Inside The Suit

The suit is finally done but DD is out shopping (what else?). Here's the inside:

And a construction shot of the skirt:

The quilted lining worked great on the skirt so I'm most definitely going to do that when I make my own Chanel suit :)

Next up will be the blouse. I'm going to try to use the ruffle from BWOF 08-2009-117 with bodice from 103 from the same issue. But first I have to clean up the mess- threads and strands of boucle/ribbon everywhere!

Nice and hot here in LA, around 85 degrees. Not complaining cause this penguin actually LOVES heat :))

Chanel, the Speedy Way

This time I'm doing things a little faster and it's mainly because of the fabric I chose. It is so thin and lightweight and made up of mostly ribbon yarn, making it impossible to deal with without fusing it first- and I fused the entire piece before I cut. This one is for DD, who just turned 16 :)) She's not a die-hard preppy anymore, but she is so excited about this. The fabric is from Mood in Los Angeles. It's really a great store with so much to choose from, but I dislike that they never have a clue about the fiber content or where it came from.

Below is the pattern I'm using:

BWOF 04-2008-120

I obviously omitted the collar, and also the slanted front. It will have three quarter length sleeves and pockets.

I had decided not to use fringe this time around but I couldn't find the right trim. So, I bought some B & W hounds tooth, cut strips on the bias and added the only trim I could find that worked. I wanted it to be controlled (aka not my usual frilly fiesta :)) so it's pressed down and cut short-short.

The lining is quilted on as usual; Lindsay T, it isn't hard and doesn't take a lot of time AND since you got the magnifiers, threading the needle for hand stitching the lining seams in place will be a piece of cake ;)

This is my third Chanel style project and it is true that it gets easier with practice. I haven't needed too look up anything so far, it's all in the memory bank.

I'm tempted to make myself another one, but that will have to wait until the Balmain jacket is done.

DD also wants a ruffle blouse. I've been looking around for something like what Chanel is showing in their fall collection but no luck so far. If anyone has any ideas please share :))

Chanel Jacket is Done

... But I'm too tired to wear it cause I spent most of the day cleaning my room. The posing and review will have to wait, but I thought I'd give my loyal readers a look at it on the form. The jacket is quite heavy but wearing it feels wonderful. Knowing me (and I think I do...) this jacket will probably be casual-ized. I'll wear it open, except if I want to be 'preppy'... and I'll let you know if that ever happens!

A look at the woven pink in the fabric...

Here's a close up of the front. I chose to end the chain 2" away from the opening due to the extra weight of the buttons on the left, and also the right ruffle.

And thank you both, Melissa and Nancy, it was good to hear I'm not alone. I will try and make something simple- as soon as this wardrobe is done :-))

"Chanel" Jacket Construction

I’m in love.

I’m in love with Chanel

I’m in love with Chanel and boucle

I’m in love with Chanel and boucle and silk

I’m in love with Chanel and boucle and silk and hand stitching

What an experience it is to handle this rag-a-muffin. Each step in this process has been pure pleasure so far, and not on the basic level. On the highest, stratospheric, out-of-this world level.

I so appreciate all of you who left me helpful tips on how to approach this unique jacket construction. Thank you, thank you, thank you! Documenting the process has improved my sewing tremendously (thank heavens for the iPhone!), and all of you play a huge part in that. I always think of what needs to be explained with pictures, and those pictures help me catch errors before it’s too late. Thank you for reading my blog and taking the time to leave a comment.

I made a muslin of BWOF 1-2008-127, eliminated the CB seam, and moved the back waist dart to the back princess seam. I also moved the upper backside toward CB, eliminating some gaposis at the back armhole. I raised the armhole about 3/8” and scooped out a bit in front, and added a bit of coverage to the back. The shoulder seam was moved forward just a tad.

After working with the boucle, I think all of this tweaking was a waste. It’s so drapey and forgiving, these changes will play a minimal (if any) role in the final fit.

Btw, if you're looking for a very fitted princess seamed jacket, BWOF 1-2008-127  is a great pattern. And the shawl collar is super flattering imo.

After taking apart the muslin and cutting off SA, I placed the muslin on right side of the fabric in a single layer. This is where matching the plaid (in my case; the satin ribbons) takes center stage. You will need lots of room around each piece as well, since a minimum of 2” SA is necessary. I thread-traced around each piece, and cut.

Since this is a shawl collar jacket, I needed to make front facings, which is not part of the Chanel construction in the Threads article. I cut four of the front pattern (like the BWOF pattern calls for), and put the facings aside to be quilted/attached later.

For lining, I dyed a piece of silk charmeuse in Light Pink (I know, here comes the dye again- but I didn’t have a choice, honestly! F & S didn’t have the right color.) I placed it on the table, right side facing down, and placed the cut boucle- one piece at the time- on top, right side facing up. I pinned down vertical lines, spaced 1 1/4” apart (due to the ribbon pattern), and 1” away from all seam lines and ending 2” above the hem fold line. I used silk thread- off white in needle, light pink in bobbin-, a walking foot and longer stitch length. I left thread tails at each beginning and stop, which I pulled to the inside and tied off.

Then I pinned the CB on the dressform and pinned the sidebacks, folding in SA, and matching each side square by square. After slip-basting in place on the form, I hand stitched all seams using small back stitches. The shoulder/collar seam point is the tricky part. I fused the point that needs to be cut, stitched the shoulder seams, cut the points and stitched the back neck/collar together. 

I needed three buttonholes, and after quite a bit of experimentation, I used medium fusible interfacing on both the front and welt, the stitched rectangle is 1” long by 1/2” wide. Next, I will make the buttonholes in the facing and quilt the facings on. Then the sleeve... and finally the trim. Very excited about the trim.