 Do you prefer to wear a nice, silk blouse under a Chanel-style jacket? A blouse that fits comfortably, has something extra and is also nice to wear with the jacket over your shoulders. The Butterick B6710 is a great blouse, with or without a nice bow and quite easy to create. Butterick B6710 The Butterick B6710 sewing pattern is a pattern for a blouse in three variations. You can wear the bow around your neck, you can wear the bow crossed and loose or you can skip the bow completely. The model has a tailored fit but is comfortable and also quite casual. The sleeves also offer variations: with a ruffle, with a nice cuff or just with an elastic band. The blouse closes with buttonholes and buttons. Which fabric do you need to use? The recommended fabrics are: Crepe de Chine, Charmeuse, Double georgette and silk. (We made the blouse in dark red silk and we liked it. The fabric came from a thrift store and was sold as 'table silk' for only three euros. A wonderful find and a great idea for recycling and upcycling! ) Crepe de Chine is also a pleasure to work with. Charmeuse is less suitable for the novice seamstress. This fabric does not fold nicely, cuts nicely and is not pleasant to sew. If you want to find an alternative to the (expensive) Crepe de Chine or silk: make sure the fabric is a flexibel fabric. In our opinion, viscose and chiffon can also be used for this blouse.  Sewing level: 'easy' The sewing pattern is suitable for the novice seamstress. We agree with it. The sewing pattern has no pitfalls or difficulties. Practice beforehand on a test piece for the buttonholes. Incorrectly sewn buttonholes in lightweight fabrics such as silk are difficult to mend. An alternative would be press studs instead of buttonholes. Pros:
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 Summarized:
Butterick 6710 is an easy sewing pattern for a classic, silk blouse. This blouse looks great under a 'Chanel-style' jacket because the bow makes the - often collarless - jacket even more beautiful and classic. The blouse can also be worn casually over jeans or pleated trousers, for example. The instructions are very comprehensive and clear. This sewing pattern is recommended to use often. You can also vary enough with the pattern.  We have found a sewing pattern for a Chanel-Style jacket that is quite simple for anyone to create. Not only quite simple and easy, but it might be possible 'to sew the jacket in one day'. The Mc Calls 8540! A great pattern for a 'Chanel-Style' jacket in one day (our opinion). Mc Calls 8540 The Mc Calls sewing pattern is a pattern for several jackets and blouses. There is even a variation in a lined jacket and an unlined jacket. The jacket has a front closure with buttons. The collar can be low or upright/upstanding. We have chosen model B. A simple sewing pattern for a Chanel-Style jacket that you could make in one day. Which fabric is this sewing pattern suitable for? The recommended fabrics are: soft cotton or cotton blends. Chalis (Rayon), Crepe, silk, jersey, woven cotton, lace or knitted fabrics. Note: the recommended fabrics are not indicated per model. We assume that for model B (and A), only the non-stretch fabrics apply. The stretch fabrics will most likely apply to the blouse / shirt. Stretchy fabrics would make the jacket way too big. In our view, the model is not suitable for this.  Sewing level: 'easy' The pattern is suitable for the novice seamstress. Indeed, we think that the pattern of the jacket and blouse are 'easy to sew'. The jacket has no pitfalls or difficulties. Pros:
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As a solution to the downsides, we have added pleats in the jacket. This makes the jacket much nicer in shape. If you are a novice seamstress, ask for help with pleating, or use a sewing mannequin. You can also decorate the sleeves by making an extra edge with buttons. (See last photo). We have used thick wool fabrics. This is a great fabric for this sewing pattern. Simply finish with width trims for the edges and yes: a 'Chanel-Style' jacket in one day!         Summarized:
Mc Calls 8045 is an easy pattern to make a classic 'Chanel style' jacket. The instructions are very comprehensive and clear. The jacket is ideal for making beautiful woolen fabrics (woolen tweed, bouclé), making variations in edges (width trims!). And using beautiful buttons. Try to create folds/pleats in the jacket: waist and 'shape' it to your own shape! (See the difference between photo 3 and 8)  This blog is not about a review of a sewing pattern for a Chanel-Style jacket, but this review is about a pattern for a classic, long coat. The Burda 6462! A great pattern for a timeless fashion item. Burda 6462 The Burda sewing pattern is a loose-fitting, lined coat. The top collar offers two variations, for example, fur, fleece or another contrasting fabric. There are also two variations in lengths: Model A. is a real classic long coat. Model B is a casual midi-length jacket. The jacket closes easily with three buttons and the model offers a variety of pockets: patch pockets or welt pockets.  Sewing level: average The pattern is suitable for the average seamstress. We think the sewing pattern of the jacket is easy to sew, but the welt pockets are probably the reason an 'average sewing level' has been advised. The jacket has no pitfalls or difficulties. The jacket is intended for the fabrics: wool, loden or Bouclé. In terms of Bouclé fabric, we recommend: How to sew Bouclé fabrics. Working with thicker fabrics is a bit difficult and it does require precise work. Perhaps also for this reason that the sewing level is set to average. Pros:
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 Summarized: Burda 6462 is a beautiful and easy pattern for a classic long coat. The instructions are very comprehensive and clear. Note: with Burda patterns always cut 1.5 cm seam! The coat is ideal for making beautiful Tweeds and Bouclé fabrics. If you want to give it a Chanel style or Haute couture touch, make the jacket from Bouclé fabric and sew the lining to the outer fabric, as explained in Claire Schaeffer's sewing techniques. It will be a bit of a puzzle, especially at the collar, but for an advanced seamstress this is certainly possible. And make darts in the coat: 'shape' it to your own style!   It is not a secret that Coco Chanel did not like 'prints'. At most a 'Breton stripe', but nothing more than that. According to Chanel, chic was mainly austerity in the design of the fabrics. Except for the tweeds and bouclé fabrics, these were luxurious and 'colorful' enough. Either you love it or you hate it Who likes prints? Most people love it. From tropical flowers to a 'tiger print', it can't be colorful enough. Especially in the summer we are crazy about to prints. It makes us happy and it looks great as a blouse or summer dress. But read Ines de la Fressange's books and one thing becomes very clear: prints are NOT DONE! According to her, you will not easily find a real Parissiéne dressed with 'a print'. The Parisian style is more about the monotonous colors, the creative combinations of trés-chic and elegance of the timeless classics.  Chanel style jackets and prints If we want to look stylish but occasionally deviate from the 'rules', then combining a Chanel-style jacket (self-made of course!) With a print underneath is definitely a nice idea. Who says that this can't look be chic and casual at the same time? Bouclé and tweeds, but also summer tweeds, are often very busy in terms of appearance. The fabrics are woven and there is always a beautiful mix of colors and sometimes even patterns. A blouse with a printed design underneath can easily come across as very 'busy' and a bit cheap. Fringes, edges and prints? Apart from that, the Chanel style is often characterized by a lot of fringes, beautifully finished trims and two or even four pockets stitched on the jacket. They should of course be the eye-catchers of your outfit. Taking all this into account, we would like to point out that a printed blouse, t-shirt or even pants, under a Chanel jacket, is fine if you observe the following rules:
Prints will never go out of style and occasionally combining with them may not be 'Paris' chic, but again not as 'not-done' as suggested in many style books and guides on Chanel couture and Parisian style. We love prints ... occasionally.  |
Sewing Chanel-Style is all about sharing information, sewing pattern-reviews, book-reviews and lots of sewing guides for sewing-beginners and advanced seamstress.
Marga van der Vet
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