A Blaze of Scuba

Not just a blazer but a trailblazer! It’s my latest foray into menswear.

My husband was needing a new casual, summer jacket, so I made one for him.

It’s made of a double-sided beige and grey scuba fabric, so it didn’t need any lining.

 

All the seams inside are finished with a maroon bias binding. The lack of lapels gives it that extra lightweight and casual feel, but it has a neckline and front facing.

Scuba is a very interesting fabric and it gives you a chance to use a wide range of finishing techniques – starting from the simplest one – leaving the raw edges, as they don’t fray.

That property of scuba also allowed me to try a more interesting technique - the 3D-effect fabric manipulation on the patch pockets and the mock breast pocket. Inverting the fabric showed a glimpse of the grey colour on the other side.

Thanks to its density, the whole pattern is raised above the fabric level and it doesn’t flatten even during wearing or washing.

You probably noticed the contrasting topstitching that I created on the most visible seams. It almost looks like zig-zag embroidery and it was all done freehand using a simple lockstitch machine. I really enjoyed making it, but the longer sleeve seams were particularly time-consuming.

The jacket has two vents on the back like a traditional suit jacket and mock vents on the sleeves.

My husband suggests that the ribbed look on the pockets resembles the grill on the side of the BMW Z3 sports car. Not that he's got one or ever likely to!