Quilting sneak peak

I first want to thank all the ladies that are bringing me their support. I would never have been able to undergo this project without your comments. This SAL is fantastic and I am learning so much everyday.As you can see back sections are sewn including the quilted lining .

 

To achieve this I am following Claire Schaeffer's method in Couture Sewing Techniques

This book is invaluable.

 

 After I quilted the lining the vertical seams were hand sewn with bee waxed thread

 

 

As is explained in Claire's book, one important difference between upscale Ready to wear and Haute-Couture is the huge amount of hand sewing used in Haute-Couture. For permanent sewing you have waxed your sewing thread before.

Ann from Ann's Fashion Studio sent me this great reference concerning tailoring techniques, including how to wax your thread. I know it is time consuming but I hope it will pay off. Furthermore, I find this hand sewing very pleasant to do.

Thankfulness and Claire Shaeffer encouragement

Hi everyone, I've dropped off the face of this blog for a while. The good news is there are so many sew-along participants I bet it was hardly noticeable! As is said, "Life got in the way," first with my day job in mid-August, then with getting my son back into the swing of school, and now with just life in general. I've recently taken on my first custom sewing client, something that many of you have experienced (so you're either excited for me or rolling your eyes about the joys of working with custom clients, haha!), and I'm working on a couple of fall/ winter concepts for my little bitty clothing label. Haven't forgotten about my Chanel jacket, just haven't blogged about it lately. Next week for sure. I've got the pattern and I think I've found the right men's jacket to refashion.

Thanks to Cindy and Gail for holding down the fort, and to each of you for embracing the spirit of this great community and supporting everyone else with gracious comments and helpful advice. It's exciting to see so much progress, and to be exposed to so many neat fabrics and ideas across all the projects around the world!

And thanks to Ms. Claire Shaeffer, who once again thinks of us and offers news, helpful hints, and encouragement:

"

Several weeks ago, I spent a week-end in SanFrancisco. Naturally, I popped over to the Chanel boutique and Britex.

I found some fabulous wool at Britex that I'll use in the Chanel workshop.

At the Chanel boutique, there were several details that I found interesting.
Many jackets fastened at the center front with buttons and loops or hooks and eyes.
Most jackets had no sleeve vent, but they had cuffs--much easier to sew.
One design had a self-fabric camellia on the pockets. It was easily 5" and quilted, but looked more like trapunto. This would be nice in white or pink.

Many of the new designs in the couture collection were shown with lace hose.

I've just returned from Chicago where I gave talks at the School of the Art Institute (SAIC).They have a hands-on collection where I found a wonder couture suit. The fabric was black wool with a diagonal design and it was lined with a blk/wht/grey plaid. The lining was invisibly quilted to the wool so it didn't show on either the face or lining sides of the jacket. I'll have to write about it to explain better.

Hope all jackets are moving forward nicely.

Claire

"

A snippet from Claire Shaeffer

Hi everyone, Clare Shaeffer sent us another note with some tips:

"

When teaching a Chanel workshop, I begin with trims. I examined about 200 suits and have a couple of dozen of my own.
We spend the first day exploring a variety of trims that you can make from self-fabric, lining, or easy-to-find materials. (Very few jackets actually have braid.)

Determining a trim at the outset is particularly important when using either self-fabric or lining because you must think about where you are going to get the fabric for the trim or if you must cut the lining larger. I recommend purchasing 1/4 to1/2 extra to be sure you have enough fabric. That can be expensive, but it insures that you can create the design you want and won't be disappointed because you don't have enough fabric.

My workshop students make half of a sample jacket. If they want to take the workshop again, they can make a jacket for themselves. However, it's very difficult to make a jacket in 40 hrs., even if you have already fitted a muslin.

Hope things are going well.
Claire

"

SewStylish has a Chanel Jacket "How-to"

I picked up the newest SewStylish issue today (Fall 2009), and found a lovely 1-page tutorial on Chanel-inspired jacket edge binding (p. 14) by Claire Shaeffer! I couldn't find anything on their website (www.besewstylish.com), but do think this issue has lots to offer, in case your wondering! I've noticed in the past that it can be a compilation of old articles from Threads, but not this issue, it's all new material. Sorry, I went off on a tangent, there!

$6.99, and I found mine at Meijer's when I was getting groceries!

Kristine in Michigan

Note from Claire Shaeffer

Claire Shaeffer, popular author of many books on couture sewing techniques and all-around sewing rock star, found our team blog and sent the following email last night:

"

Antoinette,

I just finished teaching a 2-day workshop in Anchorage on Chanel. Here are some resources you might find useful:

• Vogue 8259; the guide is based on techniques used on a couture Chanel in my collection.
• Vogue 8369--just a nice design
• Behind the Seams: Chanel --a cd with info and photos of 20 couture Chanels in my collection; some ready-to-wear, knock-offs, and inspirations. 800+ photos; Some of my suits are in poor condition and the linings have been removed.
• Couture Sewing Techniques--there is a section on Chanel jackets.
• Great Sewn Clothes from Threads --reprint of first article on Chanel construction. Most workshops are based on this article.
• I also wrote several articles for Australian Stitches
• Chanel and That Suit--workshop in Palm Springs, CA

Happy sewing,

Claire

"

I'll add these resources in a box in the sidebar shortly so you can access the links without having to dig for this post in the future. :)

Inspiration from the net

Try these items for assistance and inspiration:

http://thesewingdivas.wordpress.com/2006/11/18/stalking-the-ghost-of-coco-chanel-part-ii-2/

http://thesewingdivas.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/the-making-of-chanel-couture/

http://www.threadsmagazine.com/item/6994/choosing-chanel-style-jacket-trims

http://www.bagsnob.com/2007/11/secrets_of_the_chanel_jacket_r.html

http://topstitched.wordpress.com/2009/04/29/chanel-jacket-workshop/

http://books.google.com.au/books?id=N_eGgc4XcbkC&pg=PA168&lpg=PA168&dq=chanel+jackets+%2B+construction&source=bl&ots=B1tdM36Hmd&sig=ESyC6D3scFCMLWHCr2ST6bQSXzQ&hl=en&ei=II9tSuzEN5Ke6gPBzN2HCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=52B+construction&source=bl&ots=B1tdM36Hmd&sig=ESyC6D3scFCMLWHCr2ST6bQSXzQ&hl=en&ei=II9tSuzEN5Ke6gPBzN2HCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5