I was listening to the Maker Style Podcast a while ago, when Rachel was interviewing Heather from Closet Case Files, and Heather mentioned that you shouldn't be afraid of projects, just do them. I put that advice into practise when Christina posted a tester call for the Blixen Blazer. One of the complaints I have when shopping is that my shoulders are too broad for many structured clothing items. If I can find something that fit my shoulders and arms, it's too boxy. If I find something that is flattering, the shoulders and arms are suffocating. The obvious solution: Sew my own!

This was my first pass at the pattern, so I made it knowing that it might not be perfect. The pattern itself is amazing - following the instructions was straight-forward, everything fits together really nicely, the darts are in the right places, everything gets finished nicely. I'm actually impressed with how well I did with the welt pockets and the lining and everything. I'm not very happy with the fit - the shoulders are the right size for me without shoulders pads, but the chest is very clearly too big. The sleeves are the right length but could be a bit snugger, although adding shoulder pads will likely help them fall nicer on my arms. the waist hits are the right point and is approximately the right size, and I like the length of the blazer itself, although I might add less length for my next one.

My modifications for this pattern were adding 2 inches in length to the sleeves (and then removing 1 because the sleeves were too long), adding 2.5 inches to the length of the body and grading out the 2 back pieces at the hips for obvious reasons. I cut a straight size 10 this time around.
I definitely intend to sew this pattern again. Next time I will cut a size 8 in the peplum version, then add 3/4inch to the width of the shoulders and add in shoulder pads. I would also only add 1 inch to the sleeves and 1.5 inches to the bodice. This would mean that I don't need to grade out any at the hips, the chest should fit and my shoulders should fit with shoulder pads in.
Quick confession time: I am not one of those people that care that the inside of a garment looks good. I am much happier to slack on finishing the seams so I can start wearing the garment sooner. That being said, having the blazer fully lined was the best of both worlds: It looks good on the inside, but didn't take extra work. The instructions say to hand sew the lining shut, but I just folded and machine sewed it. I hate hand sewing, and I'm not very good at it.
Details
Pattern:
Blixen Blazer by Wardrobe by Me (tester)
Material: A cobalt blue knit with a bit of stretch from the discount section of Fabricville about 2 years ago, probably for under $5/m. Lining is a jersey for $3/m, and for the first time I bought stretch interfacing
Modifications: I added 2 inches to the sleeves (then removed 1), added 2.5inches to the bodice and graded out at the waist to accommodate my rear.
Learning: I've done welt pockets before, but totally forgot how so re-learned that. Learned how to apply a lining, and most importantly learned that sewing a blazer is not that difficult (most excited about this learning. It's just very time consuming).