Friday, May 29, 2015

Linen Mona Jacket

You guys, this is my most proud make so far! I can't remember how I discovered this pattern but I love everything about it. This is the Mona Jacket by Schnittchen and I highly recommend it. I had quite an adventure making this blazer and I'm so proud of the outcome. I finished it in early April and have worn it a ton.
mona3

Yes, linen wrinkles. These photos were taken after an afternoon of running errands. I think this is a linen rayon blend, it was something my mom had given me from her stash. 
mona1

I lined the jacket with a poly from Joann. I don't usually like polyester but it works here. There is an option for an unlined jacket as well. In fact, there are two different pdf downloads, one with the lining pieces and one without. There are also two different photo based sew-alongs on the Schnittchen blog for this jacket. Here is the one with the lining insertion.
monalining
 Me being silly in front of the Richard Serra sculpture at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth.

I love the design of this jacket. The shawl collar and the swoop in the front make it very fun to wear and easy to dress up or down.  I used interfacing on my collar pieces, which is optional I think it would look nice and drapey without. I ended up ironing a crease to make the shawl lie down better. mona2

The back is also fun with a vent and a nice shape. Sorry I didn't get a great photo of the back. monaback

I made the mistake of printing this pdf too small. I did the test run and it measured right, but then my dumb printer reset itself. Therefore the whole thing came out at maybe 85%. It wasn't an issue until I got to the sleeves and they wouldn't go on my arms! I emailed Silke before I realized my mistake and she was confused as well. Once I figured it out I was able to reprint the sleeves and squeeze another set out of the fabric scraps I had left. They fit onto the shrunken body fine. This means that the jacket is a bit shorter and smaller than designed. This was a wearable muslin and I am undecided weather I would reprint the body at 100%. I quite like the fit of this one. Don't be a dummy like me though, I recommend printing at 100% for the best fitting garment. I think the wrinkles at the top of the sleeve are from having to gather the sleeve cap a bit to fit the smaller body. They bother me a little but not enough to keep me from wearing this awesome jacket! The only other change I made was shortening the length of the sleeves.

I am definitely a fan of Schnittchen! Silke's designs are modern and fun, with a ton of thought put into them. The pdf patterns are super affordable and I plan to make more of her designs. Be sure and check out Schnittchen and let me know what you would like to make.