1900s Brown Bolero Jacket

The night before the photoshoot of my new Edwardian shirtwaist and skirt, I decided I also needed a jacket
(I know – Crazy!).

So while adding buttons to the blouse, I also drafted a quick pattern from “The Edwardian Modiste” by Frances Grimble, which I’ve been eyeing for quite a while.
Such a cute jacket/bolero.
Then I grabbed a piece of soft wool, which of course matched the beige in the plaid skirt perfectly, from my stash and begun cutting and sewing.

It all went so fast and within, half an hour I had a functional bolero.

Then all I needed to do was to hem the sleeves and bodice and to decorate it.
I altered between some dark pom-pom trim and the simpler soutage ribbon in soft nougat. The later won the fight, and my only regret is that I didn’t had enough to also trim the sleeves.

The bolero from the inside – all edges left raw.

I also added a hook and bar to wear it close if I want to.

The finished bolero:

Just the facts:

Challenge: HSM/15 nr 9 – Brown

What: a 1900s bolero jacket

Pattern: I drafted my own using “The Edwardian Modiste” by Frances Grimble as a guide (basically a front + back bodice and a wide sleeve cut apart at the top)

Fabric & Notions: 0.5 of soft light brown wool, thread, hook and eye and 2 m soutage ribbon for decoration.

Time: 3 hours! Such a fun and quick project.

Cost: 45 Sek (6 Usd) – a leftover scrap, to small for anything really, I bought on sale a year ago.

How historical accurate: Not sure. The pattern is based on a actual pattern, but I might have modernized both it and the construction techniques. The internal seams are machined and all the finishing are done by hand – like in the period. The fabric is plausible and the silhouette are about right so I would guess about 7/10.

Final Thoughts: I love it so much! I could wear it to the office right now (I might have to reduce the sleeves a bit first though). The fabrics so soft and the shape is just lovely. The only thing i ca think of that’s not perfect is that I didn’t considered the stiffness of the wool when drafting the sleeves – thous making them a bit to wide. They will probably look better in a more drapery fabric.
I might also add some more trim later on when I find something I like.

The whole outfit:

And since you always need something on your head I draped some leftover fabric on an modern straw hat, to get that big Edwardian hat shape.

Next up: The photoshoot