In this series Claire Shaeffer teaches you traditional haute couture construction methods for an iconic cardigan jacket.

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COUTURE SEWING: THE COUTURE CARDIGAN JACKET 

Claire shares techniques that she has learned through years of teaching and through the examination of construction methods used in more than 300 Chanel garments. Some 75-plus couture pieces are from her personal collection. This class takes you from conception to completion of your own cardigan jacket styled on this enduring, versatile, and iconic design.

 

Getting Started:

As your journey begins, Claire introduces you to sources of design inspiration. She offers direction for picking fabrics and sparking your imagination for the limitless trim options and she introduces you to the fabric marking techniques used in this series.

Constructing the Jacket:

In this class, you learn pattern cutting and marking methods used in couture. Claire demonstrates quilting, an important method used in many Chanel jackets. She teaches shrinking, stretching and stabilizing techniques that fit your garment to the contours of your body. Claire outlines a new construction order, which results in a couture-quality final garment.

Buttonholes, Assembling the Sleeves, and Finishing the Edges: 

Learn the double buttonhole technique used on many Chanel jackets. This method uses a faux bound buttonhole on the inside lining or facing fabric for a finished look on the front and the undersides of the garment.

This class focuses on a quilted three-piece sleeve method that allows for greater fit than the more often used one-piece and two-piece methods. The three-piece sleeve positions the sleeve vent so that it is more visible from the front.

Next, discover the couture method for finishing jacket edges. The hand-stitched method accommodates a lining that has been quilted to the jacket sections and is different from standard home-sewing methods.

Setting the Sleeves, Patch Pocket Techniques, and Finishing Details: 

Learn techniques for the perfect hand-set sleeve. This method allows for better control when easing the sleeve to the armscye. It offers a little “give” and results in a more professional looking finished jacket.

Chanel jackets can have as many as four patch pockets of different sizes and in different positions on the garment. Get to know the construction method for these unlined pockets and see ways to use them as a design element in your garment.

Learn how to add iconic Chanel finishing details and how they affect the overall garment finish.

Meet the Instructor

Claire B. Shaeffer is an internationally recognized expert in construction techniques for haute couture, expensive ready-to-wear, and historic designs. She has been a designer for Vogue Patterns, a frequent contributor to Threads magazine, and has authored numerous books. She lives in Palm Springs, California.

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