Chanel Jacket - Launch

2 years ago about this time of year I flew off to Palm Springs Ca. for my class with Claire Shaeffer.  I knew when I took that class that I had the perfect piece of fabric in my stash for practicing these new skills.

I am just now getting to that project... 

The Pattern Vogue 8804 by Claire Shaeffer

The advantage this pattern has is the traditional 3 piece sleeve and of course Claire's extensive directions.

 My fabric, a loosely woven silk purchased from Sawyer Brook and lined with 16mm silk charmeuse. I took an additional mini class from Claire during ASDP's 2015 Convention and she showed me a technique of moving the princess seam and moving the bust shaping by shrinking and manipulating to create a seamless look.  A technique heavily employed by the house of Chanel in their classic jackets.  If you look closely at the above picture you can see the seam at the bottom but it disappears as it goes above the waist.  The portion of the seam that is showing will be covered by my pockets, causing the front to look as if it is made from one piece of cloth, not two:)  

Now we can see the lining I chose, the trim I am thinking of using and a start of a buttonhole.  After trying black and green buttonhole twist this tan disappears the most, so I am pleased with that.  The trim is a combination of fringing the silk, a black braid I had in my stash and the matt side of the lining.

Of course all of this progress came after creating a muslin of the jacket, altering it for fit, and marking the pattern pieces onto the silk weave with a basting stitch.  

To learn more about making a Chanel Jacket for yourself be sure to check out Claire's book " The Couture Cardigan Jacket" which includes a step-by-step DVD