Burda 9781: Houndstooth Jacket for Romeo

A little bit ago (OK, the first of January) I showed off some close-ups of pockets and notched lapel collar that I was working on at that time. This week I finally made myself finish that project up. It really didn't take too long, not nearly as long as I thought it would take, just a good sewing session before and after dinner and I was done. Also, I did manage to get it finished in plenty of time for Romeo to get the full wearing of it before it is outgrown.

I really didn't mess with trying to alter the fit, since he is a growing boy. It works best for it to be just a little on the big side, followed naturally by a short period of time where it will fit perfectly, then a time where he's stuck wearing something just a little too small while I work on getting something a little big made up for him. Such is the way of the world.

This was the best picture I could get of the back of the jacket with a minimum of slouching. It fits quite nicely with minimal back wrinkles during those times when he stands up straight.

The only change I really made to the pattern, Burda 9781, was to add shoulder pads. I can't believe that the pattern didn't call for them. Admittedly, it can be hard to find shoulder pads for children, but who on earth would want go to the trouble to make a lined jacket with a notched collar and welt pockets, then not put in shoulder pads? Since I didn't have any kid-sized shoulder pads sitting around, nor actually any adult-sized ones I could cut down, I did a quick cut out of some rounded off triangles from quilt batting, covered them with lining and used the serger to finish off the outer edges. I should perhaps have made them thicker to try to compensate for the slouching.

I did follow the Burda instructions included with the pattern, hoping to give a fair assessment of them, rather than going with the often stated "it's a Burda pattern, so I used the instructions from another pattern to make my project". They are sparse, and at times barely decipherable, so I wouldn't suggest them as the best possible instructions on how to make a jacket. That being said, with a little time and thought, one can use the instructions to make a decent jacket. No, this isn't the first jacket I've ever made, but it has been quite a while since I'd done welts or notched lapels, so I did need to follow the instructions step-by-step.

I did not make these pants, but in future I think I will be making him some. These got bunched up around the socks here, making them look oddly tapered at the hem, which they aren't. 

He's a handsome dude (if I may say so myself), but all the pictures that turned out nicely looked the same. The outtakes...at least they look different.

One thing more, about the fabric. In real life, as shown in those close-ups in January, it is a very small houndstooth weave. In these pictures, it looks a little psychedelic, like one of those optical illusion illustrations or a 3-D poster.