My New Floral Blazer That’s Perfect For Summer

Welcome to my post about my new floral blazer that’s perfect for summer! I made this as my latest Minerva project. I’m a Minerva brand ambassador, so I received this fabric for free. It’s terrific, so that’s what I want to tell you about.

*This post contains some affiliate links. If you purchase through one of these link, I will earn a small commission. There is no additional cost to you.

The Fabric

This is a Minerva Exclusive Soft Washed 100% Linen POD fabric called Retro Revival. POD means ‘printed on demand” so there is a definite right and wrong side of the fabric.

It is easy to cut and sew. I didn’t notice any fading of the fabric when I washed it before using. That’s important since the material is printed on demand.

I consider this to be a medium weight fabric. In fact, it’s weighty enough that it has been too warm to wear this summer with the heat we’ve been having. But, the blazer will be perfect for late summer when it cools down and for early to mid fall.

Simplicity 8844

This the pattern I used for the project. I made View A, which is the same as the picture the model is wearing. There’s a variety of fabrics that can be used to make this (all woven) and linen is one of them. The pattern is for an unlined blazer, which is exactly what I wanted for this. Summer calls for easy and quick projects that are still stylish and usable.

The pattern does have different pieces for B, C, D, and DD cup sizes, which is great! There shouldn’t be any need to do a full bust adjustment (FBA) for most people.

The last time I made a blazer was quite a long time ago. That one was also unlined.

Conclusion

Overall, I really love the results. The floral blazer is something I’ve been wanting for a long time. I just hadn’t taken the time to make one. This Minerva fabric is really lovely. It actually softens in the wash. In fact, it washes and dries very well. As I stated, the colors don’t seem to fade at all. I used the serger for the inside seams. But, if you wanted the blazer to be just as nice on the inside, you could enclose them in some seam binding. That will add a bit of bulk, but depending on your fabric, it may not matter.

If you’d like to purchase this fabric (or some others) from Minerva.com, you can use the discount code MSS251DT for 10% off your order. *This is an affiliate code.

Making Butterick 6948

Making Butterick 6948 is what I did for one of my latest Minerva Fabrics projects. This is one of those wardrobe patterns where you can make several garments from one pattern. For this project. I only focused on the jacket.

The Fabric

This Minerva Exclusive Organic Cotton Twill is a stunning print. It’s called Parading Palms and the more technical name of the fabric is tencel lyocell twill in medium weight. There’s no stretch in the fabric.

Minerva Exclusive Organic Cotton Twill Parading Palms

This fabric is soft and has great drape. It would be perfect for something like palazzo pants, skirts, or jackets. I’m a Minerva Brand Ambassador so this was gifted to me.

The Pattern

I chose to use Butterick 6948 because I like the trench-style jacket look for this print. Also, because the design of the pattern is relatively simple, it’s perfect for a bold, large print.

I chose to make View A, which is the shorter jacket with sleeves. It’s described as an unlined jacket with matching belt carriers button epaulettes and side seam pockets. I did not add the button epaulettes since I didn’t have the type of buttons I wanted for them. But with this print, they really aren’t missed.

One thing I found interesting about this pattern is that it instructs you to interface the entire front facing. That’s quite a lot. I did it only because with the drape of this material, it probably wouldn’t hold it’s shape without it. But, if I were to make this pattern again from a stiffer fabric (one with less drape), most likely the wholly interfaced front facing would not be necessary.

No alterations were needed to the pattern in regards to the fit.

The Fabric For Making Butterick 6948

This lyocell twill washes and dries great! Something I always do is wash my fabrics before I use them. That way I’m assured that once the garment is made, it’s clean AND I won’t have to worry about it shrinking.

Conclusion

Overall, the pattern is easy to make. I only made this one item from the pattern, but this was certainly not difficult. I do love taking a straightforward designed patten and using it to make something stunning and/or unexpected. That’s an easy way to elevate your wardrobe and a sewing pattern.

I Used Two Patterns To Make One Dress

For my latest Minerva project, I used two patterns to make one dress. I took the dress portion from one and added the sleeves from the other.

Pattern envelopes — Vogue 8847 & Butterick 6446

The Fabric

For this project, I was gifted this very nice, lightweight fabric. It’s called John Kaldor soft crepe and it’s 100% polyester. The fabric has a gorgeous drape and is very soft like the name says.

This fabric washes and dries really well. I love the vibrant print of it as well. It’s perfect for summer!

The Patterns

I’ve had both of these patterns since around 2012 and 2015. I l For this particular look, I wanted a bell-shaped, flowy sleeve. As the heat and humidity rises when we get into summer, there was no way I was going to make a long-sleeve dress.

The Dress

The Very Easy Vogue pattern is quite easy and quick to sew. While it wasn’t really necessary, I did pay attention to the direction of the fabric when I laid out the pattern. It’s a very loose fitting dress with gathers in the back and front yokes. There are no buttons or zippers, so you can simply pull it over your head.

The dress has inseam pockets too!

woman wearing yellow floral dress with her hands in pockets

Because the dress is very loose, the belt really helps to cinch in the waist. By the way, there were no issues with adding sleeves in from a different patten. The sleeves from the Butterick pattern fit perfectly into the Vogue dress.

Conclusion

While I am a little bit concerned about how comfortable the dress will be when the weather gets hot, I think it will be fine to wear. I am always cold in the summer when I’m indoors and the air conditioning is blasting!

I am so glad I used two patterns to make one dress. The end result is just what I had in mind.

If you’d like te see the video of this project, you can view that here.