I can see the light at the end of the tunnel...

After 2 weeks (and more hand sewing than I've ever done), it's a jacket! During the last week, I've stitched all the lining seams closed, which actually didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would. That's been one of the big "ah-ha!" moments of this project: that handstitching doesnt' take as long as you think, and it can be a strong, durable (yet, invisible) thing.

Yesterday's job was attaching the sleeves (by hand, of course), and closing the lining over those seams. It took all day! Getting around the curves and working in the ease were the trickiest parts. I finally decided that is might be couture, but my first try won't be perfect!

So I only have a few steps left! Add the trim, close the raw edges, add the pockets, and attach the chain. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can...

Muslin Opinions Welcome - Myrna

I finished sewing the sloper for my dress form yesterday and can see some issues that need to be corrected - like leveling the waist - however, I'm taking a workshop with Sandra Betzina and Ron Collins in April and will get expert help then. For now, I've drawn lines to indicate what has changed and am moving on to the New Look 6632 muslin for my Chanel jacket.

Here it is on the form sewn exactly as the pattern was designed without some of my standard changes (like moving the underarm forward an inch) just to see what the differences would be. I need to move it. The form is already making a difference to how well I can see what's going on. I'm so glad I bought it.



On the form, I thought definitely not long and these two pictures convinced me. Sorry for the bad photos. My son would rather be reading than snapping pictures of Mom. It's probably time to figure out the tripod and timer. How do you take pictures?

I should have included more of my body in these photos of the short version. It needs to be slightly longer. What do you think the position of the princess seam? Should it be closer to the bust point? At the hem, I've flattened the seam close to the body from waist to hem because it was winging forward in the long version.

The back hem looks level in this picture. In the side view you can see that it goes up. I always have this correction due to a high and wide hip. I'm going to add more ease through the back hips to compensate for the flattening in the front otherwise it's too snug especially for a jacket. I pinned the CB seam in tighter from the top to mid back. It curved out and I have a flat back.

And the side view...

I'm going to stitch these changes, add some ease to the back, and sew in the sleeve just to test that before altering the pattern and starting on the fashion fabric. Opinions are welcome. Thanks for your comments about the pattern. Edited later - I thought it was new in the winter catalogue but just checked the reviews at PR and it's not.

- Myrna

I've Picked My Pattern - Myrna

New Look - 6632. It's...

... Chanel-ish and slightly different. I haven't decided on long or short yet although most likely short. I'll make the muslin long, mark the short length and cut it off, take pictures of both options, compare, and see what I think.

- Myrna

A short introduction...

First things, first. It's been a few days now that I decided to take part to this fabulous Chanel SAL
and I still haven't introduce my self.
I am Marie-Noëlle LAFOSSE, 48, a french girl living in ROUEN, Normandy and very proud of my country.
I've always loved Haute-Couture and Mademoiselle CHANEL's creations in particular. This explained why I am so enthusiastic about this SAL.
As many of you have pointed out, sewing such a project takes a long time.
I still haven't made up my mind concerning the pattern I want. I am trying to find Claire Shaeffer's out of print couture jacket from Vogue, but it's no longer available in my size/16. I am particularly interested in the quilting techniques and the 3 pieces sleeves she uses.
So far I've found great sources and inspiration on this site and I want to thank all of you for sharing such great stuff.
I bought my fabrics. For the shell, I will use a very nice bouclé, as for thr lining I've chosen a gorgeous silk from my collection. Yes, i am a bit of a fabricohlic LOL.
I will share pics of both as soon as time allows.
For those of you who want to see very detailed shot of real Chanel garments, the MET

Home > Search > Works of Art > Collection Database > The Costume Institute

offers 279 zoomable and downloadable Chanel items. I spent most of yesterday's afternoon browsing it.
Now, I still haven't got a precise idea concerning the trim. But I like this very much.

As you can see, a silk ribbon (same as the one used for the lining) is inserted along the trim ending as very nice neck bow tie. I definitly love this idea but I don't know if I'll be able to make my dream come true.
More about it later on...

Little Black Dress - Myrna

This is the long route to making my Chanel muslin but I thought you might like to share my joy and laughter. When I closed my business last week, I bought myself a dress form to celebrate since I've been wanting one for a while and my plan is to sew fashions for a few months before looking for a job.

The information I had read said to buy the form small and pad it up. At its maximum, the form is only a half inch bigger than me (to allow for weight loss or gain) which meant that when it is dialed it up all the way "I" don't look nearly as tight and perky as "she" looked straight out of the box. How like life.

To get the bust proportions correct, I bought her - Millicent - a new bra and some Add A Size bra pads to increase the cup size from a B to a C. This picture gives me the giggles. I hope no one is offended.




It took a bit to get the shoulder to bust point and bust point to bust point measurements correct and then to adjust the circumference again now that the pads had added extra distance. The instructions say to measure side to side across the back and across the front. I already knew that I was broader (2") across the back but I don't often see that in instructions. It means that I will also need to pad the back hips because I am 22 1/2" and the form only goes to 21 1/2". Perhaps with padded panties since these bra pads worked so fabulously.

Today I made her a Little Black Dress from swimsuit material. I started out with a 40" tube and ended up taking it in six inches. Two of my friends also bought forms so I sent them an email to sew a lot smaller. Next time I have the dress off of her, I'll take in the waist darts even more and cut out the slider on the bra strap because it's sticking out. My boys are surprisingly embarrassed by a naked dress form.

The angle of the shoulders on the form is the same as mine AND it was really amazing how when I narrowed the neck and widened the bust, the shoulder width came into line. I wasn't sure the form could accommodate my narrow shoulders but it did. Next, I'm making a sloper with all the key points marked on it and after that, I can get on to "real" sewing. Thanks for letting me share.

- Myrna

Photo shoot

As promised, here are the pictures of my coat. (Yeah, I was so impatient to show you the coat, I had to take pictures this morning, before going to work!)

The coat buttoned up:



I sewed 6 frogs to the facing. However, I don't think I'll wear the coat all buttoned up. I prefer it half-buttoned or completely unbuttoned:





Here's the side view:



And the back:



I am wearing the coat with jeans, and I really like it in this casual combination. However, I had the coat combined with this skirt on my mind - a formal combination, perfect for work. The color of the trim band on the coat matches perfectly with the color of the skirt.

Many thanks to Antoinette and Cindy for organizing this sew along. I was really motivated to work on this coat - without the sew along I don't think I would think of sewing a coat so early in the year. Now I'm inspired to sew few more jackets, and I have a stash full of fabrics waiting to be created into something.

I'll keep on following your posts and progress, can't wait to see your jackets!

As a reply to Cindy - the next project will probably be this jacket from the BWOF 8/2009. I have a light green-yellowish velour in my stash, perfect for this model.

reference to quilting lining

Gail asked for a reference to quilting a lining on my personal blog. Google gave me this link for the preview of the book Couture sewing techniques from Claire Shaeffer. I have the book and it's wonderful.

An example of the finished result is clearly visible in LauraLo's jacket and in Erica B's jacket.

No inside pictures, but here are a few great pictures of Chanel jackets.

(all links found by doing a google search for "quilting lining Chanel jacket", of course there are many more)