Welcome, and something fun and frivolous

Hi everyone, my name is Antoinette and I blog at clevergirl.org. A lot of new partners in our sew-along have joined since my last post so I wanted to offer a mini-introduction in case we haven't virtually met yet. Gail, Cindy, and I are the admins for this Chanel sew-along blog and a bit of the background story is here. Welcome again!

Several questions come up from time to time about how this sew-along is structured, and though we've handled them as they come up through private email, it seems like a good time to post a few notes:

• You do not need to have your own blog to join the sew-along. But if you do join, we'd like you to blog your project and progress here! We will add you as a blog author and you can write your blog posts and add pictures along the way.
• This is a very casual and informal sew-along. There are no incremental team goals, like everyone needing to finish a first muslin by a specific date. We are suggesting a completion date of Nov. 15 but the Chanel Police will not show up at your doorstep should you take longer to finish your jacket.
• This is not an expert-led sew-along. Gail, Cindy, and I have never tackled a project like this before -- we're just really excited to jump in and learn. We do have a few sewists participating who have sewn Chanel-style jackets using the specific couture methods many of us want to learn. There are also lots of resources -- books, DVD's, and classes -- to reference and we're keeping a running list in the sidebar. Feel free to ask questions in your blog posts. There's a very good chance that someone in the group knows the answer or has the resource to look up your question and offer a suggestion.
• Please do post! Don't be shy. At the moment, most of us are introducing ourselves, getting to know each other, and selecting fabric, trims and notions, and patterns. A couple of us overachievers (I'm looking at you, Mary Anna and Wendy) are on track to finish 2 months early. Work at whatever pace makes sense for you. We're here to support each other.
• If you feel pressure to sew your Chanel-inspired jacket a certain way, please don't feel that pressure because of this sew-along. We all have different styles and preferences, and we're all here for different reasons. Whatever your reason, do what makes you happy in your quest for a new Chanel-style jacket. 'Cause if momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy! ;)

Hope this helps. Don't hesitate to let us know if we can help you in any way. Speaking of happy, my husband happened upon a link to a listing in Detroit for a custom car that brought a smile to my face and I hope it does yours, too. I wasn't sure how long the link to the listing would work so I am pasting the photos in right here:

Happy sewing along!