Finished! And things I've Learned

A few days ago I picked up this nice chain from a craft fair in Brisbane.  I bought some in black also to compare when I got home.   But what's the point in having a chain when it's invisible?  There's a lot to think about for just a simple chain, eg 1) what's it made of?  You don't want rusty tarnishing junk.  2) How thick would you like the rings?  3)  Hmmmm what chain pattern?  There are ring style loops, square loops, even loops that have a slight stamped pattern on them.  What fabulous fun choosing!

Ages ago I purchased a Chanel product and kept the wrapping ribbon.  So I cut off one section and sewed it on with a pick stitch.  No, it's not illegal to do because trademark infringement legislation applies to commercially sold goods.

And the finished product:

This jacket has been an absolute delight to sew and  I'm going to make another 2!  One with the left over fabric and then with a Linton Tweed.  The boucle was a dream to handle and very forgiving.  You can sew wonky seams and no one will know what lurks deep beneath that pile!  Things I learned:

• If you're using a tried and true muslin, forget the 2" seam allowances.  It's a waste and nuisance handling, however
• Notwithstanding the above, add slightly more seam allowance where ease is needed eg under armhole and across the shoulders.   This is for shrinkage, and yes it did happen to me, but only very slightly.  Some sewers think quilting does it, but I suspect in my case the fabric's bulk caused it.  So next time I'll add another 2/8" sa onto the standard 5/8" only in areas needing greater ease. 
• No more hand sewing the armhole lining together separately.  In future I'll treat the sleeve as one piece by sewing the whole thing directly to the bodice, then bind the armhole. (Refer below's technique)
• Finally although it's been fun, next time I'll be doing it "the cheat's way" as shown in Threads magazine issue #128, "Shortcuts to a Designer Jacket".  This is where all the seams are sewn by machine first.  Then the lining is bagged out.  Lastly the quilting is sewn.  So stay tuned when this adventure starts in about April 2012.  Bye for now.

Making & Attaching Trim

Basically the fabric is made from these 3 yarns in different warp & weft repeats:

So I made the trim by cutting a 3"strip of the fabric and slowly stripping the yarns away from both sides until a pleasing width appeared, realising it was to be halved in lengthways to provide a double pile.   Then sewed it wrong sides together with a long narrow zig-zag stitch:

Yes, it would have been easier and faster to overlock a strip and slap on a ribbon to hide the overlocking.  However this method had 2 advantages:  1)  Thicker fringing better disguised the button  loops underneath, and  2)  It gave a more luxurious look of abundance.

So, this is all there will be for the famous trim.   It may not be exciting, but it somehow feels just perfect the way it is.   My next attempt (starting about May 2012) one will have a 3-layer purchased trim that will really JUMP out to emphasise those classic Chanel lines.

Finish Lining & add Closures

Hand sewing the lining to the fabric was stalled because the closures had to be inserted first and I didn't know what to use.  At first, I wanted something glamorous like crystal ball buttons.  But on second thought they would have added bubbles of bulk underneath.  No good.  Better stick to something very flat, which was pretty much boring flat shankless plastic buttons.  Their loops were made from pulling six thicker yarns from the fabric and platting them.  Here's what will be used:

Good.  Now they're attached, I finally could finish the whole lining.  Check out the secret tag sewn into the cf!  

Sleeves Are Set

Thanks to my fitting friend's help, the sleeves are set in.  There was too much sa (again) to get an accurate fit.  So I trimmed it as much as possible, basted them both in and did a bit of housework to check movement.  Very tight fit, but not impossibly restrictive.   I was going to insert sleeve heads, but there's simply no room at all.

Left one's perfect!  The right one is a bit larger and puffier.  Strange, because these things are supposed to be cut identically. Check them out:

The fabric was very easy to manipulate when easing the sleeve cap.  No heat and steaming over a ham needed.  It just squashed into position.  I'm continually discovering the beauty of loose weave boucle.  It's forgiving and compliant in many ways.  HOWEVER fell stitching the sleeve lining into place was a headache.  How do people do this!  You have to match convex and concave curves whilst on the bias all on a slippery fabric.  I have butchered the job and am too embarrassed to post a pic of it.  OMG never again.  Suddenly, binding the armhole seams far more desirable even though it doesn't look anywhere near as nice.   Never mind, because it does not detract from the outside.   Next job is finishing the neck, cf and hem.

Muslin Fit and Stitching Lining Seams

The muslin needed a little adjustment, but not as much to need a 2"seam allowance.  In fact, not even a 1"sa.  It needed taking only 8mm at the hips and 1cm at the waist, so there was a lot of trimming to do.  Having such massive seam allowances was a hindrance because it was difficult to fine tune the garment with so much bulk.  Their added weight also dragged the seams into vertical flat lines, belling their true curves.

Anyway, onto fell stitch the silk lining.  I started off with poly thread.  Big mistake.  It was like passing passing a ship's rope through a butterfly's wings.   See the horrible lumpy raised result?  My clumsy hand sewing doesn't need more handicap.  I realised it needed a pure silk thread.  Another trip to the fabric store.  I may as well just set up home there.

Quilting the pieces and one trick

The quilting is going ok despite every needle size and type I try pulling the silk lining occasionally.  Never mind because it's easy to gently stretch it back into position with no evidence. 

Instead of pulling the lining and outer fabric apart to tie-off and bury the tails, here's a better tip.  If your machine has a "knot on/knot off" function, engage it at the beginning and end of each line.  Then pull the lining's tail through to the outer side and snip them both off at the height of your fabric pile's height.  Like so ...

So beautifully neat, but it only works on fabric with some degree of pile.

The Silk Lining

To keep tradition, it will have a pure silk lining which I've never sewn before.  OMG it's slippery to the point where I had to sticky tape it to the timber loungeroom floor so it wouldn't move.  Very good idea also because the boards are perfectly lined and paralell to help with keeping the selvedge & grain straight. 

So we're supposed to thread trace the seamlines, huh?  Well after 10 minutes of that, realised it wasn't going to happen at all.  It was back breaking, shifting everywhere despite being pinned, making it inaccurate.  So I'm throwing this tradition away and got out a crude marking pencil.  It's a chinograph, and has a waxy chalky texture and will probably be horrible to remove later.  But look at this comparison between the thread and penncil marking with regards to accuracy:

Fabric & Marking

Here's the fabric.  It's a polyester which I don't like, but it was perfect in every other way.  This will be a small problem when easing the sleeve cap because unlike like wool, poly just doesn't like to mesh together as much when easing.

I just love the way small peices of black ribbon glint - very classy!  Also, because they're in the warp and weft, it makes a subtle grid making it easy to recognise grain line.

Getting Started

After reading Thread’s issue 121 I’ve been dreaming of sewing a Chanel style jacket but been too scared to because my sewing skills are pretty poor.  I just go by instinct and guess work.  A sewing friend said she thinks I’m jumping in the deep end  – however she also said, “but with those extra wide seam allowances, you really can’t go wrong”.  Well we’ll see about that.  Here’s the pattern and muslin that sewed up quite ok, even though it’s designed for polar fleece:

I converted the sleeve to 2 peice and brought the neckline up to a high round.  It has an armhole princess which is probably not the best for an beginner.  I should have chosen a shoulder princess, but didn't want to buy another pattern.  As you can see, it will need minor adjustments.