Celeste est fini...The Secret is in the Chain

The Chanel jacket is a commonplace garment worn by the well-heeled and best dressed, but only dreamt about by the likes of middle-America people like me. If we are blessed with a gift for dressmaking, then we can copy the styling of this iconic jacket with the help of pattern makers. My goal was to make a "Little French Jacket" using the couture techniques that make the big fashion houses famous, before I turned 70.

I started my jacket in March of last year and named her Celeste. Though I didn't spend a year actually working on it, it was a time consuming and challenging project. I can normally make a complex garment like jeans or a lace dress in roughly four to six hours, but couture sewing techniques take time and patience, and lots of hand sewing. I tracked my time, documenting the various stages just to see how close I would come to the 100+ hours it takes the designers to whip one up.

Start to finish, Celeste took roughly 70 hours. I think part of the reason my time is shorter is that I didn't count in any customer fittings and I did use my machine in some parts of the construction.  And, as much as I tried to make hand sewn buttonholes, they looked like crap, so I opted to make machine bound buttonholes instead.  That would have probably added another 10+ hours to the total, plus the cost of a bottle of bourbon.

I have already documented some of the couture stages of the jacket construction in previous posts, but I wanted to give you a picture of some of the many aspects of the making of Celeste...and her final debut. It's funny that I finished her in a record setting heat wave in California, so I'll not be wearing her any time soon. She will just have to hang on Colette in my new sewing studio.

I won't even make you wade though the construction details to wait for a picture - here she is, up front and center...

Celeste est fini...

 

And here below, for all the sewing junkies, are some of the construction details...I made plenty of mistakes during the process and "would do it differently next time", if I were ever going to make another jacket.  I will admit as much as I loved the hand sewing, I'll not be making another. Celeste is a one of a kind, once in a lifetime adventure, thank you.

Recall that the couture method starts with rectangles big enough to fit each pattern piece, the outlines of which are thread traced onto the rectangle.  You don't actually cut the seams until after you match up the thread tracings and sew the seams...very opposite to standard garment construction.

The silk lining pieces are basted to the woolen fabric along the "quilting lines"

The bound buttonholes which I chose to add were made with grey organza and reinforced. Wished I had used a darker organza,

Passable, but not Chanelish.

 The center front edges were also stabilized with organza "tape".

 

After the quilting on each piece was completed, the princess and side seams were sewn together, matching the thread tracings.  The lining was then hand sewn at all the seams

The hem was also stabilized with some special bias tape that JoAnn's doesn't carry,  and not wishing to drive to Stonemoutain  or Britex, I ordered it off the Internet. Pick stitches hold it in place.

All the trim is sewn on by hand

The three piece sleeves are sewn together using the conventional method.  (I must have laid awake for three nights trying to figure out how they would be constructed...until I went back to the book and saw that they are just a normal sleeve construction.  I cut a narrow strip of that fancy tape to stabilize the sleeves, then hand sewed the hemline and sleeve vent.  I did cheat on the vent - no buttonholes...another Chanel faux pas.

Adding the trims...

 

The lining is basted in and the quilting lines are added by machine.

 

I love the doing the "fell" stitch...all the lining pieces are sewn together and hemmed using this stitch. The trick is to keep them tiny.

Sleeve innards...

 

Finished sleeve...

 

I have put in so many set in sleeves in my life, they are not a problem for me.  And any time you are sewing with a rich woolen fabric they are that much easier, as the fabric has a lot of give. (Be sure to always use a basting line to ease the sleeve into the armhole.  I just pinned the sleeves in my normal fashion and sewed them with my machine.

 

The hardest part of this method is that the sleeve lining is all over the place and basically in your way. Once the sleeve is sewn in, the sleeve lining is then pinned to the bodice lining and hand sewn together.

The entire lining is hand sewn to the jacket fabric...and those dang buttonholes. Not very pretty.

 

One of the last steps is making the pockets. Originally I was only going to have two pockets, which is not very Chanel, but I ran out of one of the trims - the selvage edge of the fabric (the fabric was purchased three years ago at Stonemountain).  As it was, I had to open up the back seam and cut off that selvage to make enough trim for the sleeves and pockets.  But after sewing on the two lower pockets, I knew I needed to add the two upper pockets.  Otherwise it's just another boxy jacket. I had one piece of the selvage edge, but it was cut too narrow. Solution - I just cut down the width a fraction of an inch and was able to make trim for the two upper pockets.

The pockets are lined and hand sewn to the jacket.

 When all is said and done, it's not a Chanel-styled jacket unless it has a chain at the hemline.  The Chanel chain gives the jacket it's "weight", and makes it hang better on your body.  Plus the weight of the jacket is one of it's endearing features when you slip it on.  The silk lining caresses your body...I can understand why you see a lot of sleeveless blouses underneath one of these jackets.

 

Even though I have enough fabric to make slim skirt from the wool, I'm just not that into suits anymore...and I can't even imagine a time that I'd wear one.  My Celeste will look fabulous with a pair of leather pants or skinny jeans, some sling back pointy toed heels and a huge string of pearls. Fall can't come soon enough!!

Laurel. Check that off the Bucket List!

50 Hours and It's Not Done yet...

Celeste - Part 3

Over a year ago, I started an adventure making my first Chanel styled jacket...I named her Celeste. I wrote about her beginnings in earlier blogs ( see Ultimate Sewing Pinnacle  and Celeste - Part 2 ), but Celeste lay dormant for some time and when Spring of this year arrived, I vowed to finish her. I will be doing a final post when she's finished, complete with photos of my version of the couture process, but I wanted to give you another sneak peak.

To date, I have logged 50 hours into my Little French Jacket and when I say I only have to set in the sleeves, sew in the lining, attach the buttons and the Chanel-style chain at the hem, it sounds like I'm almost done, huh? Not so much...right now, I'm guessing that Celeste will be almost 80% sewn by hand, and 20% by machine by the time she's ready to step out. Keep in mind that even the most complex dress might take me 6 hours at most.

I love hand sewing, and I'm in no hurry... couture sewing can't be rushed. So I'll just keep plodding along and hope to have her ready for our Breckenridge trip in July, and before my 70th birthday in August. We are stopping by my sister's home in Salt Lake and I can't wait to introduce her to Celeste. Jane is an excellent seamstress who makes the most beautiful garments.  The last time I visited her, she whipped out a full length double breasted coat from the closet, made in stunning blue-back (HEAVY) wool, and fully lined. I was so impressed...not that I couldn't do it, but that I wouldn't! Where would I wear it in California? Rubbish!.. she can probably out-sew me tenfold. ( I always wanted to use that in a sentence...LOL!)

She will love Celeste...

"Sleeve Guts"

Oh Celeste, I love you already...

Laurel. Bucket List check-off coming up.

Graduate Scarves

I have written about making graduation scarves (Scarves of Pride ) for the graduates of Women's Empowerment ("WE") 8 week job readiness training.  WE holds about 4 to 5 sessions a year, and I've been making their scarves for maybe two years. It's just another way to use my sewing talents for good.

This March graduating class will the the first class to hold their ceremony in the B Street Theater in downtown Sacramento.  It's a great venue for such an auspicious occasion, so I thought I might make something special this time.  The graduates always choose their colors, and this class chose Gold and Burgundy. I immediately thought of the USC Trojans and decided perhaps a touch of femininity might be in order, lest we look like football fans.

Serging the edges of this Poly charmeuse is the easy part...I used a beautiful shiny gold thread and set my Imagine on a narrow rolled hem setting.

The fabric is not as drapey as a silk (way too expensive), so I thought I might pleat it, so that it would lay flat around the neck. A hand made flower in burgundy fabrics will be attached.

I've made "silk" flowers before and they are not that hard, just time consuming.  All you need is several sized squares and a candle. Using Polyester fabric is important as it melts. Silk would catch fire and burn.

Watch your fingers!!

I chose gold beads (6) to hold the layers (4) together.

They are sewn on to the pleated scarf, about 18 inched from the bottom of one side.

Finished!

I hope the graduates feel special. It's always a pleasure to attend the ceremony, even if it is a three-hankie event.  Their stories are incredible and their accomplishment is profound. 

I love being a part of this awesome organization. 

Read all about it on the web at http://www.womens-empowerment.org/

Laurel.  Giving Back.

My first ever Trunk Show!!

My favorite fabric store Stonemountain and Daughter Fabric is scheduling an event featuring all the garments that I've sewn for the Suzan, aka FabricLady. We have enjoyed a 3+ year collaboration, sewing, blogging, wardrobe planning and a special friendship. Others on her team will be joining in the fun and I can't say how thrilled that I am to be a part of this special day.

If you live in the area, I hope that you will come by.  Suzan's blog has a huge following and I am a contributor. Actually, it's part of the reason that I've let Laurel's Quill flounder for the past few years. My process is simple: sew, take photos, write about it.  It's not a job, even though I'm busy with it at least 3 or 4 days a week on average.  It's that our collaboration hits all my creative buttons, not to mention it's great to be a part of watching Stonemountain's garment fabric side flourish.

Meanwhile, you know how I am - got an event? Make an outfit!!! We have been concentrating on the Independent pattern designers for the last year, so I try to stick with them even in my own wardrobe.
I chose three simple patterns from 100 Acts of Sewing and three coordinating fabrics to make a casual layered look.

And would ya check out those shoes?? I got them yesterday just to match my outfit!  Love pointy toes!!

The tops are simple so adding pockets is a creative way to jazz them up...

You get the idea.  The fabrics are soft and they will transition into Spring (even Summer) very nicely. I still have several outfits to whip up before the event, so I better get this studio cleaned up from yesterday's melee.  Funny, but I sew the same way I cook: messy, messy messy.  But who wants to be stifled by wiping down the counters during Beef Wellington prep or picking up scraps and pins while sewing a Dior?

Oh and about that Beef Wellington? Incredible!!

Oh MY!!!!!

Laurel. Sewist and Cook...sorta.

Catching up

My oh my, how my blog has suffered over the past year.  I've been in a cocoon of sorts, just not inspired to write too much.  Is that considered "writer's block"? But even as I haven't written or posted, I've certainly been busy with the usual Laurel "things" - sewing, volunteering, knitting, eating, drinking and hunkering down by the fireplace. 

Writing is sometimes easy, and sometimes it's elusive.  Over the past year I had fleeting thoughts of a blog post, but they left without so much as a nod. I've been on a mission in the last few months to do a little less and just "Be" a little more.  In periods of quiet introspection, I wanted this, my final year in the 60's, to be one of consequence. Approaching 70 is tough. But there is a certain peace that is suppose to come at my age, an acceptance of yourself and a ceasing of dragging yourself down with negativity, etc.

I all but gave up on Facebook this year, following only a few family members.  I only check it once a day usually, which is considerably less than the 20-30 times a day that became my habit. I would have ditched it all together, but for my collaboration with Suzan and my own Laurel's Quill page. Looking for approval (still?) after 70 years is a tad negative (did I really mean pathetic, LOL!) in and of itself. And I must admit the election cycle last Fall with all it's memes, negativity, bashing, etc. did me in.

These days, I am concentrating on what I love to do most...

Reading, knitting, etc. in my cozy little corner in the Hacienda...if the urge to drop off hits me, then slumber away, little grasshopper...

Creating fabulousness for me and Suzan in my She-Cave Studio...

 

Starting to draw and paint again...

 

Started knitting again...notice how I've got a theme of "relaxation" going here...

 Keep the sewing machine humming along with Me-Made clothes...

 Trying to be more stylish and yet be comfortable in my age..

Finish stuff I started forever ago...

 

Get back to entertaining (I love to set a pretty table) once in a while...dinner guests this weekend...Beef Wellington, huh!

Find my natural hair color...it's been red for so long, people believe I am a redhead...my sweet daughter Amy the hairdresser says "you're grayer than you think, Mom".  Bring it on!!

Keep eating healthier...gave up caffeine for the umpteenth time...

 

And yes, working out.  When you have to heave yourself out of the front seat of your car, it's time...

 

Do more Girlfriend things...

 

And, most importantly, feed my soul through my collaboration with Suzan (aka FabricLady)

with who I have been working with for almost 4 years. Now, she keeps up HER blog (I am a contributor), so if you really want to know what I'm doing, just go there. LOL!

 

I spent a couple of hours yesterday in my Corner Chair, looking at photo albums of our trips through the years and old blog posts.  I used to write so much, but these days I'm a poster of my life on Instagram. I love photography and the spontaneity of it all. I've tried Medium as a vehicle for writing, but perhaps I should just give this old blog a jump start and try it back on for size.

we'll see...

Laurel. Age is just a number.

Requiem for Facebook

I've been mulling over a personal change for over almost a year. I'm saying goodbye to Facebook. I know, it sounds like a drastic action for a self-admitted social media junkie for the past 10 years, but I fear my FB relationship with "me" has become toxic over the years. I will be 70 in 2017 and I am weary of the inner strife that trying to please others has brought me, and FB is just a painful daily reminder.  I think it's time to grow up.

It hit me like a slap in the face in the wee hours of the morning.  I woke up with my ear buds still in my ears - playing nothing, I might add (as is my Pandora habit), I turned on the little iPad on my pillow to "see what's going on" with my friends in social media. It took me almost a whole 30 seconds to scan through posts of Memes, re-posts of political satire, ads for Target, and various other non-personal diatribes. There were a few cat photos (at least that's personal!), pretty scenery and inspirational messages, but for the most part, nothing.  Nothing.

You might say, perhaps a better group of friends, Laurel?  The truth is that I have many FB friends, many of whom I love dearly. I have culled that list over the years, so if you are still seeing my posts, you're still there. During the election from Hell, I stopped "Following" many, as I was exhausted trying to weed through all the vitriol and BS. Though the list is short these days of friends that I follow, I am nevertheless weary of what FB has become...it's not YOU, it's just become a platform of sorts for what others think I want to read - I guess that's why they call it social media. I guess I just don't really care whether the Olsen twins have changed and "read here to find out why".

But more to the point on this, perhaps my last FB diatribe, I am even more weary of my tiresome addiction to combing through it everyday (several times a day) looking for what, I'm not sure. All it does is make me crabby. I already took it off my iPhone as it sucks your battery dry - is that not a great metaphor?

Compare this fruitless exercise to a stroll through my Instagram. I follow a lot of people (hundreds, in fact) on this social media site and I can scan through countless beautiful photos (and some bad ones too) from creative artists, sewists, and well, people like me. IG is short and sweet, with few ads and when you click on a hashtag/link you usually are not bombarded by ads or other links.  Sure, those IG accounts exist, but at least I have the choice to see what I want to see. It's not necessarily more "personal" than FB, but what occurred to me this morning was that it made me happy, made me smile, made me want to create, want to learn and want to inspire others.

I think it is ironic that in the same breath that I decided to close my FB account in 2017, I was inspired this morning by reading a very personal, very touching account of a friend's personal struggles this year and her hope for a better 2017. Posts like this one are few and far between, because most of us will not risk having our lives out there for everyone to see.  We hide behind memes and re-posts of others' thoughts and beliefs instead of giving others all a real piece of ourselves.  I too am just as guilty, lest you not "Like" me for what and who I truly am. And isn't that the real goal of FB - to be Liked? To be accepted? Even the marketers have that as their goal, let's be real.

Yes, let's be real. Me and my "non-confrontational, can't we all just get along and love one another, did you Like my post" self is going to give it a rest.  It's huge for me, so let's call it what it is...anyone who is facing 70 should finally NOT give a rip what anyone thinks. And you should not keep doing things that don't give you joy and zest for life.

But please know that I love you all for who you really are, for your caring hearts and brilliant minds, and not necessarily for your FB posts. Thankfully, I KNOW you better than that.

I haven't written on this blog for almost 6 months...I can't promise that I will start or be more regular with posts, although I started it because I love to write - I just got bogged down by whether I was "followed" and again, "Liked".  See? Time to get over myself!!

So, if you want to keep up with my endless photos of sewing, good food, family, places where I go, and general thoughts on life, you can find me on IG, FabricLady's blog which I ghost write, and maybe even this blog, if I get really ambitious. And if you have a great photo to share or want to chat, then by all means, pick up the phone or drop me an email.

Life is short...eat cake, laugh with friends, hug your family.  Be real...yeah and I'll probably peek to see if you liked my post, LOL!

Laurel

FabricLady's Blog

My IG account @laurelsquill

The Quest continues...

One year ago I started to walk in earnest. My goal was to get stronger - I didn't want to be one of those bent over old ladies who couldn't get themselves out of a chair.  I wasn't in terrible shape at the time, but I felt weak in so many ways. I set out on the all weather track at the local high school and found that I loved the rhythm of the oval.  I walked all summer and, much to my chagrin, they threw me off the track in late August when school started.  I continued walking with my daughter at the local Mall, but it wasn't the same.

That first mile one year ago was a little tough on the legs, and to say that I was a little winded would be an understatement. I decided to document my progress by using a stopwatch.  I have always been obsessed with track and field events and just timing myself made me feel like a "miler". 

Far from it, little grasshopper...

Fast forward - it's June again, and school is out.  The track is empty, unless of course you count the other wanna-be's out there like me. And this year I am more determined than ever to get stronger, but even more than that...I will be be 69 this August, and I want to be able to actually run a mile by my birthday. Yes, the whole mile...running.

Today on this beautiful Saturday morning, I'm back on the track.  

One year later to the day, my walking time has improved...

But I said I wanted to run...so I've started to run as much as I can around the track 

for four laps or one mile...It's not much running so far, but here's my second mile 

and my first running attempt...

 

I know I'll never be a Jim Ryun, but there a lot of people even older than my 68 years who can run a lot farther than one mile.  I just want to be one of them. Stronger. Healthier. 

I finished this morning just in time for the arrival of some potential recruits...

Meanwhile...after the workout (also do lunges and stairs), a little nourishment by the pool...some proteins, carbs (yeah, I know) and morning caffeine (because "it doesn't cause cancer" now) and my "pills" - the tiny one for my blood pressure, the white one to keep the urinary track on track and the orange one (turmeric) just cuz it's supposed to be good for your liver and joints.

And then...let the games begin....

Scarves for the Women's Empowerment grads....

Laurel. Miler.

The Curse

I've always wondered why such a natural process might be called a "curse". I'm referring to a woman's menses, her period. It's been given many pejorative names over the years - "ride the cotton pony", "on the rag", "leak week", and the less innocuous "my monthly friend" and "that time of the month". 

In fact, I'm kind of thinking that men have coined most of the subhuman phrases to basically devalue an albeit inconvenient but vital process for procreating humanity into perpetuity. Right down to the Donald's off color, ill-conceived and some what subliminal referral to what seemed like Ms. Kelly's period during a presidential debate, men (and women too!) have have blasted, sneered at, made fun of and grumbled over a woman's menstrual cycle through out history.  And here in our Western civilization especially, we women have largely ignored the jokes and ridicule partly because we have the "luxury" of handling our bodies conveniently and without great notice... and of course, with the help of a ceaseless array of products, pills, sprays and whatever else we might need. We breeze through our cycles and never miss a beat in our busy lives - we can "even ride bicycles and swim!" and we teach our daughters to do the same.  We don't even know the meaning of a curse.

Such is not the case in third world countries. Njeri was born in Kenya and came to the U.S. to further her education.  She is a mother, grandmother and on-fire Christian today and an active advocate for changing the lives of young girls in Africa through one means: sustainable, reusable sanitary pads.  She knows first hand the "power of the pad" because she was there.  She lived the nightmare growing up.

There are no menstrual products in most remote regions of the world.  Even if we do-gooders shipped cases of Always and Kotex products to Africa, they have no organized means of disposing them, let alone toilets to flush them (even though we know you're not supposed to do that!).  Young girls, from the first days of their period are taught how to handle their cycle but the only means available - grass, leaves, sticks, feathers, rocks and if they're lucky, mattress stuffing - anything to stay in school.  They are shunned and shamed by boys, so as a result they stay home and miss up to eight months of schooling over a three year period. Some girls have sat in a pile of dirt for those days if they have nothing to use, adding to their shame.  If they are really lucky, they have a make-shift barrier made from harsh animal skin strapped to their legs, while they stand to take tests at school. But even worse, many are forced into prostitution by men at the tender age of 11 or 12, trading sex for pads. We can't even imagine such a deplorable scenarios.

Listening to Njeri this past weekend talk about her organization's efforts to supple reusable, sustainable hygiene kits for girls in Kenya and other African countries was a real life reminder of why our sew fests have incorporated the Days for Girls ministry. Yards and yards of cotton and flannel are cut, stitched and serged into pads for girls.  A kit can last a young girl up to three years - that's three full years of education reclaimed.  These kits, as Njeri attests, can change a girls destiny.  She no longer has to skip school, she is no longer susceptible to becoming fodder for the human trafficking machine and her risk of contracting HIV is significantly lessened. She maximizes her dignity and value as a woman, increases her chances of becoming a contributing member of her community through education.

It rocked my soul to listen to Njeri.  Her words of encouragement to the sew fest ladies were moving. We ARE changing the life of a young girl somewhere on the other side of the world.  Just like our little dresses, these hygiene kits are a small sacrifice of time in order to give a girl dignity and a fighting chance for a better life. Who knew such a life could be impacted by such a small thing?

To learn more about Njeri's non-profit organization, go to Upendo Women's Foundation, which she founded. Njeri uses kits similar to those we make through our Days for Girls. Come to a Bayside sew fest and help make these life-changing kits yourself.

Laurel.  The Power of the Pad.

Just for Me...

I've been lost in the beauty of summer mornings and evenings lately, spending quiet time reflecting on my renewed efforts to live more in the moment. It's so easy for me to focus on "have to's", worries and struggles instead of doing things that bring me joy and peace.

This month marks the third anniversary of my collaboration with Suzan (aka FabricLady) and Stonemountain and Daughter Fabrics.  Zan and I have a date on the books for later this month, but today I just felt like taking the drive to Berkeley to hang out at the shop - you know, living in the moment!  Normally it's quite a frenetic bustle on our scheduled "Fit and Fun" days - I bring completed garments, we have fitting and photo sessions, we peruse the new fabrics and patterns, have lunch and I somewhere in between, I usually have a little time to shop for fabrics to add to my stash. It's fun and exciting and hectic all at the same time.

But today, I just wanted to leisurely stroll the aisles, to see what might jump out at me.  I also spent some time talking with Tilden Yamamoto, an Oakland designer who was doing a sewing demo in a sunny window of the shop. It was cool to watch another sewist/designer's "process".

Zan's young and hip buyers at Stonemountain are bringing in the most unique fabrics these days- shelves of double gauze that had me drooling...ikats by the dozens all begging me "pick me!" I must have been thinking about the beauty of nature, as everything that caught my eye today was green.

And that's what I came home with....they are like little works of art.

Yummy double gauze - a Scout tee? And a summer dress?

 I need a little shift to wear by the pool...Love this ikat!!  

Think I'll use the batik to create a facing around the neck and armholes.

And let's pick up a couple of Indie patterns...

Love View B...probably use that double gauze tiny print above

It was a wonderful few hours in Bay...right up until the traffic on the way home.  Oh well...a day at Stonemountain with Zan and the staff is worth a couple of hours of frantic Friday drivers.

Can't wait to dive into these projects!!

Laurel. Are you "Green with envy"?