Chanel Jacket FINALLY done!!!!!

I have been literally working on this Chanel jacket for over 1.5 years. I intend on making three of them. This first one was the trial one where I can make all of my mistakes. I did a lot of hand sewing. The organza selvage strips used to reinforce all of the folds and edges all hand stitched. The seams of the lining all hand stitched. The double layer of the trims ribbon and top trim all hand stitched.
A few of the jacket seams were machine stitched as well as the quilting of the lining was done by machine. 
The fitting of the muslin was a real labor of love. You would think it would have been easy as it is a boxy jacket and I have a boxy build, but it was not. I have very horizontal shoulders way more than the pattern allows.
Over all I did enjoy the process very much. I used the Craftsy class "The Iconic Tweed Jacket" as my teacher and used the Vogue pattern 7975 as my basis for the jacket. The fabric I used was a type of synthetic tweed wool blend. The lining was polyester. I have to say that polyester had a mind of its own and was a beast to work with.  I will use silk for the lining next time so much easier to work with I think.I am going over to Visible Monday on her new website hosting page see ya there.

There is progress on the Chanel Jacket

I have made progress on the Chanel Jacket. I have it all sewn together the chain is stitched onto the hem. I am now painstakingly

sewing the ribbon trim and then the braid on top.You can see the navy ribbon peaking out on the sides of the trim. This is to make the braid pop. The buttonholes will be added after the trim is place on the jacket. The jacket has been a labor of love but I will be making another one with better fabric the next go around.

I wanted to mention Craftsy because that is the online sewing service I have been using to guide me through this jacket. The class is called the Iconic Tweed Jacket. I do recommend this class it is well presented and the video are great because you can watch them repeatedly if needed.
So my blogger friends that sew what are you working on?
Here are some examples of real Chanel jackets that I found on line.

 The one on the right uses the rough edges as a trim

Hope you enjoyed looking at the real deal.

Channel Jacket Project--- very long post warning!

About a year ago I decided I wanted a Tweed Boucle Channel style jacket and started to think about how to accomplish this project. Clarie Shaffer has a whole book dedicated to this couture made jacket. At that time I became aware of  Craftsy classes on line. I took advantage of a holiday sale and got two of them on sale; The Iconic Tweed Jacket and Jacket Fitting Techniques. One was on pattern fitting for jackets and the other was making a cardigan jacket -Channel jacket. I decided to use the Vogue Pattern that the Craftsy class uses Vogue 7975. Mine will be view E a longer jacket with buttons.

Vogue 7975 /view E

There are many patterns out there with this cardigan jacket in mind here are a few that I found a while back. Some have some very couture details and some are much simpler. I am not a couture sewer but can do some of the techniques.
Whenever I take on a big project I want to do it correctly and I don't worry how long it will take me to finish the project. 

Some fitting issues I needed to fix

during the fitting process

Before I sew anything I make a test garment called a muslin some people call it a toile. In order to do this you must cut the tissue pattern out of fabric and sew it together discover how your body differs than the pattern make the adjustments and cut a new toile until you get a great fit. It is difficult to do this on yourself and very time consuming. I decided to use my dress form and duck tape. Yes you can duck tape yourself and create a shell that can then be placed on a dress form and with a bit of stuffing voila you have an exact replica of your body. This took time for the class to come and for the form to be finished but I did get a good fit using this method. I also bought the fitting series DVD by Kenneth D. King called Smart Fitting.  It is a interesting CD but not for beginners.
I had bought my fabric a few years ago when it was on sale and I got another recently on sale. Both are synthetics and cheaper than the Linton tweeds that is popular for this jacket.
After all of this time which is six months ago I finally have my fabric and lining cut out. I am making a version with buttons and trim that goes around the neckline down the front and along the hemline. the edge of the sleeves with have it too. I am making a two piece sleeve but without the button vent. I decided that I didnt want that much fussiness in my first jacket.
The trim ideas are many and I have so many ideas but think I have setting on an easy but nice version.

I am using the wrong nubby side as my right side

Here are the pictures of my pieces cut out.
 Have you ever done a project that took much time to plan and execute. I love the process so I don't mind the length of time to complete this project. Tomorrow I will post about my trim options.