A Spring and Summer Suit

 I have only one suit in my wardrobe. It's a dark green-grey-rust tweedy wool and it's most definitely a late-fall and winter item. I've nothing to wear should I need something more formal for summer. A suit is something I don't want to buy in a blind panic. I won't find something that will fit well and even at that, I'll overspend.

I went to my stash of patterns and put together a plan. I chose a straight skirt from a pattern I had already tested. This skirt is from Simplicity 2154. This is a retro reissue pattern a la Mad Men style. This skirt was "in" then and it's still accessible today.

The jacket is a new pattern for me, McCall's M6441. This a Palmer-Plestch fitting pattern. It is a princess lined jacket with a zip front. The pattern comes printed with a bunch of fitting lines which can be cut and adjusted for better fit. The instructions include an entire extra page of printed guidelines about how to use these additional lines to gain your best fit. The pattern goes along with a a Palmer-Pletsch fitting book, which I don't have, however I had no trouble using just the pattern for the information. I had not done a FBA for a princess line garment and this pattern made it very easy. I will be using the results I achieved with this pattern to make adjustments on future princess line patterns. The fitting information alone is well worth the price of the pattern, even at full price. I'm very pleased with this and I will be looking for more of these fitting patterns from McCall's.

I also went to my fabric stash for the suiting fabric and chose a nubby weave beige suiting fabric. I'm sure it was meant to look like a high-end raw silk suiting, but it, most assuredly, is not. The fabric is at least 15 years old, yes, my stash is that deep and that old, and I think it was a remnant end. In the end, I purchased some additional lining fabric, a front zipper and thread. This was a stash bashing, use what you already have project.

 The following are photos of the finished production. I'm pleased with the result. Will this be an item that will last twenty years in my wardrobe? I don't think so. The zip front jacket will look dated after a while and the inexpensive fabric probably will not wear well. I do plan to get five to ten years of occasional wear from the garment. If one piece or the other is "retired" from my closet, the remaining piece is neutral enough to continue life as a separate.

Front View

Back View

Sleeve Cuff Detail

Lining Detail with Print Blouse

The Skirt Alone

Jacket Detail