Well, I had some fun with the cotton slubs from my Panache fabric collection with Moda.
This is the full range of Cotton Slubs and I have already written a blog about them, which you can view here, if you would like to learn a little more.
I thought the plain ones might make a nice trans-seasonal jacket. And since they fringe nicely I wanted to add some of this detail in.
Little did I know, but the idea I had in my head was a Chanel style jacket. Once I started looking around, similar jackets kept popping up and a little more research showed that Karl Lagerfeld would release a new Chanel jacket each season, based on the original one from the 1950's.
Traditionally they are made with a boucle fabric, which is a heavier weight than the Panache cotton slubs, but I thought I should try it and see.
The pattern I used was McCalls M8370 and includes a straight skirt as well.
This was the first version I made. It is fully lined with a silky lining and I added thin shoulder pads to it. The pattern does not include these but it gave it some more structure.
The fabric is the plain grey cotton slub.
The fringing is cut on the bias and I did two layers, because the cotton slub fabric is not as thick as the boucle. The pattern outlines how to do this.
I made the sleeves ¾ length on this jacket and I am really happy with how it turned out. It is very comfortable to wear and travelled well in my suitcase to Houston Quilt Market. It did not even need pressing once I had arrived.
I confess that I forgot to take a photo of this jacket on my own, but here I am with my delightful friend Brittany from Moda.
This time I used the plain off white cotton slub for the jacket and used the plain black to make the fringing around the edges.
I used a purchased black trim for the trim 1" inside the edges of the jacket.
I also added buttons to this one. They are just decorative and I have placed 3 on each side. The sleeves are full length and the jacket is fully lined and I added shoulder pads.
Once again this was really comfortable to wear all day and I am very happy with it.
The wonderful thing about these jackets is that they were quick to make and they will work with jeans or dressed up with an outfit for a special event.
The pattern is very easy to follow, I recommend you make a toile first; that is one from scrap fabric to check on the fit. This makes sure your jacket will fit you accurately.
I was able to sew each jacket in less than a day and then I spent the evening fraying the fringe detail, after it had been stitched in the jacket. I did this with a tailors awl or a stiletto, just to help separate the weave.
If you are thinking of making a jacket with these fabrics I can highly recommend it, you won't be disappointed.
Happy sewing
Jenelle