I'm having an absolute blast with my new relationship with Zelouf Fabrics! I love having the opportunity to work with fabrics I've never seen before and being able to stretch my creativity. 

This fabric is Lexi Lurex Mesh Bonded Knit. I used the Champagne color. That particular color only has a few yards left, but there are other wonderful colors to choose from. 

When I ordered this fabric, I knew I wanted to make a suit... it just screamed suit to me. Vogue 1716 was my original choice. But I wasn't sure how well this fabric would tailor and that jacket has welt pockets with flaps.

I reached way back in my stash and pulled Butterick 5428 (it's long out of print). I've been wanting to make that jacket for years. 

I lengthened this jacket by 7" at the waist and just added width to the bottom. I hated where the jacket would've hit had I not made that alteration.

Longer jackets just look better on me instead of one that sits right on top of the hips.

I interfaced the under collar and the facings. Normally, I would interface the entire body of a jacket with a lightweight interfacing. But I wanted this jacket to feel more drapey and I really wanted to play off of the beautiful pleated detail.

I love a jacket that has back princess seams. Makes altering so easy. I made my usual swayback adjustment. The only thing I wish I had done was create a back vent. I didn't think about until I was actually at a point of trying it on.

I used extra large coat hook and eyes for my closure. On the pattern, it instructed for a bow to be made and handstitched onto the right side of the jacket at the waist. I tried it that way and it looked pretty silly. It would never hang straight and stay that way. So, I just took that piece and cut it in half and sewed it to each side of the front to just make a tie.

I wanted a plain pair of wide legged pants, because the jacket is clearly the star of this show. 

I used McCall's 7443 (currently out of print). The pants are plain front with back darts and a side zipper. I was surprised at how short they're drafted. I had to add 6" of length and I should've gone longer than that. The pattern is drafted with a 2" hem allowance. I could only do a 5/8" so that they would be long enough to wear with heels.

I think a natural reaction to a fabric like this is to make a dress or a skirt. I've been trying to be more proactive in thinking outside of my sewing box. And I'm glad I did, because I love the way this turned out.

I'd always wanted a sewing machine with the embroidery feature and lots of good decorative stitches. I had a lower end, big box model in the past. But it just wasn't advanced enough for my liking and I never gave it more interest than adding a design or so to my linings in coats and jackets. When I got my Baby Lock Aventura II a few weeks ago, I was determined to learn about embroidery from the ground up... starting with the decorative sewing. I did my research because I wanted to use decorative sewing and embroidery in a sophisticated and polished way. I want my garments to look high-end and not like a craft project.

I wanted an easy-to-make summer suit, one that I could wear together or mix the pieces into my wardrobe. I picked Simplicity 8891. The thing about "easy" is that it can possibly mean painfully plain. And that's how I felt about this pattern. It's simple, but it has good details. I knew it needed some zhushing up.

My fabric is this incredible Italian Canary and Moonstruck Double-Faced Stretch Cotton Twill. This fabric is super soft and has a real comfortable amount of give. It feels like a double knit and it has a really good bottom weight. Really good for a body con dress or fitted pants. I pre-treated the fabric in the washer and dryer. It came out pretty wrinkled. But after a good pressing, it was beautiful.

For the jacket, I cut the size 14 and graded out to the 16 at the hip and added 1 inch to the length. I decided to use the decorative stitches instead of basic topstitching.

I picked this diamond looking 7mm satin stitch which I felt would really pop using embroidery thread.

Using the Edit/Stitch switching key and selecting the elongation key to make the pattern shorter and the single/repeat key to indicate that I wanted this to be a continuous stitch and not just a single pattern. I pressed the memory key (the pocket) to save it, so I wouldn't have to go through all of these adjustments each time, because I was going to be using this stitch throughout this project.

I'm really loving the detail that it added to the jacket.

I used the decorative satin stitching to tack down the pleats in the front and the back.

Additionally, I created a belt. I'm not the biggest fan of self tie belts, so I wanted to make a real belt. I interfaced with weft fusible to give it body and carried out the decorative stitching too.

I've seen the eyelet stitch before, but I never thought to actually use it or what it was for. 

The 7mm width is perfect for stabilizing metal eyelet installation.

For the shorts, I cut the size 16 and made a 1.5 inch full butt adjustment. I really like the length that they are straight out of the envelope.

This is how I used the decorative stitching on the shorts.

I really love both of these pieces and I can't wait to work them throughout my wardrobe.

I began to notice the emergence of this trend last fall. Sure, the blazer has always been around. But it's usually the basic notched collar, single-breasted one-button style. These reimagined iterations are everywhere for spring/summer 2019 in pretty pastels. And even on the fall/winter 2019 runways in beautiful textured textiles and plaids and checks... so, it's not going anywhere anytime soon. It's having a major moment, and as much as I love a tailored jacket, I'm going to milk it for everything it's worth.

Trying to find a current double-breasted blazer pattern is damn near impossible. I searched high and low, only to find a couple of out-of-print vintage patterns on Etsy and eBay (that I bought). Then it occurred to me to see what the indies had to offer. I went over to The Fold Line for a search. And voila! I found something that would work.

I picked the Style Arc McKenzie Blazer pattern. It wasn't quite what I was looking for. I really wanted a style that has princess seams that's tapered at the waist; a tailored back vent; surgeon's cuffs; peak lapels; and a breast pocket -- in a long length. Is all of that too much to ask for? Maybe it is. And maybe it's time I start producing patterns! It you want it, you need to create it. But nevertheless, I made this one work. And it was instantly available as a PDF download. And on the plus side, since it was meant to fit loosely, I sewed it without any alterations. So, that makes it a winner in my book.

Minerva Crafts reached out to me and offered a few yards of fabric for a project. And this couldn't be more timely. I selected the Lady McElroy Sydney 4 Way Stretch Plain Crepe Suiting Dress Fabric. It is 94% Polyester, which means when you arrive at your destination, you won't look all wrinkled and creased. And it's 6% Spandex. For fitted trousers, pencil skirts and body-conscious dresses, this is the most perfect crepe fabric that I've run across. I've found really good crepes in the past, but the color selections were nowhere nearly as vast as this offering. And it's heavy enough that lining your pants is not a requirement. 

Since this is a dry-clean only suit, I didn't wash the fabric. However, I did pre-shrink it in the drying using the steam method. It's been my experience working with stretch wovens that they'll sometimes shrink during the construction when the heat and steam are applied during pressing. So, I didn't want to take any chances. For the construction, I used a stretch needle and I used a pressing cloth.

I used a Bemberg Rayon Lining and I love that the blazer is drafted with an all-in-one type of facing. It makes the inside look so good.

This pattern calls for shoulder pads. I almost always make my own custom ones. Here is a quick tutorial that I created for Instagram.

My only regret is that I didn't stop and modify the back with a tailored vent. I didn't even think about it until I was sewing.

The drafting is wonderful. The instructions will probably not be of much use to you if you're a beginner and/or you've never made a jacket before, because there are no step-by-step pictures or illustrations if that's what you're accustomed to. But fear not! I have the perfect solution for that. This pattern plus my Tailored Jacket Tutorial is a perfect match. 

If you make a great jacket, why not a matching pair of pants? These are Simplicity 8749 and it's my second time making these. 

These days, I'm leaning towards tapered pants. I get double duty out of them because with their ankle grazing length, I can wear any height heels.

So, y'all are going to need to bare with me. I'm going to be on a suit and jacket binge for a few months. Because this tailoring stuff is so addictive.

Sometimes the fabric comes first. I found this beautiful, lightweight Glacier Gray Heathered Stretch Suiting from Mood Fabrics.com. I knew it would be perfect for spring and that I wanted to make a suit with it.

First came the pants. I'd recently discovered DP Studio LE 302 Trouser. I'm always on the lookout for a great pants pattern that I can create over and over again and this one is pretty darn good. I needed a straight leg pattern because I wanted pants that I could wear with either heels or flats. That way I can get more mileage out of my pants. 

These pants are beautifully drafted. They're high-waist with the front pockets that extend into the center front that I've grown to absolutely love! 

I didn't sew the complete fly situation. I tend to skip that part a lot on trousers and only do it on jeans.

There is also one single-welt back pocket.

The pants have pintuck creases and inseam slits. This pattern was pretty good right out of the packaging. I cut the size 44, I added 3 inches to the length. This is a European pattern, so the seam allowance is 1cm. The only thing I would change next time is to create a contoured waistband. This one has a straight waist and I had very minor gaping at the center back that I quickly fixed by adding darts.

This jacket pattern has been in my pattern collection for 12 years. Since off-the-shoulder isn't going anywhere anytime soon, I thought I'd pull this jacket out. I've been seeing similar style blazers for a few months now, so that's how this one got back on my radar.

This jacket is Vogue 2893. It's been out-of-print now for many, many moons.

It's from the Donna Karan Collection Spring 2005.

I couldn't find any pictures from anyone that had actually sewn this pattern. I googled and searched for pattern reviews...nothing. The only other way I could get a glimpsed of what it looked like was from an old magazine ad.

The details of this jacket were crazy, spectacular and off-the-chain (do they still say that??)! This is why I was so drawn to it. Sometimes I want to sew something up quick, and other times I want things that will entertain me while I binge watch a complete series on Netflix. 

How often do you find suiting fabric juxtaposed with athletic mesh and a corset-style laced-up back? Like never! So, I was really excited to be able to add something so interesting to my wardrobe.  

Another thing that I loved is the decorative zig-zag stitching. I used the #46 on my BERNINA 350 PE. The athletic mesh was already in my stash. 

I really love both of these pieces and I can't wait to break them up and wear them separately. This jacket will be so fire with a pair of black distressed jeans for a night out. And these pale gray pants are going to be worn with everything. They're the perfect neutral that my closet has been missing.