Mayberry Puffy and Twilly "D"!

The puffy sleeve jacket is making headwaves!
AGB's short sleeve jacket at Macy's for $72


Lafayette's New York Hollis Pinstripe at Nordy's for $468, huh?

This jacket was better than I had anticipated!


Smiling with my ray of sunshine!

Smiling in the garden!


Is the camera timer working?

Smiling in the bathroom!


Smiling in the kitchen!



Heather, I am not ready!



Pattern Description
"Semi-fitted jacket has collar, princess sams, shoulder pads, sleeve length variations and shaped hem; jackets A, B have pockets; jacket A has purchased trim; jacket B has sleeve band." I made jacket B, the one with the short and puffed sleeves with the sleeve band.

Size
Misses' 4-5-8-10-12. I sewed a "12".


Fabric
Suggested are mediumweight fabrics such as cotton, poplin, gabardine, linen blends, eyelet, patchwork.

I used a mediumweight denim with slight stretch at le Wal Marche. This fabric was easy to work with!


Directions
The directions are clear for sewists of any level who are familiar with basic sewing techniques: interfacing, bsting, gathering, easing a sleeve, hemming and so on. The illustrations speak for themselves.

Since the jacket is unlined, McCall's recommended that all raw edges of seam allowances be turned in 1/4" and stitched.

Since this jacket is unlined, there is a front facing and a back facing. The front facing is cut from the same pattern piece as the front of the jacket. I thought the back facing would make the back bulk from the back, but it pleasantly does not when worn. I decided not to omit the long vertical darts alongside the princess seams. They added some flattering shaping below the bust and still, I was so glad that I was able to button the jacket!


Likes/dislikes

Likes
* Princess seaming in the front and back of the jacket
* The long vertical darts started at the appropriate place below my bust, without any adjustments!
* The look of the wide (but not too wide!) shoulders and the short, puffed and banded sleeves which put more emphasis above the bust than below the bust.
* The elongated neckline and large lapels tapered by one button at the waist.
* Yeah! Finally I made a jacket of this style that fits! I have trouble with RTW to fit my short torso and curves!


Dislikes (although not too strong, just things that I noticed)
*I spent a little more time to get the collar to align properly, maybe because of the nature of the fabric. I wanted to ensure that the size of the notches match up after I turn the collar and facings in.

*There was quite a but of easing of the sleeves into the armscyes and the bottom edge of the band. While attaching the band over the right side of the sleeve's lower edge, I intermittently tugged at the threads to get the edge to line up with the band at the seam and notches. I noticed that sleeves on the pattern envelope were slightly less puffy than mine!

*It probably would have been easier to just line the entire jacket so as not to worry about hemming! After I turned the facings inside, I noticed that there was not enough of the bottom edge to turn up, forming the 1 1/4" hem per the instructions! I had allowance for only a 1/2" hem. There was no mention of machine stitching the hem. I handstitched the hem for a couture finish (McCall's mentions "blindstitching the front facing to side front seam and across hem".

Modifications
I opted for two buttons, instead of one as pictured on the envelope, to close the front of the jacket

I omitted the shoulder pads (I cannot wear shoulder pads with my frame) and took in slightly the armscyes.



Would you recommend this pattern? Would you sew it again?
Yes, I would because it is a great spring/summer or a transitional jacket between seasons. For those who are of average height and above, I would definitely recommend adjusting the length. You could easily adjust the pattern if you choose not to wear shoulder pads. The option for long and short sleeves make this piece very versatile for one's wardrobe. This jacket has a classic style that you could wear year after year! I would probably make another one in another color.

This jacket passed the "mom knows best" test. Heather and I visited her yesterday. I wore this jacket and my Vogue 8456 pants of the same fabric. "Another nice new outfit, where did you get it?" By the way, my mom's favorite store is Macy's.

Conclusion
This is one of my new favorite jacket patterns that really would flatter any figure type!