Chanel Jacket: Part 1: Dreaming & Scheming

Let’s pretend that I haven’t neglected my blog for months, and jump straight into my current project obsession: the Chanel Jacket.

There are a great many sources of inspiration and information that have helped fan the flames of my desire:

- There is the Go Chanel or Go Home blog, to which I hoped to become a member so that I can add my own pattern alteration experience to this archive.

- Threads Magazine issue121 from 2005, the "Inside a Chanel Jacket" article by Susan Khalje has invaluable information (I had to call Tauton press to order a back issue since they appear OOP when the quantity drops below 20). **hint** One might be able to find pics online of the article if one is clever.

- Book: Great Sewn Clothes (from Threads) - covers the Chanel jacket construction details and includes a handy diagram of a Chanel jacket pattern.

- Book: Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire B Shaeffer, has much the same info as the Threads book, but goes into greater depths about many couture techniques.

- The amazing Signe Chanel documentary…. Especially the section on the braid maker.

- The runway show archives at style.com.

- Ebay… real Chanel jackets for resale often come with great detail pictures!

- Erica Bunker’s version of the Chanel jacket comes up quickly in a google image search. Erica’s blog is my go to whenever I start a new vogue pattern because she makes many of the same pattern alterations that I do and to the same pattern size.

- Marina is the couture blogger for Burdastyle and Frabjous Couture, took an in depth Chanel Jacket sewing course with Susan Khalje and shared many details from the class on her blog.

- You know that feeling you get at a store…"I could make that for way less!” I even had that thought in the CHANEL store in Soho. I tried not to look like I was dissecting the garments while I admired the lovely trim and buttons, but you know I was.


So, of course I have launched my own Chanel jacket project.

My Chanel Jacket:
Fashion Fabric: Silk boucle from Chic Fabrics on 39th between 7th and 8th.

I think I got this fabric for $6/yard... I only spent $40 total on fabric, and the lining was pricier than the boucle. Lining Fabric: Silk jacquard lining (also from Chic Fabrics) for $10/yard. This will be a summer jacket.

Trim: I intend to make a fancy braid with threads from the boucle I will also use a selvage or bias cut fringe as a base and I bought some nifty lace weight yarn from Patons that has a bit of sequins in it to include with the braid for a touch of glitz.

Pattern: V7975, short version with no overlap.

Pattern Issue: This pattern does not have a 3 piece sleeve. I WANT a 3 piece sleeve. None of the other patterns with a 3 piece sleeve are in print. I even enlarged the diagram from the Great Sewn Clothes book and printed it out to scale to see what I could glean about the fit and attempted to redraft a sleeve for my pattern taking these details into consideration.  My obsessing about the darn sleeve is a bit of a sticking point but I really want to get going on this project.  I may just keep working on the sleeve pattern puzzle for a wool boucle winter version and stick with a 3/4 length sleeve for this summery version.

Bodice Contour Guides

Bodice Contour Guides
Originally uploaded by wzrdreams

When using a bodice sloper to create a new bodice style (example: low neck, sleeveless top) trace the sloper and draw in your new style lines. Anywhere the style lines crosses a set of contour line you will need to reduce the ease indicated by the contour lines. You do this by slashing to the bust point and closing up the excess ease between the contour lines where your style line is. There is also excess ease at the side seams which you would eliminate for close fitting bodice styles such as bustier tops.

Super Nova Scotia Wedding

Back in the beginning of September, I went to Nova Scotia for my dear friend Amber's wedding. I had an absolute BLAST. I'll just share a few of the highlights that I actually have pictures of.

There was ocean views outside of the cottage I stayed in.

There was dockside yoga every morning (including the morning of the hurricane that knocked the power out for all of the day before the wedding), a candle lit rehearsal dinner, and tipsy mid-night photo sessions on the eve of the hurricane with new friends who were totally game when I suggested that we pretend we are dead!

The highlight of the weekend was when Amber got married
and I got to wear (coughshowoffcough) this dress:

It's the dress I made specifically to wear to Amber's wedding. I am mighty thrilled with how it turned out. I would go one, but it deserves it's own post so I will go into more detail on that later.

Avacado Star

Way back in March, I received a huge compliment that came with a wicked awesome box of free yarn! Lion Brand Yarns is without a doubt one of the main reasons I am such a crafty knitter today. I was very surprised and delighted to learn that not only are paying attention to what people are doing with their yarns, but they really appreciate their customers on a personal level as well. 

So what did they send me in this awesome swag box of yarn goodness? 

1. A congratulations card with a picture of knitter on it, which lives in my cubicle at work.
2. 2 Skeins of Woolease, Navy and Burgundy - my go to yarn for gifts and for washable knits.
3. 2 Skeins of Lion Organic Cotton, Vanilla and Cypress - I think  I'll make some luxe washcloths with these.... not dishtowels mind you! For the bathroom.
4. 2 Skeins of LB Collection Pure Wool. The Lion Brand team has noticed that I like to dye yarn and as soon as I decide on a color scheme (oh the endless choices) that is going to be a fun experiment.
5. 2 Skeins of LB Collection Organic Wool, Avocado and Toffee. Toffee is not one of my favorite colors, but I think it will be fun to try to over dye it with purple and let some of the brown show through. The Avocado is a gorgeous shade of green that isn't really anything like the refrigerator we had in the 80's. It's a bright, cheery shade that looks like it belongs on a tree at the end of summer. To date, this is the only skein I've knit with from the swag box, but I have plans for the rest!

So the hat.... It's a Marsan Watchcap. I had to knit it longer than the pattern called for because the super stretchy rib would pull a shallower hat right off my head. This yarn is perfectly suited for this pattern. It makes a nice squishy rib that is dense enough to keep the wind out. I made the man size and it stretches REALLY big to accommodate even the roundest bowling ball shaped head I can find. 


Also... that cowl.... that's Lion Brand Yarn too. It's Amazing. I modified it from, wait guess..... a Lion Brand pattern! It's the Port Chester Cowl but I made the entire thing in ribbing so it would be reversible. I also used and strand of Puno alpaca instead of 2 strands of Amazing. I switched back and forth between Grey or Blue alpaca held with either Wildflowers or Arcadia. It's a stripey 2x2 rib and it's long enough to wrap double around my neck or drape down loosely.  I like the amazing yarn... I keep thinking about what else I'd like to do with it. I think it looks great held double with a solid; it mutes the color changes even further.

Brooklyn Bridge

Shot with my vintage medium format stereo-optic camera on the Brooklyn Bridge

It is not necessary to have a viewer to see these in 3D. If you can successfully view a a "magic eye" poster, you can see this. Relax your eyes and enjoy!

Burdastyle Book

Since a bunch of other people have blogged their good news I guess I can announce that I'm involved in the upcoming Burdastyle Book also. I'm actually pretty excited about it. The project required that I submit sketches and fabric swatches and gave me some limitations (and deadlines!)... which kinda makes it like being back in design school. But it's better than school work because strangers will actually be able to see my design in PRINT for years to come. That's wicked cool if you ask me and I don't mind a little ego stroking motivation.

So, I'll be making a skirt, and I'm in the muslin making stage of things as I write this. Burdastyle sent me fabric that is pretty much spot on what I had in mind for my design. I would love to show and tell more about the process of the project, but showing isn't allowed. I'll be sure to post updates when the eventual release date approaches. Wish me luck!

Beating the heat on my "balcony"

Crochet Lace Tank Front
Originally uploaded by wzrdreams

Pattern: Airy Lace Shell from LionBrand.com
Yarn: Cotton-Ease (Lake), 3 skeins

I made the size Medium, which has a 40" finished chest. That size called for 4 skeins, but I had some extra odds and ends floating around my stash and this was definitely a stash-busting project so I decided to hold off on getting a fourth skein until I knew if I actually needed it. Since I modified the front neckline to be lower than the back neckline, I was able to just squeeze this out of my 3 skeins minus the DC border along the bottom edge.

To modify the front neckline, I simply started it right after I finished the armhole decreases.

This pattern couldn't have been easier. It was well written, and it was a very quick, satisfying project. There is also a version written for the Lion Brand Collection Cotton-Bamboo, and I think versions written for Microspun and also one of their organic cottons.