Seamwork Lilliana

About the Seamwork Lilliana

The Lilliana jacket was my second sewing project after making my colorful leggings. By Seamwork, it’s a boxy unlined jacket with an open front. There is a bonus variation of the pattern that has a large folded lapel. The lapels can be overlapped to close the jacket front. I was interested in the pattern because I wanted to try to make a simple jacket and not get caught up with tricky closures or lining 

Research

Usually when I start a new project, I poke around the internet and look at some reviews and try to get a sense of what I should expect or if there are any tips. I saw online that this boxy type of jacket was referred to as a Chanel style jacket. Coco Chanel designed these jackets to be in contrast to the tailored New Look jackets of the 1950. They are boxy, allowing for free movement of the modern woman. The Chanel jackets are traditionally made of tweed or boucle, with a silk lining and edged with braided trim.  

I decided to check one of these jackets out in person! I’m lucky that I live in NYC and there is a Chanel boutique that I can walk to. I wasn’t expecting to try one on but the sales associates encouraged me to take all the time I needed in the dressing room. 

There are a lot of details to behold. The silk lining of the jacket is hand quilted, so the stitches don’t appear on the outside of the jacket. The stitching is so precise and evenly spaced on the inside that it looks as if it had been done by machine. There is a metal chain sewn into the bottom of the inside lining, which helps the jacket to hang in shape when worn. If you get a chance to see one of these jackets in person, definitely do. Sometimes you can find Chanel in the duty free shop zone when you pass through an international airport.

Hand quilting a silk lining seemed like it would be too difficult for my first jacket sewing project. I decided to make the unlined jacket per the pattern, but use textured fabric to make it a statement piece.

Fabric

I had the most fun shopping for fabric. It was a great way to explore different stores in the Garment District, especially ones that are not on street level. I knew that the fabric I was looking for was called wool boucle, which is what the example Seamwork garment shows. Even within a specific fabric type there were many colors and textures to choose from.

These are from Elliott Berman Textiles, which has a lot of wool boucle and fancy jacquards. I decided to go with something that would complement multiple items of clothing that I already own, not a statement color

Also while I was browsing in the Garment District I found a faux leather with die cut flower patterns. Faux leather wasn’t something I was initially thinking about for my jacket, but the interesting texture and neutral black color made it a perfect fabric for what I was planning on making. 

Sewing

I made two muslins in a size 4 and 6, and ended up going with a size 4 for my final jackets. The sewing process was straightforward. 

Version 1- black faux leather 

I wear this one the most, because the fabric is so cool and it pairs well with a lot of my go-to outfits. The wrong side of faux leather is fuzzy, which creates friction against other fabrics and makes it hard to slip on a jacket sleeve when you are wearing a shirt with sleeves underneath. To make this easier I used my size 4 muslin as a lining for this jacket. Before finishing the edges with the bias tape I basted the sleeve hems and collars of the final fabric and muslin lining together. I trimmed the bottom hem of the lining muslin so it wouldn’t peek out from underneath the outer shell, and finished the hem separately and let it hang loose from the outer jacket. 

Version 2- Wool Boucle

I was really nervous to cut into this fabric because it was the most expensive fabric I had purchased at the time. I also bought too much fabric, so now I have the rest leftover at the bottom of my stash. Lesson learned- do a trial layout of all of your pattern pieces before going shopping, so you know exactly how much fabric to buy.  I made the bonus variation with the folded lapel. Even though I like the final jacket I don’t wear it too often. I might use that extra fabric to make a basic version, and add some fancy trim at the edges for a totally different look.