At the end of 2019 there was an announcement that the Australian Sewing Guild was running a Couture Chanel Cardigan Sew-a-long. My first reaction was no, why would I bother? I don’t want to wear head to toe tweed. I live in jeans.
This is how I envisaged a Chanel Jacket to be styled:
I just couldn’t see myself wearing something like this. I go for comfort over elegance, and I only wear skirts for weddings, funerals and ballroom dancing; and only when I feel up for it.
But, then I had a meeting with some members from my local Sewing Guild Group and one mentioned that they were going to join the sew-a-long, but skip some of the hand sewing and do it at their own pace.
My ears pricked up. Someone else I knew was doing it. Yes, they are a very experienced sewer, and dress more formally than I do. But wouldn’t it be good to learn some new techniques and improve my sewing?
So when I got home I immediately jumped on to Google to do an image search for “chanel jackets”. And amongst the first of the images to show up was a lady wearing a Chanel Jacket WITH JEANS. She looked stylish and comfortable. Further searching on “chanel jackets with jeans” unearthed even more and more stylish outfits.
I was hooked. I would love to create something that I could wear to school pickup and look chic, and then out to dinner. All while being comfortable and stylish.
I signed up straight away for the sew-a-long. Added the recommended pattern – Vogue 8804 to my Pinterest Wanted Patterns list and waited for it to come on special.
I have since created a new Pinterest board – Chanel Jacket – and pinned all my inspiration images for future reference. And I’ll continue adding to the board as I proceed with sewing my Chanel Jacket.
This process has taught me 2 things:
- I am very visual – I need to see a finished outfit to get excited about a new sewing project
- I make snap decisions – I need to sit back and thoughtfully consider opportunities that come my way
Have you sewn a Chanel jacket? Why did you decide to make one?
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