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I
n the list of iconic fashion garments, there are a few classics th
are included without fail: the little black dress, the crisp white
the belted trench coat, and the classic French cardigan jacket.
they share is an uncomplicated elegance and a clever marriag
fabric, fit, and design. But in none of these garments is the parship more splendid than in the cardigan jacket. With the adde
element of sewing techniques that brilliantly bring the design to l
no wonder the term classic so aptly applies.
Ive always been a devotee of haute couture sewing, starting way
back when my grandmother was a client at New Yorks couture sa
Chez Cez et Bez. When a wrist injury cut short my career as a clas
pianist, I applied for a job almost on a lark at Chez
et Bez. o my amazement, I was hired to train with
most talented designers and seamstresses, and at t
salon, I was able to poke around in boxes of fantas
garments from various couture houses. Packages f
Chanel were my favoriteswhen I inspected the g
ments seams or oh-so-carefully peeked inside a lin
was amazed by the fine, ingenious handiwork.
In the following pages, I will show you how to sew
four key features of a classic cardigan jacketquilt
rows of stitches that anchor the soft boucl fashio
fabric to a slinky lining; hand-finished seams that p
vide hidden strength and support; a hard-working
decorative chain weight at the hem; and bold trim
buttons for design interest and stability. Tere real
nothing like a classic French cardigan jacket, and e
woman deserves to have the simple style, luxury, a
ter comfort of this unique garment in her wardrob
Susan Khalje (SusanKhalje.com) is a couturier and c
ture sewing teacher, host of DIY.nets Sew Much Mor
Treadsnewest contributing editor.
Luxury must remain almost invi
Inside a
Designer JackeSubtle quilting, hand-
finished seams, a chain
weight hem, and fine
trims are hallmarks of
this classic garment
B Y S U S A N K H A L J E ( F R O M I S S U E # 1 2 1 )
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Quiltthe fashion fabricdirectly to the lining
Soft, drapey wool boucls are typical of a cardiganjacket. Theyre backed by a charmeuse or crepe
de Chine lining and supported by machine quilting
The effect is soft, with just the right amount of
underlying structure.
1.Fit a muslin, then use the muslin pieces as yourpattern.When you are pleased with the fit, rip outall stitches and press the pieces flat. To help align themuslin pieces along the lengthwise and crosswisegrain of your fabric, cut off the seam allowances, anddraw grainlines that extend to the seamlines on eachpiece. Lay out your wool in a single layer, then carefu
position your full set of muslin pattern pieces (leftand right fronts, left and right sleeves, etc.) along thefabrics grains. Using a double length of contrast threbaste around each muslin piece to clearly identify yoseamlines and hemlines, then cut out with at least atwo-inch seam allowance.
c o n t i n u ebut it must be feltCoco Chanel
Jacket
provided by
Chanel USA,
from the Fall
2005-2006
collection.
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2. Layer the lining and fabricpiece, then quilt vertical linesabout one inch apart.Placethe charmeuse wrong side up
on a flat surface, then placethe cut fabric pieces right sideup on top, making sure thegrainlines are perfectly aligned.Cut the charmeuse roughly inthe same shape as each fabricpiece (no need to be precise
yet), then mark the quiltinglines with pins spaced one inchapart. Machine-quilt along thepinned lines using a walkingfoot, on 3mm stitch length, andholding the fabric taut as yousew. Stitch all quilt lines in the
same direction, and start andstop one inch from seamlines,and two inches from hemlines.To keep the lines straight, youmay not be able to extendthem all the way to the top of
the jackets side panels.
3.Tie off the thread endsbetween the layers.As
you quilt, dont back-tack ateither end; this looks messyand can distort the fabrics.Instead, pull up each pair of
threads between the wool andcharmeuse layers and knotthem securely with jewelersknot (tied around a pin at left).
Clip the thread ends downto 12inch.
Hand-finishthe lining seams
Hand-finished seams provide a card
jacket with hidden strength. Sewin
hand also allows better control of t
slippery fabrics. I call this the woolmammoth stagethe wide seam
ances are frayed.
1.Machine-baste the pieces along thetraced lines, but dont catch the liniPin the fabric pieces together along thand-basted seamlines. Use a walkinand a long stitch length (I used 5mm
join the fabric pieces, and hold or pincharmeuse out of the way as you stitTry on the garment to evaluate the fiwhen satisfied, stitch the seams for r
Remove any stray basting lines.
2. Press the seam allowances open, thtrim.Using a sleeve board to isolate seam, press the seam allowances opethem down to about 34inch (leave asas you can to strengthen the seamlinmake sure the seam allowances will the nearest line of quilting). Press theallowances open again.
Quilt the fashion fabriccontinued
2
Extra-wide seam allowances are a must
The loosely woven boucl frays considerably during the
construction process. Wide allowances also allow for any
pulling up of the fabric during quilting. And because the
armholes of cardigan jackets are typically high and tight, this
extra fabric provides more opportunities for fit adjustments.
tip
3
Fell stitches secure all seamsof the fluid lining fabric.
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21
3. Overlap the lining layers, using pins totransfer the seamline.Gently smooth oneof the charmeuse seam allowances overthe garment seamline (do not pull or tug
it, though, and make sure the grain doesntshift), then pin along the seamline asshown at right. Start and stop pinning oneinch from seamlines and two inches fromhemlines. Trim that seam allowance of thecharmeuse down to about 34inch. Overlapthe other charmeuse seam allowance, andlightly press over the pins. The pin headscreate indentations in the charmeuse,indicating the seamline. Trim this seamallowance as well, 34inch from indentations.
4. Fold the upper layer of lining in place,then secure with fell stitches.Fold underthe charmeuse along the indentation andpin in place. Gently press to create a sharpfoldline, which will be easier to sew. Lift
the garment off the sleeve board andsecure with a fell stitch, catching thewool underneath.
5. Set the sleeve by hand and finish theneck and center front.Place the garmenton a dressform and pin the sleeve in place.
The sleeves are then easiest to sew in byhandthe all-important grainlines can beperfectly positioned and controlled, andany extra fullness in the cap area is easy todistribute. Staystitch the fashion fabricsneckline and center front, then trim, clip,and turn the seam allowance to the inside.Trim, clip, and turn the lining (cheatingthe lining about 18inch to the inside), thensecure it to the fashion fabric with small,tight fell stitches.
4
5
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Apply a specialtrim and buttons
Use a single purchased trim, combin
layer trims and ribbons, or fringe yo
own trim for a unique look. Youll n
about five yards of trim to embellis
of the jacket edges, sleeve vents, an
pocket edges.
1. Create fringed trim from your fashiofabric. Cut two strips of fabric about inches wide, then pull threads to thedesired fringe width. The fabric may different fibers in the lengthwise andcrosswise grains, so experiment to sewhich gives the most interesting frinLayer the strips together, then sew a or trim down the center.
2. Pin the trim in place, folding underloose ends and manipulating it aroucorners.Using a single length of threa color that blends in with the trim, fsecure both edges of the trim with tibackstitches.
1.Hem the fashion fabric witha very loose catchstitch.Pinthe lining out of the way, thenpress up the fashion fabricalong the basted hemline; trimthe hem allowance so it restsalong the base of the quiltinglines. Hold in place with aloose catchstitch.
2.Secure the lining with acatchstitch.To make turningeasier, first baste the linings
vertical seams closed. Thenfinger-press the lining in place,38inch from the jackethemline. Finish the verticalseams and the lower edge ofthe lining with fell stitches.
3. Hand-sew the chain rightbelow the lining.Pin thechain in placeit should not
be too tight (this will gatherup the fabric), or too loose (anunwanted flare will result).Strengthen a double thread
with beeswax, and secure thetop and bottom of each linkusing small backstitches.
Insert a chain weightat the hem
The weight of bold buttons on a classic French cardigan jacket pulls the
jacket forward. A chain at the hem served as a counterbalance; it also en-
couraged the jackets back to hang close to the body. Its really only needed
in the back, but for style, run it along the entire hem.
1
2
3Chain weight should match fabric weight
There are a variety of chain weights to choose from;
youll need to hold a few different ones in your handto get a feel for what will work best in your jacket. As
general rule, use a larger, heavier chain with a heavie
wool, and a smaller, lighter one with lighter-weight
wools. Youll need enough chain to circle the hem of
your jacket (3 to 4 feet usually does the job).
tip
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2
Trim a pocket before you attach it
Fold and firmly press the fabric into your
desired shape, then add the trim to the top
edge. Fell-stitch a matching lining in place, and
sew the pockets on by hand with beeswax-coated double thread and a firm fell stitch.
tip
START WITH THE RIGHT PATTERN
A classic cardigan jacket is gently shaped and usually
collarless. Look for a pattern with princess seams that
extend from the shoulder; the quilting will be more ef-
fective. The signature three-piece sleeve allows for bett
vent placement, as well as fine-tuning the fit, but a two
piece sleeve will also work. Here are a few patterns tha
give you a designer cardigan style.
Burda 8414 McCalls 4311 Simplicity 497
Butterick 4028 Simplicity 4954 Vogue 7975
(authorsown pattern)
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LINTON TWEEDS LTD(produces much ofChanels fabric)Shaddon MillsCarlisle, Cumbria CA2 5TZ
England011-44-1228-512062
LintonTweeds.co.uk
MENDEL GOLDBERG FABRICS(Chanel-type boucls andmatching charmeuse linings)72 Hester Street
New York, NY 10018212-925-9110Email them atMendelGoldbergNY@aol. com
SOURCES
History of a Timeless Garment
M&J TRIMMING(fancy trims and buttons)1008 and 1000 Sixth Avenue
New York, NY 10018212-391-6200
MJTrim.com
TINSEL TRADING COMPANY(fancy trims and buttons)47 West 38th Street
New York, NY 10018212-730-1030TinselTrading.com
TOHO SHOJI(NEW YORK) INC.(gold and silver chains,sold by the foot)990 Sixth Avenue
New York, NY 10018212-868-7465TohoShojiNY.com
Its one thing to be a designerwho reflects the mood of the
times; its quite another to be
a visionary.
Coco Chanel (1883-1971), who
early on encouraged women
to dress with ease, confidence,
and elegance, once stated, I
want to be a part of what is tocome. And with faultless taste,
audacity, and determination, she
was. Chanels garments were
astoundingly different from the
tightly corseted garments of
the not-so-distant Belle Epoque,
and they suited a generation of
women who were entering the
workforce, driving motorcars,
and participating in sports.
The design provenance of the
now-famous Chanel suit is vari-
ously ascribed to Tyrolean jack-
ets, military dress, riding clothes
of the British aristocracy, even
bellhops uniforms. Regardless,
its an eminently wearable bal-ance of a basic jacket/cardigan
and brilliant ornamentation.
Most of all, it supports Chanels
claim, Elegance in clothes
means freedom to move freely.
Jacket
provided byChanel USA,
from the Fall
2005-2006collection.
Luxury is the coat a womanthrows on the reverse on a
chair and the inside is moreprecious than the outside.
Coco Chanel
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