FIRST FITTING

I don't really understand how you can do a fitting on anything when you have an extra 10" of bulk from large seam allowances to contend with but despite that handicap I was pleased with the first fitting. I wanted this jacket to have more ease and since it was comfortable at this point I thought it would be fine once the excess seam allowances were trimmed. At this point I had quilted the lining to the fabric and machine basted all the seams. After the fitting I stitched the seams of the jacket body, trimmed the excess seam allowances and prepared the lining at the seams for fell stitching. Thankfully, I had not yet done the fell stitching, only basted the lining in place because when I put the jacket on again and it was too tight! Although I had heavily steamed the fabric before cutting there was still shrinkage from pressing the seams. Next time the fabric goes to the cleaners for professional pretreating! There was only one option and that was to rip out the center back seam and the side seams and try to gain about an inch through the jacket body. Ripping out 3 seams in this fabric took an entire afternoon. The fit is now acceptable but not what I really wanted. Before I cut the sleeves you can be sure the fabric will be steamed, steamed again and steamed some more. I am bad about holding a grudge, so for now the jacket is pushed aside waiting for the day that I can look at it again without being angry and enjoy the process.

Inspiration and Disappointment

I know many of you are in the process of picking out buttons and trims for your jackets so I thought I'd share this picture of Chanel buttons. I think it is these wonderful details that make the jacket.

Meanwhile, I am disappointed and still waiting to find lining for either of the two pieces of fabric I have. As with so many others my local fabric options are nonexistant so I sent swatches of my fabrics to several well known stores. One of my favorite sources, Josephine's sent some nice swatches but nothing that I loved. Another store which shall remain unnamed and charges for swatches, assured me they had a large selection and sent 10 pieces. Among them a silk brocade and several others that were totally unsuitable for lining. And some of the swatches were only about 1" square. I am hoping to hear from 2 other stores this week so I can get started. In the meantime I'm in a holding pattern and checking often to see what everyone else is accomplishing.

Coco and Karl

Here are a few pictures from the book Chanel Collections and Creations. Photo 1 is from 1960 and photo 2 is from 2003. As beautiful as Lagerfeld's creations are I am admittedly partial to Mademoiselle's. She was all about functional design, elegant simplicity and rejected fashion that was restraining. I chose these 2 photos because I think they showcase the difference between Chanel today and Chanel, the original. The 60's version looks like I could just throw it on and run to the grocery store. Whereas, Lagerfeld's version would definitely be a little over the top for my local Wal Mart!

The center picture, a 2002 design, is my inspiration for this sew along. And yes, I know I just said I liked the vintage designs best but this jacket combines the best of both designers. It is more body conscious thanks to Lagerfeld and yet it has the understated elegance of Mademoiselle. (For the record, I'll be wearing something under my jacket.) Okay, enough of my editorial.

I'll just close with 2 quotes that I think best summarize the vision of the woman whose art still inspires us. " Nothing is more beautiful than freedom of the body" and "Luxury is not the opposite of poverty; it is the opposite of vulgarity."

I ALWAYS KNEW

that I would make another Chanel-style jacket! I'm Elizabeth and this will be my second french jacket. Last fall I took Susan Khalje's jacket class and was hooked. I throughly enjoyed the process and felt oh so special whenever I wore my one-of-a-kind couture jacket. I wanted to make another one so that I could perfect the skills and techniques I learned. Jacket 1 is an investment of over 100 hours but worth every minute. I will use my existing self-drafted muslin with a few design changes - perhaps a v neckline and three quarter length sleeves. This will save quite alot of time and will assure a good fit.

For jacket #2 I am planning to use this boucle I just purchased on a recent trip to Nashville. (When in Nashville don't, whatever you do, DON'T miss Textile Fabrics!) It is a mix of pink, brown, gray, camel and silver metallic yarns and lighter weight than jacket 1. I have started my search for the perfect print for the lining and trims. Although a print lining doesn't showcase all the quilting it can hide anything that is less than perfect. I made my trim for jacket 1 by using a combination of braid, yarn and beads. This time I'm thinking maybe, fringe or ruffles or........... who knows what.