inside a designer jacket

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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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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.

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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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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


inside a designer jacket

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