Recently we made a red silk blouse with the sewing pattern Butterick B6710. Later we made a pink silk cupro silk blouse. And made of stretch silk: a white blouse from chain fabric. Silk is a very nice fabric to work with and to wear. But we do have some tips to make the sewing project easier.
A tailor's ham or dressmaker's ham is a tightly stuffed pillow used as a curved mold when ironing/pressing curved areas of clothing, such as darts, sleeves, cuffs, collars, or waistlines. Pressing on a curved form allows a garment better to fit body contours. To accommodate tapering or garments of different sizes, it has roughly the shape of a ham.
The spencer (sleeveless sweaters) and the waistcoat (sleeveless blazers) are back in fashion this fall/winter. But that's always the case because they are always ideal in changeable weather. Or are they really beloved and timeless classics? A spencer is timeless A spencer is a sleeveless sweaters and have been in fashion for so long that they either look very old-fashioned or super modern. Think of the classic check spencer. The checkered spencers are looking as old as the Middle-Ages but they are super modern as well. Especially if these retro-items are combined with modern trends. We believe spencers can be both terribly ugly and timelessly beautiful. It just depends on how you wear a spencer and how you style it. Tips:
Waistcoats Waistcoats have never really gone out of style. They have evolved over time and have often adapted in shape and length. From super short and sexy to long and casual. And let's not forget that they belong to the workwear of many, especially the yellow vests in traffic (and demonstrations!), Protection for lumberjacks and nature guides, body protectors, business clothing and evening wear. But it remains a clothing item "You either like or you either don't" ... Tips:
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Every autumn and winter, variants of the spencer and waistcoat come along with the announcement that they are super trendy again. But it is really a matter of taste whether this will be such a success or not. Would you like to make a nice waistcoat in Bouclé fabric? That is definitely recommended. Sewing pattern: Newlook 6914 Would you like to make a nice chic, modern longer waistcoat? Sewing pattern: Sewing Scandinavian style Chanel jackets or Chanel-Style jackets are usually made of Bouclé fabrics and silk linings. You have to be careful with the jacket because it is impossible to wash and dry it like your other clothes. How do you take care of Bouclé fabrics? And how do you clean it? We will help you. Cleaning Tweeds and Bouclé fabrics: Tweed is a woolen fabric used for clothing, upholstery and various types of cases and equipment. It is a tough fabric that is moisture resistant because it is closely woven, but the tight weave of the fabric can allow dirt or stains to become embedded. Care needs to be taken with cleaning techniques to keep your tweed looking its best. When in doubt, bring the tweed item to a dry cleaner for professional attention. What are you wearing underneath? Try to limit yourself to clothing made of cotton fabrics. Fabrics as polyester and synthetics can be sweaty and give off to the jackets above. A simple blouse or cotton underwear guarantees more limitation of smelly odors. Be careful with deodorants as some can easily ruin the silk lining. Treat a Bouclé jacket as a woolen outdoor-coat. Do not wash or dry clean it too often and hang it outside regularly in the fresh air (shade!). Maintaining Tweeds and Bouclé Garments: Store tweed clothing and upholstery fabric in a cool dry place. Moths are attracted to wool. Put tweed items in a cedar chest or other cool dry receptacle, where moths cannot eat them. You can also buy moth deterrents at home improvement stores. Follow the instructions on the packaging to apply it. Washing a woolen jacket: Wool is a warm and durable fabric, and a wool coat or jacket will give you years of wear if you care for it properly. It is necessary to wash a wool coat a couple of times each season, but you do need to take special care to avoid piling, shrinking, and distorting the fabric. While it may be possible to wash some wool coats in the machine, it’s usually safer to wash by hand. Another key to cleaning a wool coat is to avoid putting it in the dryer, because this will lead to shrinkage. Read the care label: You should always read a garment’s care label before washing it, because the care label will tell you exactly how to proceed. Check the care label for:
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You spent a lot of time creating your Chanel-style jacket. Therefore, spend time on maintenance. Preferably take it to the dry cleaner for a dry clean. But you can also do a lot to prevent the jacket from getting dirty or smelling like sweat. Good luck! A short jacket, a half-long jacket or a really very long jacket. You might think turning a short jacket into a long jacket is not thát difficult. Extend the fabric and you have the same jacket but then longer. But it is a bigger deal... Long coat = other function A long jacket has a completely different function. Long coats are usually meant to be worn over clothing to go outside. Hey, hey, doesn't everyone know that? That's right, but sometimes ugly mistakes are made in the sewing world. More spacious and wider Jackets are often underestimated in terms of sewing techniques. Sewing patterns are taken a little less seriously when it comes to long coats. Many seamstresses who have often made a long jacket, know that sewing a long jacket is just as meticulous work as making a short jacket. And that making a long jacket is not that simple at all. How often did we experience a long jacket is 'just not right'? Sadly, too many times. A coat or a long jacket? A coat always refers to an outer jacket. Usually it is a long classic model made of wool, loden or tweed. An outdoor jacket is more like a sporty (long) jacket made of waterproof fabrics, or a quilted jacket with a hood. In the sewing world, people talk about coats or simply: jackets. The shorter (Chanel style) jackets are often categorized with blazers or 'jackets'. Often it is confusing but follow the golden rule that coats are the outer coats and 'jackets' often the inner jackets. How to sew longer coats or jackets? Sometimes we notice that our project turned out to be a failure: the lining is incorrect, the shoulders are too wide and the jacket only fits well with a very thin t-shirt underneath. But unfortunately that was not the intention. Did we forgot about the instructions on the sewing pattern? Or are the fabrics just not suitable? We would like to point out that making a long jacket requires just as much love, knowledge and experience as making a short jacket. Maybe even more, because after all, you work with a lot of fabrics and materials. A longer jacket in Chanel style? Is that possible? Yes indeed. A long bouclé or tweed jacket with a quilted lining is heavenly and you really want to wear it all year round. So nice and warm, so comfortable! It is quite a job but the reuslt will be: a piece of pure Haute couture. Sewing patterns If you want to make a longer Chanel-Style jacket, make sure you search for 'jackets'. Not on 'coats' or 'outdoor jackets'. If you really want to make a coat out of Tweed fabric or Bouclé to wear outside and over your clothes, look for 'cloaks' or 'coats'. Please note: a nice long coat made of those fabrics is quite fragile and not durable. If you get caught on a splinter, a door handle or something else, the threads will easily tear out. A wolen coat is just as chic, slightly less 'Chanel-style' but stronger. Although this fabric is certainly not durable. And for all chic coatsmake sure to have an umbrella because the fabrics do not like rain and wind. Suitable patterns for longer Chanel-style jackets:
Beautiful long classic coats that are suitable for Tweeds, Bouclé or Loden:
Tips & Tricks:
Additional options for advanced seamstresses: If you want to make a longer jacket in 'Chanel-Style', consider quilting the lining on the outer fabric. Follow Claure Shaeffer's instructions from her book: 'The couture cardigan jacket' and you have a beautiful long Chanel jacket that wears and looks heavenly. It may be a lot of work but well worth it. Especially if you choose a Bouclé fabric that is very light or loose-fitting, sewing the lining to it is a good idea. It gives the jacket more strength and shape. In summary:
A longer Chanel-style jacket is completely different from a jacket in Bouclé or tweeds, see photo above. Both are chic, beautiful, timeless but take a little more time to make. Read carefully which recommended fabrics are on the sewing patterns. Choose the fabric ánd lining carefully, it will be the difference between a great result or a failed project. Maybe you recently started sewing face masks, or you used to sew. Cushion covers, baby clothes or maybe a skirt. You think about yourself as an absolute beginner. You would like to make all those beautiful clothes in sewing magazines, but you are hesitating.... Do not hesitate but buy a sewing pattern of a garment piece that you would like to make, and we will help you step-by-step to realize your sewing project. Superb sewing patterns An other situation: Sewing patterns always look beautiful. Usually the model on the front of the envelope, looks super slim, she is a great model and the clothes seem easy to make. If the sewing pattern is indicated as 'Easy', or it is exactly what you want, you buy it! But you have not started yet this sewing project "I will never be able to make it", you think and you regret the impulse purchase. But it will work and we help with step-by-step information. 1. Read the back of the pattern first Most sewing patterns have all the important information on the back of the envelope, which contains the pattern. The recommended fabric is indicated and the quantity you need. Stick to this advice, because if you choose a different type of fabric, it is more likely that the sewing project will fail. Tip: always buy half a meter of extra fabric. This allows you to correct mistakes such as incorrectly cut pattern parts or frayed edges that you cut or sewed too narrow. Moreover, it is useful to always keep a piece of extra fabric in any case in case your jacket breaks or a cup of coffee goes over it while wearing it. Furthermore, the desired sewing level is often indicated on the envelop. Keep this in mind because as a beginner it is really not advisable to make a garment that requires a lot more sewing experience. If you are in a sewing class or you follow a workshop, you have a helping hand. But if this is not the case: stick to your sewing level and do not overestimate your experience. Notions are also mentioned on the back of the envelope. You may need a zipper, buttons, an eye-hook closure and extra interfacings to reinforce collars and front panels. 2. The instructions of a sewing pattern The envelope contains the sewing pattern itself and the work description/instructions. The work description usually consists of 2 to 3 large sheets. Take a look at the instructions before you start cutting. You may feel like cutting out the pattern parts immediately, but it really pays off if you look at the work description first. If the sewing pattern is a multi-pattern, for example a jacket consisting of two models, or a skirt, pants and blouse as a total outfit, then each model has a letter. For example, if you only want to make jacket A, you can see below the drawing which pattern parts you need. Please check carefully, on the 'body measurements' which size suits you best. Below this chapter, there is an explanation of the symbols on the sewing pattern and the work description sheets. Read this also carefully. For example, how is the right side (outside) and wrong side (= inside) of the fabric indicated? And how can you see the grainline? This is indicated on the sewing pattern part with an arrow. Always align the arrow with the thread direction of the fabric. Examples of how to place the cut out sewing pattern parts on the fabric are also important. This is also handy to check if youdid not missed any pattern parts and especially how to do this most conveniently. . Do not forget that 'cutting' is a specialty and at the Haute couture fashion houses the couturiers put their scissors in very expensive fabrics. They don't just do this. The pattern parts are carefully placed on the fabric and cut out. The cutting schemes on sewing patterns for the consumer market are usually devised by a computer with a calculation program. Sometimes it may seem very unfavorable, but the thread direction is ALWAYS dominating and it is always correct. Let's start!
Apart from the descriptions of terms and extra sewing instructions, the sewing instructions now follow each pattern part. When in doubt, take a look back at the definitions and always keep the paper at hand. You have already cut out the pattern parts from the paper and onto the fabric. You have already copied all the important points, stars and arrows on the fabric by means of pins or chalk. But it could still be that you missed a symbol ... Tip: Wait a while before neatly folding the pattern up again and putting it back in the envelope, but keep it handy. Your review: The garment is ready and your sewing project is complete. If you have taken it all step-by-step, you have probably succeeded in making a beautiful, fitting piece of clothing! Tip: Process your notes and any comments and remarks on an A4 piece and put them in the sewing pattern. You can also make notes with pencil on the sewing pattern. Either way, should you ever use the sewing pattern again, you will have notes that you might have forgotten otherwise. For example: the sleeves are a bit too tinarrow. Or: the fabric turned out to be too 'loose' and the jacket therefore looked a bit sloppy. Now you know that next time you will have to adjust the sleeves slightly and go for a slightly stiffer fabric. More info: A Chanel-style jacket made from fabric leftovers? Yes, that's possible. Even though the remnants are really very small. With a little more than a meter of fabric (in total!) you can create the small jacket. Read our instructions and tips in this blog. Fabric leftovers and sustainability We do not like waste fabrics. We have often come up with ideas to do something with fabric leftovers. We have also already talked about patchwork. Sewing pieces of fabric together to finally make something beautiful out of the 'patchwork blanket' is a great trend! Above all, it shows that you are carefull with raw materials (and the environment), you do not like to waste fabrics and are very creative! And now you atre creating a really chic 'Chanel-Style' jacket from fabric leftovers. Like this jacket! Sewing pattern with princess lines We have opted for a sewing pattern with princess lines. We had found a sewing pattern ourselves in the old 'Thuismode' workshops. This jacket is short, has princess lines and requires none lining. Ideal for our project. Alternatives: Make sure the sewing pattern contains these elements:
This allows you to work with small pieces of fabric to create the chic little jacket. Our Chanel-style 'remnants' jacket We used Bouclé fabric leftovers which all match in terms of color and consistency. The fabric should not be too firm, neither too loose. We made the back pieces of gray bouclé fabric and the fabric we liked the most: the large pattern parts of the sleeves and the middle back part. We made the front panels from the fabric that we liked the most and we had two remnants left for the smaller parts of the sleeves. The fringes are made of the front panel fabric and we have made long thin fringes. Because the jacket is not lined, we finished the bottom, sleeves and front panel with a bias band (on the inside) and the fringes on the outside. If you have less fabric, you can also choose to leave the front panels open. This always goes well with a Chanel-style jackets and makes the fringes look even better. We did not use facings or interfacings. Because we did not use a lining, the jacket is extra warm but also vulnerable. Pay close attention to this when wearing the jacket and especially what you wear underneath. A t-shirt prevents damage; a blouse can sometimes pull threads of the bouclé fabric through the buttons and cuffs. Conclusion:
You can do a lot with fabric leftovers. Mix the fabrics and feel free to make something unique. It's nice when the colors match well, in our case: blue, gray, red and pink, but feel free to go bold(er). Keep this rule in mind: make sure that the fabrics match together in terms of structure and composition. (A pied-de-poule fabric or a checkered fabric would be too much of a good thing ...) If you 'style' the jacket with plain pants, skirt and a simple white shirt underneath; then a 'color shock' is very chique and modern. Do you still have some fabric leftovers? Create a clutch (see our green clutch) or make some extra fringes. The thicker and longer the fringes, the more beautiful and the more 'Chanel style'! Good luck! |
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