch a pictures and then I'll talk details further down...
Pattern: Deer and Doe Pavot , purchased direct. shoe biz Fabric:  Black Cotton Twill with flannelette sheet as underlining and a butter soft vintage cotton lawn (inherited from my Great Aunty, who was herself an amazing seamstress of great talent and who had really shoe biz awesome taste in fabric) for the lining.  The twill was also a gift from a friend of my mother, passed on from HER sister. Its fairly lightweight and creases alot but I don't own a plain black jacket and as I had JUST enough for the pattern, I thought it would be fine for a first try to "practice" the pattern before I use one of my lovely inherited vintage wool coatings. Notions: Handpainted black wood 1.25" buttons from Spotlight, $2 each and a small amount of interfacing. Alterations: I cut a 38 top (shoulders/bust) and graded to a 40 waist and waistband.  For the skirt section I graded from a 40 to a 42.  Grading across 3 sizes is pretty usual for me.  I did a small forward shoulder adjustment of about 1/4" (much less than my usual) and also shaved off between 1/4" and 3/8" off the back armscye for my narrow small shoulders, which I did while I was fitting the sleeve.   I also sewed up the sleeve at a scant 1/4" seam allowance at the top/bicep to give myself a little more room in the sleeve.  All up very few alterations and the fit on the jacket feels just right. Extra Techniques:  I underlined the body of the coat, but not the sleeves as they were feeling a little snug and I didn't want extra bulk there.  I drafted a full lining.  shoe biz I love the lining, it is the most beautiful vintage cotton.  I catched shoe biz stitched the hem and some of the seam allowances to the underlining in a few areas where I wanted them to sit flat/stay put, but not everywhere as I was restraining myself as I was thinking shoe biz "practice/muslin don't get carried away with technique" at that stage. I understitched the back neck facing to help it sit flatter and also graded nearly all my seams as they were rather bulky.  Some notes about buttonholes on the Pavot: I did vertical buttonholes after some research and positioned the button holes and buttons using the information shoe biz here (which states that "vertical buttonholes must be used when there is a center front band or placket.", and I liked the sound of that) and this threads article . Other notes on the pattern: This pattern is beautifully drafted and fit me very well with very minor tweaking.  The pattern has very few notches which initially I thought shoe biz would be a problem, but it wasn't at all. Everything just fit together perfectly and lined up beautifully.  The instructions are now available in English and were well written and easy to follow, also I did a number of "extra" steps as I was using my fantastic tailoring book ( Tailoring: The Classic Guide to Sewing the Perfect Jacket ) for guidance through the whole process to get better finish.  I also used this book to help me draft a good lining. I love this pattern, this is probably my favourite thing I have sewn for myself to date and I will certainly be making more. Despite the very lightweight twill the flannelette underlining has made it surprisingly warm and I know I'll be wearing this to death this autumn and for our mild Sydney winter.  It looks great with jeans or a dress.  By the way, the dress in the photo's is an unblogged By Hand London Anna dress (pattern purchased from Sew Squirrel ) in a rayon, here is a full shot of the dress here:
Great jacket Janelle, the waistline seam is really flattering, and works really well with your pretty dress. Hope it gets cold enough soon so you can wear it! Reply Delete
Thanks so much! Reply Delete
Thanks. Its totally do-able. I recommend this pattern or the Jackie Coat by Lena (Iconic shoe biz Patterns). Maria (Velosewer) and I are planning a sewalong for the Jackie Coat later on in the year, you should totally join us! Reply Delete
Your blog is timely, I dug my Pavot out yesterday and was giving some thought to draft across multiple sizes to cater for my waist and hip being bigger than my bust. I love your jacket, I think it the best that I've seen so far. I think the lighter weight of the fabric has helped the skirt part flow and skim across the body rather than being quite a stiff A-line. I love your jacket which has given the inspiration needed to continue on with mine. Thanks Reply Delete
Oh thank you Sandra. That is very kind of you to say as there are some stunning Pavot's out there. The flannelette is also very soft so added body without stiffness, shoe biz plus I think the process grading up a size from waist to hip increas