Saturday, January 15, 2011

Look What Happened When You go To Quilt Retreat!!

This story begins with me at my quilt retreat last November. The seating arraignment put me next to Ellen Polenske. Ellen is more of a seamstress/garmentmaker than quilter and does beautiful work especially childrens clothing. She was working on a pink Chanel jacket for her 6 year old niece. I of course was drawn to the pink and inquired as to what she was making. She explained and showed me the Threads Magazine and her couture sewing manuals about Coco Chanel and couturewear and I was sucked into the Chanel jacket aura!! I had a flashback from when I was a high school senior at Appleton East in Mrs. Goolsbey's sewing class when I made a wool lined plaid jacket with pad stitching and bound buttonholes. I had another flashback of me at UW Stout when I was going to be a fashion designer when I grew up and before I knew about quilting. I took tailoring and draping class and did a lot of gament construction. I was also attacted to the pink color of the tweed of Ellen's jacket. I realized the Chanel jacket was a classic item which I could wear many years if I were to make one and it would be versatile enough to wear with dressy clothes or with jeans. I picked pink fabric since pink is a neutral for me!!!! I went to a few Chanel sewing blogs and learned about appropriate fabrics (boucle) and all the fancy trims that  make the jacket Chanel-like. There is also a row of metal chain across the inside hemline to weigh down the jacket so it hangs nicely. So in the photo there is the start of the jacket front construction, a sample of the lining, the metallic trim which will go around the neck and front edges, the hem and the top of the pockets. Then I will use the darker pink fringy selvage edge and add the trim I bought to conplete the decorative trim. I'm not used to the 5/8" seams and using these fabrics and measuring the grain line but it is making me think outside the quilting box and I am remembering how to construct garments. Keep you posted!!

1 comment:

  1. Oh my! Bravo!!! I'm looking forward to the next Chanel installment. Your lining fabric is fabulous. I can't wait to see the trim detail in person. I hope you have fun with this CJ project.

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