Men’s Jacket Series: The Pattern Envelope

I am ready to sew a men’s jacket.  I am ready.  READY.  Well, not completely ready, but I think if I keep saying it, I’ll get readier.  REA-DY.  Ready.

This is the pattern I’ll be using: Vogue 8719.  I bought it when Vogue was having their last online sale–I think I paid $3.99 rather than the $27.50 MSRP.  (Never pay full price, people–didn’t your mother teach you that?)  It includes both the unlined jacket I’ll be sewing and a pair of loose-ish linen-y summer trousers (which I won’t be attempting, because I might be a sucker but I’m not a masochist).

This is the description from the back of the envelope.  I wanted an unlined jacket for this linen I’ll be using.  I like that this pattern has darts for shaping–my husband prefers a more “European” cut on his jackets, since he’s got broad shoulders and a narrow waist (me-ow), and I wanted the freedom to easily adjust the fit of the jacket.  Not many patterns are available for men that aren’t boxy and baggy, so this one already had something up on the competition.  The two-piece sleeve was a deal-breaker, because I think the two-part sleeve is just way more professional and bespoke-looking than a one-piece sleeve.  I’m still not sure if the button trim referenced here is a functional sleeve button; I know he really wants one, so we’ll have to burn that bridge when we get there.  There’s also a lot of topstitched trim in the description, as well as in the line drawing on the back of the envelope:

They intend for the topstitching to be done by machine, but along the same bespoke-looking lines, I think I’d like to do it by hand.  Hubs has a gorgeous red twill jacket made in Italy (because that is how he rolls) and all the topstitching is done in tiiiiny little hand stitching.  It looks incredible, and makes what might be a plain jacket into something really special:

See all those itty bitty stitches on the pocket and the sleeve hem & seams?  Isn’t that awesome?  So I’m thinking when we get there that I’d like to do the same thing–like hand quilting, but with a jacket.  Maybe with some Aurifil thread?  Plain topstitching thread and a hand needle?  Anyone have an idea for what thread might give me the best effect here?

The measurement chart from the back for the body measurements.  Usually, my husband wears a 40 or 42, but he’s been working out (double meow), so I’m planning to cut the 42 for the muslin and then work from there to get the right fit.

The yardage chart on the back indicates I’ll need 2.5 yds of 60″ fabric for the size 42.  I’ve got 3 yds of the linen I brought back from Mood NYC, so that gives me plenty of margin.  I had hoped to have enough left over for a tiny matching jacket for our boy; that might have to be another jacket for another time.

The yardage requirements also mention fusible knit interfacing, which comes up in the list of notions, too:

I’ve already got the buttons (bought those when we were at the store, using my husband’s extensive knowledge and experience with his own coat wardrobe), and he has asked me to skip the sleeve heads (which I personally think is a mistake and that we’ll end up adding them back in later, but I’ve been wrong before).  I have a length of black tricot interfacing lurking in my stash downstairs, so we should be covered for everything but matching thread (the one notion that I ALWAYS forget to get when I’m at the store–what is up with that??).

So now it’s just a matter of preparing the pattern pieces and cutting out the muslin!  I’m using a more heavy-weight muslin than I might for a woman’s garment, since I want to mimic the body of this linen.  I’ll walk you through the pattern pieces next time when I’m prepping them to cut the muslin!