Simplicity S8890 Review & Mood’s Plum Boysenberry Corduroy

Hi all! Today I’m sharing my reviews of the Simplicity S8890 and Mood Fabric’s Plum Boysenberry Cotton Corduroy fabric.

I also made a matching skirt to pair with this jacket and posted a review of the skirt here on the blog. You can read more about that skirt pattern and my review here!

First, the Mimi G S8890 pattern features a jacket and slip dress pattern, and consists of 18 total pieces. There are 13 given pieces for the jacket and 5 pattern pieces for the slip dress. For this project I made view A, the stylish semi-fitted jacket. This is the jacket that I made in collaboration with Angie of @angiedenise_boutique over on Instagram.

Although the pattern was simple to make, I would only recommend this pattern to intermediate to advanced sewists. This pattern have a lot of pattern pieces and requires intermediate skills. However, there is also a step by step sew-a-long video on Mimi G’s YouTube channel. I found this tutorial to be quite helpful.

The pattern’s size range is 6 – 24 and the body measurements are approximately 32.5” – 49”. Suggested fabrics for this project includes light-medium weight fabrics such as light weight denim, sateen, shantung, taffeta, and twill. But you can checkout the sizes and additional info about the pattern here.

Although the pattern is easy to sew, working with this corduroy fabric was a challenge. The fabric is thick and dense; sewing with this fabric requires patiences and skill. It was most challenging when sewing the front flap, collar, sleeves, and facing pieces together. Mostly, there were 5-6 layers of fabric sewn together in a few of these areas and that made it difficult to sew. I would recommend using a heavy duty machine designed for leather or similar familiars, if you choose a thick corduroy fabric. Honestly, I would avoid corduroy altogether, unless using a feather weight corduroy.

In the way of alterations and adjustments, I shortened the sleeve by an inch. Also, I found the position for the carriers to be lower than my waist and for the placement of the belt. So, I repositioned the carriers and raised them up by one inch.

To finish the raw edges and seams I made bias binding and used the Hong Kong method. This was helpful and needed. Since the fabric is thick and dense using a serger would have further complicated the project.

The pattern calls for buttons. There’s one large button placed on the front of the jacket for closure, and another large button placed on the upper portion of the jacket on the lapel. However, I omitted the use of the button and buttonhole on the lapel. I also decided not to include the tabs/epaulettes that are supposed to be placed on the upper part of the sleeves.

Although the fabric was difficult to work with I enjoyed making the pattern and love the finished results. In the future, I would choose a lighter weight fabric for this pattern, and size the pattern down. I chose a size 16, which is approximately 45” for the bust and waist. The sleeves on this garment have quite a bit of ease. I would like to have a closer fitting garment. I would go down to the size 14 instead.

This is a great pattern, perfect for Fall. I’m excited to have this jacket in my memade collection. Hopefully, I’ll be able to get some wear out of it before freezing temps arrive.

That’s my review for today! Thanks for stopping by and reading. Stay tuned for my Christmas sewing makes. Happy Holidays!

–Tea