French Jacket

Couture Sewing at its Best



 

 

 

Several years ago I had the honor and privilege to be able to take a French Jacket class with Susan Khalje.  My family was perplexed that I would be taking a sewing class, especially one in another state that lasted five days.  They had the mistaken idea that I already knew all there was to know about sewing.  Boy were they wrong.  The more classes I take, the more I learn how terribly much I don't know.

 

The class was phenomenal.  I bought my fabric, a Chanel fabric, from Helen Haughey.  Aside for the fact that it was extremely susceptible to raveling, it was very easy with which to work.

 

We started the class by showing up the night before with our muslins marked and put together, and Susan did a first round of fitting.  From there we fit and refit until we got it perfect.  At that point we cut the muslin out on the actual sewing line, placed it on the fashion fabric and thread traced it.  When we cut it out, we included a minimum 0ne-inch seam allowances. 

 

The lining was quilted to the fashion fabric, hand tying the threads between the fashion fabric and the lining fabric.  Tedious, but beautiful in the end.

 

Once the jacket was together, sleeves and linings, we added the infamous "Chanel" braid trim.  And, of course, finished with the chain along the hem.

 

I was so inspired by this class, that it led me to take several more of her classes, and I am not finished yet. 

I then made a blouse to match the lining.  And the blouse is made 100 % by hand.  No sewing machine on this one!