Today I am sharing a bit of the process it took to make my Chanel inspired Little Black jacket.
I used the pattern block I made for Gigi to make the jacket pattern. I added some width on the side to make it roomy enough to fit a blouse under and a button placket on the left side. There are no collars on Chanel jackets so that part was easy. I used the basic sleeve pattern I drafted too.
Chanel jackets are made from soft and loosely woven boucle fabric. To give the jacket body without adding cheap iron on interfacings or stiff innerlinings like horsehair canvas, Chanel jackets have a lining quilted to the body fabric like above. You have to leave enough space at the bottom and the side seams because the lining is folded under and hand stitched into the jacket using a fell stitch.
Can you see here how the lining is just folded under and stitched in place? It seems so simple but this is a method often used in couture sewing. The entire lining is hand stitched.
I really messed up on my buttonholes!
Patch pockets are lined, then attached by hand with a fell stitch. Then the fringe trim is sewed on.
This is an example of a perfect fell stitch, used often in couture sewing. My stitch is a lot messier than this!
Once the jacket is complete minus buttonholes, the trim is then added. I made this fringe trim and sewed a stay stitch with about 1/2 inch allowance on both edges. Then I unravelled the threads to get the fringe look. It only unravels as far as the stay stitch line.
There are lots of other details used on Chanel jackets, like chains sewn inside to give weight to the coat, hand sewn buttonholes and two piece vented sleeves, but that would all be wasted on my three year old who went in this suit and tried to climb a tree with her brother after the photoshoot was over!
Well, I am tired of this type of sewing…. It is so detail oriented. Although I appreciate this type of work, it’s not something I like to do too often except for special occasions.
I am excited for this week’s white sheet challenge where I can get my hands dirty and just see what happens!
Wow! You did a really good job on it. I really want to try something like this for myself. Thanks for sharing how you did it (^_^)
This is a beautiful jacket!
What a beautiful jacket for your adorable daughter.. Great job.
This turned out so nice. I can see where all the details would be extremely time consuming. I like the buttons you used. That is always so challenging to me, to find the best coordinating button.
I absolutely love that you used couture techniques on this little jacket, thanks for posting about it.
There’s no crying in Haute Couture! Bare your canines and claws and get your roar on! Let’s see that KILL face!
Did that pep talk pep you up? Well I’m psyched! GRRRRR!!!
OK, plain white sheet…blank canvas…got an idea, I will email it to ya. Don’t want some broad hacking it for her project. KILL FACE!! Haute Couture is a cutthroat world. That is what The Devil Wears Prada has taught me…
So pretty jacket! Thanks for posting the couture techniques
Cute, lovely, fabulous! This is just amazing! You did a very good job on this adorable jacket. I’m also impressed with the very detailed sewing you did there. I wonder if I could make something like this with my sewing machine.
THAT is absolutely the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen!
Thanks Lynne!
I LOVED that jacket!! Thanks for showing how you did it. That is amazing:)
you put a lot of time & effort into this & it shows ~ now you can add the knowledge of how to sew a Channel jacket to your repetoire 🙂
that is adorable!!