Houndstooth jacket

Although I am super happy with the end result of the sewing project I want to show in this post, it was a long-winded job and I also fear a little bit the cause of my current sewing burn-out.

It all started in December 2023, when I brought a light blue houndstooth fabric to sewing class to use for a project for charity. Many fellow students were surprised that I was going to use the fabric to give away and not to make something for myself.
The fabric has been hidden away on my attic for quite a while now, and the only thing I had ever made from it was a dress for one of my nieces, which had only used a fraction of the 3 meters I had bought. The reaction of the fellow students surprised me a bit, because I couldn’t immediately see another project from that fabric and certainly nothing that I would wear.
Until one person sighed: “But, Charlotte! That fabric is perfect for a jacket!”

And that’s how the idea took root. I started Pinteresting and stumbled upon the black and white houndstooth jacket that gave the idea its full shape. I could definitely see myself wearing the model, but I remained a bit unsure about the colour of my houndstooth fabric. Still, I decided to give it a go.
And as soon as I was won over by the idea, I came across such cropped jackets everywhere, including the beige version in Juttu.

So my first job during the first sewing lessons of 2024 was to make a pattern.
I started with a basic pattern for a blazer from an old magazine, my personal size chart and the various Pinterest photos I could find of the jacket. Together with the help of the sewing teacher and a lot of cutting and pasting, I got a paper pattern for the jacket.

Then the pattern pieces were pinned to the fabric, which took quite some time. It was not a simple matter of placing the pieces, but of course I had to make sure that at the end of the ride the houndstooth pattern would continue as neatly as possible across the entire jacket.

Then each pattern piece was carefully traced with sewing thread. This means that each piece is sewn all around with a three-thread into the fabric, so that you have a permanent shape of your pattern on the fabric. This does not disappear as easily as chalk and is therefore more resistant to use. Only after double and triple checking everything could I cut out all the pieces with seam allowance.

The next job was to provisionally sew the pieces together to check the fit. It was noted that for my body some darts in the back would look better, so these were drawn on the pattern and later sewn into the already cut out fabric. I also decided to sew epaulettes into the shoulders for even more structure.
After that the sleeves had to be adjusted, provisionally sewn in and fitted again several times before it finally looked good.

Only then could I cut the lining and start the real sewing.

In the end, I worked on this jacket in sewing class for nine months! This also included weeks that I didn’t go to sewing class, due to vacation or personal absences, but still, a fairly long period and very often lessons where I felt like I hadn’t made any progress, because adjustments were needed to the pattern and fabric parts again and again.

When the jacket was finally – FINALLY – finished, I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders, which was actually both a pleasant experience, but also made me think about how much I really liked sewing. Do I really like doing it or do I do it out of a sense of obligation, because it’s something I once started and I don’t want to give up?

At the same time, I was – and am – very proud of what I made.
This jacket turned out really well! It is also fun to wear and looks fresh and trendy. Visually, the jacket is mainly meant to be worn open, over a T-shirt or thin sweater and on jeans. But I can also button it up, for when I’m on my bike, for example.
I do think it’s a shame that by the time I finally finished it, it was a bit too cool to wear it again. But next spring I can definitely see myself getting it out regularly!

And now what about sewing lessons?
Despite the rewarding ending, I still feel a bit unmotivated. After finishing both this project and another one (which will also appear here soon!), I have completely lost the desire to start something new. I do have a lot of ideas and fabrics that can be used for it, but just the thought of having to get them out makes me feel tired.
Finally, two weeks ago I decided that I will not force myself to go to sewing class anymore. At least not in 2024. I still went to sewing class that week to sew that very last seam on project two and then I told my class that I needed a break. That my motivation has completely disappeared and that I always have to force myself to go to class. Because I want to avoid becoming completely disgusted with sewing, I think it is better to let it take its course. That is why I decided not to go to class for the rest of 2024. In practice this means that I will skip 6 sewing classes for the time being. And then hopefully the motivation will be back in 2025! We’ll see.

But for now, what do you think of this jacket?

Cheers,
Charlotte