Classic French Jacket Class: Day 3

Summary:

Sleep: 5 hours

Meals skipped: 2

Exercise: A trip to Jo-Ann's

Happiness Level: 5 (out of 5)

Optimism about finishing the jacket by the end of the class: rapidly sinking

9:00 a.m. everyone has gathered around Susan's table, where Diane (the lady in the center wearing a black and white graphic top) has arranged her treasures: a piece of couture lace and two Chanel-inspired jackets made in previous classes.

The jacket is one of Diane's previous creations.

This French couture lace (by Lesage) adorned with beading, sequins and ostrich feathers
was bought at Mendel Goldberg we were told.
Mendel Goldberg has beautiful laces, but this one is very unique even for this exquisite store.  

This is the back side of the lace - beading, sequins and feathers are arranged on delicate netting

Look at this workmanship! Can you imagine how many hours it took to make it?

10:00 a.m. Enough fun! We are sent back to our tables to get on with quilting and sewing up the seams.

I am happy I stayed late yesterday and finished my quilting, so instead of working and enjoy cakes and coffee brought by Diane (it was really generous of her to treat us to her couture possessions and food). I catch up on my skipped breakfast and get back to my jacket - I still need to stitch the seams on the bodice.

Look at the seams on this image. We haven't basted them. Instead, we pinned them into the seam with regular pins, making sure that the pattern on both layers matches and then reinforced the seam with so-called fork pins - those double pins you seen on the image. Susan recommended them for any matching job in future - it saves time with basting and is pretty accurate. We later drove to Jo-Ann's and bought more packs for everyone. But you can also order them from Amazon, for the same price - Susan said Clover has better quality than other brands.

 

11:00 a.m. Seams are done and we are queuing again to be fitted.

12:30 p.m. I end up with tiny alterations on five seams, auch! All the new seamlines are traced and I am stitching the seams again. Well, that's another three hours for perfecting the fit - absolutely worth it.

4:00 p.m. (or around that time) we are ready to clean up the seams. Susan shows us her method, and that's what we are doing for the rest of the day and the evening.

(to be continued)