Blazers are a must-have in your wardrobe; they are timeless, easy to combine and you can style almost any outfit with a blazer. With the release of the Elevated Blazer Jacket Pattern we now have an awesome knit blazer which allows us to sew all the blazers and is beginner friendly too!
An oversized blazer is very on trend right now. You might think: "Well, I can just size up a couple of sizes and I am done." That is a possibility but this means the blazer will be oversized overall and this can give you the look that you are wearing a blazer that is just too big. If that is the look you are going for: then go for it.
And when you want an oversized look that still hugs your shapes: I am writing this blog to explain how to get that. This is the look that we are going for in this tutorial:
Measure Yourself, Pick your Options and Pick Your Fabric
First of all (and pretty important). I used a woven fabric for my oversized blazer. You can use knit as well, but you’ll need a sturdy and stable fabric that will hold the shape of the blazer. When using lightweight fabrics (or fabrics with a lot of drape) you’ll end up wearing something that is more like a vest. Because we are going to size up a little, using woven will not give you any fitting issues. However it is important to measure yourself or your model correctly, especially your biceps, to make sure that you will start with the correct measurements and size before we size up. So you'll now measure your side waist, chest, waist and hip size, shoulder length and biceps circumference.
You can use the round front or the straight front. The straight front will give you a more oversized look then the round will do. You only need your front, your back and your sleeve pattern piece for adjustments. Happy note for the people who usually need to perform an FBA: there is no need to do one.
Making the Adjustments
Print or open your projector and select the size you should make originally for upperbust, 1 size above that and 3 or 4 sizes above that. (When this means you are falling outside the size chart when going up 3 or 4 sizes, just open the largest size- and measure the difference between size 7- en 8XL at the waist and write that number down. You’ll need it later)
You are going to make the same adjustments to the front and to the back. Use your own size for the neckline and the shoulderline and lengthen the shoulderline to the point where the shoulderline from 1 size above ends. For the armscye you trace the line of 1 size above your actual size until you hit the armpit. From there you go 1-2“ down and slowly grade to the waist from your 3 or 4 sizes above your current size. Continue your line to the bottom. For a more oversized look you can lengthen your blazer as well. I made my blazer 6” longer from my original size, but you can lengthen or shorten as much as you want. This is also a great start for a trenchcoat for example.
When you fall outside the size chart: you wrote down the difference between size 7- and size 8xl waist. Triple that number and measure at the waistline from size 8xl and mark down your new reference point. Just follow all the steps as above and look at the picture how to draft your line. Do the same for the back bodice piece and lengthen or shorten as much as you want (but add/remove the same amount as you did for the front).
For the sleeves: start with 1 size above your actual size and slowly follow this sleeveline until you almost reach the sleeve cap (top of the sleeve), near the sleeve cap you slowly grade towards your actual size. When you have traced the sleeve cap, you slowly grade back to 1 one size above your actual size until you traced the whole sleeve. Recap: for the entire sleeve you will trace 1 size above your actual size, except for the sleeve cap itself. That is being traced in your actual size. You lengthen the sleeve with 1“ to make it a little longer but not too much.
Every other pattern piece stays the same (except when you lengthen your bodices, then you must not forget to lengthen your facing as well)
Place the darts and the pockets by using the markings and guidelines from your actual size.
And that's it! I hope you enjoy your new oversized blazer as much as I do!
(Written by: Marieke de Jonge)
