Wardrobe Comp Review - McCalls M4972

The finished jacket. What do you think? I must say I am pretty happy with how it turned out.

This is the 10th and final piece for the wardrobe competition. I used McCall's M4972 (now OOP).

Pattern Description:
Princess seam jacket has trim variations and curved or squared front opening edges.

Pattern Sizing:
I made a 12.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
I sorta made view B and it more or less looks like the picture.

Were the instructions easy to follow?
I didn't use them at all. I used a combination of instructions from the two well-known threads articles on Chanel jackets. One shows the fully couture methods and the other give shortcuts.

First I sewed the vertical body seams in the shell and the lining then ditch-stitched and quilted the layers together. I sewed the shoulders seams in the jacket by machine and the lining by hand.

Next I laid on a folded bias strip of lining and hand sewed it down. Then I attached the centre of a bias strip of jacket fabric to the seam line all around the outside. I turned the seam allowances in and the two layers of tweed trim out and hand sewed the lining all around the inside edge of the jacket.

The first row of trim - bias strips of the lining laid around the edge.
I sewed the back seam in the sleeve and quilted the lining as for the body, then sewed the front seam of the jacket by machine and the lining by hand. I turned in 1.5cm on the lower edge of the sleeve and hand sewed down the lining.

Here is the sleeve after quilting (and clearly before pressing).
I machine stitched the sleeve in and bound the seam with bias.

Hook and eye on the front and chain in the lower edge and voila! A Chanel style jacket.

The finishing touch - a chain in the hem.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
It was a great starting point as I didn't have to alter the design for the look. I like the low front which works better with the tops in my wardrobe. Plus a high round neck makes my chin look flabby!

Fabric Used:
Handwoven silk tweed for the body. Silk satin for the lining

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made:
I narrowed the upper back, made a sway back alteration, a small fba and added a little room at the hip.

In terms of design changes, I left off the ruffle on the sleeve as I figured it would get grubby and I also left off the pockets. It was all a bit too much 'look' for me!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
Would I sew a Chanel style jacket again? Yes. Would I do it better? Yes. Would I use this pattern? Maybe (there's nothing wrong with it, there are just so many great jacket patterns). Would I recommend it? Yes, definitely.

Conclusion:
This jacket was hard work! If I didn't have a deadline I'm not sure I would have persevered. But I am so glad I did. I think it looks great and I just hope I've done justice to the beautiful fabric and to the designer who inspired it!

The finished inside jacket front...

And back.