McCalls Pattern 8616 Review

This is one of the first patterns that I have purchased from eBay. I wanted to adapt the pattern to make myself a suitable outfit for when we are at trading events as I have been given the advise that dressing up and looking smart can sometimes be the difference between getting a customer and not. I have assembled one other jacket before (remember the Simplicity pattern I reviewed with the floor length jacket?) so had some sort of vague idea as to what I was doing.

The pieces were a little difficult to understand in terms of which one you needed, as there were several different sized collar pieces on the pattern paper which all were in fact labelled, just in smaller print than I am used to. Be wary of this when using the pattern. The pattern came with two sheets of instructions, and they were reasonably detailed. The usual amount of technical knowledge is needed, but nothing too difficult or specialist.

The skirt is made as a basic skirt would be, using different panels then being adjusted to fit the waistline. If you have any previous knowledge of making skirts, then you will be able to easily follow the guide for this skirt. The jacket has optional lining, which was an advantage to me as I only wanted a quick and simple project for an afternoon, possibly to line it at a later date when I had more time/the inclination to line! It is a lovely shaped jacket which is nice and fitted but this look is achieved by using several panels. It can get a little confusing as to what goes where, but nothing that can't be handled if you follow the instructions.

The final jacket is a gorgeous piece, it fits nicely and wasn't too much of a faff about to make. All in all I would recommend this pattern, and photographs of my finished jacket will appear here soon, most likely!