Amelia Jacket – Sew Over It

A review of Amelia Jacket - Sew Over It

Reviewed by Norfolk Daphne on 25th January, 2020

This jacket is made with Melton Wool and Faux Fur from Fabworks and the lining is Silk Satin from Liberty. I also used bias binding on the seam where the lining meets the wool around the front facing.

I made FOUR toiles for this jacket! SOI armholes don’t work well on me; there always seems to be too much fabric across the upper bust and the seam sits too far out, almost onto my arms, and then there’s not enough ease at the underarms (not sure if that makes any sense!). This jacket was the same, but I was determined to make it work, so I ended up altering the sizing to a 12 graded to a 10 at the waist, then a 14 at the armsyces, underarms and upper sleeves. I can now lift my arms higher than my shoulders and don’t feel restricted in it, but it is a bit big in the body.

Construction was okay, although there were a few issues such as missing notches and at no point are you told to grade the seam allowances or trim into the corners to reduce the bulk. Also, it tells you to pull through and sew the cuff elastic together on your machine after it’s inserted, yet it’s physically impossible! As is often the case with SOI patterns, the imagery was a little unclear in places: they tend to use outer and inner fabrics that look similar colour-wise and it’s sometimes hard to tell which is which, especially as the photos in the magazine instructions are very small.

All in all I’m pleased with this jacket, even though the fit’s not perfect. I’m not yet entirely convinced that it suits me and it’s only going to work with dresses, or high-waisted skirts and trousers (which I don’t tend to wear), but I knew that before I started and I’m okay with that: I’ve got plenty of dresses! ?

Read more about this make and see LOTS more photos over on my blog: https://norfolkdaphne.wordpress.com/2020/01/25/sew-over-it-amelia-bomber-jacket/