Parisian jacket preview

Parisian, because I bought the fabric in Paris, as I mentioned in my blog post last month. And the jacket style is à la Chanel, via Claire Shaeffer's Vogue 8991. I've already made up the muslin, and I love the way it looks and fits. The only alterations I had to make were to narrow the shoulders and shorten the sleeves, both of which I always have to do on any jacket pattern, plus also let out slightly below the waist.  As you can see on the muslin, I made up one sleeve without alternation and then shortened it, and then altered the pattern to make the second sleeve, so I could be sure it fit correctly.

 

I'm using The Couture Cardigan Jacket by Claire Shaeffer as my guidebook, and I intend to go the complete slow-sewing route, so with all the handwork my estimated time of completion is... Well, I have no idea, but I'm eager to proceed. The how-to's and photos in the book are excellent as is the accompanying CD. I don't see anything that should present any difficulty to an experienced sewer, and actually I think someone with moderate sewing skills could tackle this with the aid of this book. (Interestingly, there's a sewing studio here in Dallas offering a four-session class in making a Chanel-style jacket for $275, not including supplies, of course.)

My jacket-to-be is quite the bargain, with the fabric costing only 15.80 euros. Then I was lucky to find silk charmeuse lining in just the right color from Dharma TradingCompany which offers a limited selection of colored silk fabrics. (I cannot say enough good things about Dharma which sells dyes and ready-to-dye fabrics among other similar products; as for example, the swatch only cost 25¢!). I also purchased silk organza for interfacing from Dharma.

After searching and searching the multitude of button boxes lining the shelves at Benno's Buttons, my friend Linda spied these. Not a bargain, but perfect, I think. 

I intend to make a simple trim, using this variegated viscose/cotton yarn. 

And per Claire Shaeffer's recommendation, I purchased cotton thread and silk buttonhole twist from Superior Threads.

So, everything is ready and waiting...  Stay tuned.