As soon as we heard about the release of Closet Case’s Jasika Blazer we knew it would be an instant wardrobe classic. Over the past few seasons, modern designers have revisited timeless favorites reminding people just how valuable they can be to have in your closet, especially the blazer.
Often thought of as too dressy or even stuffy, the blazer is finding new life as as staple as essential as a simple cardigan or classic jean jacket. Dress it up or dress it down, a blazer can be paired with just about anything, making it a great piece to grab on the go for an extra layer. From dresses and jumpsuits to jeans and graphic tees or business casual workwear, it’s got you covered!
Lucky for us, the timing of the Jasika Blazer pattern release lined up perfectly with our big local sewing show, Sew Expo, earlier this spring. Not so lucky for us, we only had a week to get a sample sewn up if we wanted to have it in our booth. After toying with the idea of sewing it ourselves, we quickly realized it wasn’t something we could take on with such a short timeline. With the rest of the booth to finalize, it just wasn’t going to happen!
We knew if anyone could pull off the impossible it would be our amazing friend Karen, the Jacket Making Maven! After a few pleading texts, lots of fabric idea sharing and promising to tape the PDF pattern together for her, she agreed to do it! After a few long hour days of sewing, Karen finished her linen Jasika Blazer and the results were spectacular!
After a crazy spring, we finally met up with Karen a few weeks ago to get photos of her and her stunning Jasika Blazer. If you follow Karen on Instagram (@intostitches) you know she is always impeccably dressed and has this effortless style and class we so admire!
For the photos, she decided to embrace modern styling and go for a more everyday, casual look with ripped jeans and a white linen Hadley tank. Such an easy but put together look! She finished the outfit with a simple neck scarf (made out of her blazer lining scraps!) and sunglasses, but you could easily add a few pieces of jewelry and matching bag depending on the occasion and what you love.
With so many fabric options to choose from, you can really customize your Jasika Blazer to suit your wardrobe and style. Karen went with a classic—100% linen suiting. It is a beautiful heavier weight linen that has an amazing texture and natural look that will pair with anything. Karen noted that the fabric also sewed and pressed like a dream! The weight makes it a bit more stable for easy cutting and sewing. This also translates to a jacket that wears beautifully with minimal wrinkling. Here are a few of our other favorite fabric choices right now!
For the lining, we suggested pairing this pixel camo rayon with the linen suiting. Karen was game and it ended up being the perfect complement! Not too flashy but a bit of fun for the hidden lining. It also makes a great accent if the sleeves are rolled up! In selecting linings for your own Jasika Blazer, look for soft, light weight cottons or rayons in a coordinating solid or fun print. A “slippery” hand isn’t a requirement but is an added bonus if you plan on wearing heavier layers, like sweaters, under your blazer. For situations like this, check out our Bemberg Rayon Lining.
Karen did have a few notes to share about sewing the Jasika Blazer. She sewed a straight size 12, which gave her a looser boyfriend jacket look. She noted it is super comfy but is a bit roomy, especially in the body, and for a future version she plans to size down the upper check area a bit. She also wants to give everyone a heads up to pay attention to the pattern piece labels. Some pieces are labeled to cut “Right Side Up” and others “Wrong Side Up”. If memory serves us, we encountered this with Closet Case’s Carolyn Pajamas and Kelly Jacket and is a good tip to be reminded of. While we’re on the subject of pattern pieces, the Jasika Pattern is another one where we would recommend buying the paper pattern and tracing or possibly printing the larger scale pattern at a copy shop. THERE ARE A LOT OF PAGES TO THE PDF!
As always, Closet Case’s patterns are very clear and help walk you through each step, which is especially helpful on this fully tailored blazer. They also have an online class for the Jasika Blazer that visually walks you threw sewing and fitting your own jacket. We purchased their jeans making class last year and continue to return to it for more tips and tricks. We can’t wait to go thru the jacket tailoring class as well as we sew our own Jasika Blazer!
While the Jasika Blazer is a more involved sewing project that can appear a bit daunting, it is a garment that will never go out of style and will be in your wardrobe for years to come. Just take it one step at a time and your hard work will be rewarded. In the words of Karen, everyone should have a jacket like this in their handmade wardrobe!
This is just so fabulous and Karen looks amazing. Thanks for the great tips.
Beautiful blazer
You did a fabulous job on this blazer! It’s perfection!!