Finished - Myrna

Just finished and no one is home to take my picture so here is my jacket on the dress form. I'm hoping to make some go with clothing before the closing date and get a photo of a complete outfit.

This jacket is the one of the few fashion projects I've done in twenty years and more major than any of the others. While there are some things that I'd do different now that I'm done, it was a bit like riding a bike. The how-to aspects came back to me easily and there were a lot of transferable skills from my years in textile art. Overall, a good return to fashion sewing. I'm celebrating.




The pattern was New Look 6632. I added three inches to the length, kept the seam allowance around the neckline but cut it off along center front tapering the line back an additional 1/4" at the hem. The width of the cuff (in the pattern) was added to the sleeve length and the hem was narrowed. These are 3/4 sleeves.

The bias is made from a fabric very similar to silk Dupioni. It's slubbed and permanently wrinkled. The binding was sewn on by machine with right sides together and then slip stitched by hand to the wrong side. The bias, button, and two snaps at center front are the only hand work. Everything else was done by machine.

Inside, the seams are finished with a bright pink silk using a Hong Kong seam finish that you saw in an earlier posting. In retrospect, that was not the best choice of fabrics. It was too lightweight and is already beginning to pull out. Learning. It's good.

The aspects that are Chanel-ish are the top layer of knit fabric, the quilted lining, no facings, the fitted shoulders and design lines, the over-all simplicity that is somewhat deceptive of the amount of work involved, and the "trim" of the binding. It's a very easy to wear, comfortable jacket that still looks structured and fitted.

- Myrna