Our first-ever sew along project will take place from November 2023 through February 2024. We hope you’ll join and challenge yourself to make something both stylish and useful.
What’s a sew-along?
In a sew-along, we all work on the same type of project and share our progress along the way, encouraging and helping each other (and commiserating!) No need to register, just sew-along if you like and join any time before February.
The Project
Our first project is a French Jacket which is most well known as a Chanel-style Jacket. This is not your grandmere’s jacket intended to be worn only at fancy lunches and business meetings, a Chanel-style jacket is to be worn with everything – silk blouses, t-shirts, turtlenecks, skirts, trousers, even jeans and shorts. This is a jacket that will become a staple in your wardrobe.
Basic Resources
- For information on the history and significance of the Chanel jacket, read this article from Marie Claire magazine.
- ➡️ ➡️ ➡️This blog post from Sewing Chanel-Style has lots of helpful information for your sewing decisions. And it also includes a number of additional sewing patterns for you to consider.
- Susan Khalje offers an online course on the Classic French Jacket if you really want to up your game. Our member Daphne has completed this course and sewn dozens (!) of French jackets.
We want to make it clear that you don’t need to be a couture sewist or even extremely experienced to join in this sew-along. We’ll help each other along the way!
Chanel-style jackets are typically sewn using couture/hand sewing techniques however, it can be sewn by machine, too. In the next couple of weeks we will upload a pdf with info on shortcuts.
Pattern Ideas
A number of these patterns are out of print but some are available on Etsy or eBay. Or maybe they’re in someone’s stash? 🤔 Additional pattern ideas are listed on the Sewing Chanel-Style blog post linked above.
Vogue 7975 is the best known pattern and it is available for sale.
🆕 Vogue 1993 is a new release for F/W 2023/24
🆕 Vogue 1992 is another new release for F/W 2023/24
Burda 6465 (currently available for sale)
Butterick 6382 (used by our own Jane.Sews)
Marfy 3840 (Marfy patterns are for advanced sewists)
Style Arc Hannah Style Arc patterns are short on instructions so better for those with some experience
Fashion Sewing Group (Nancy Erickson) 1945A
Fabric
You can spend a lot on fabric, or a little. Recommended fabrics will be listed on your pattern envelope but typically include: wool, wool blends, tweed, and bouclé. Linings are often silk.
Sew-Along Schedule
October – mid-November: Select pattern, purchase fabric, make first toile/muslin
mid-November: Calgary Sews Meetup to share our progress and help each other with fitting.
mid-November-mid-December: Cut fabric, begin sewing
mid-December: Calgary Sews Meetup (likely on Zoom) to share progress and help each other
mid-December – mid-January: Continue sewing, make decisions about embellishments
mid-January: Calgary Sews Meetup to share progress
February: Live get-together to show off our jackets!
How to Participate
If you’re in Calgary and are able to attend our Meetups, you’re encouraged to come to meetings or join the Zoom events.
Please post your progress on Instagram using the hashtag #yycsewalong23
You’re also welcome to post on our Facebook page.
Calgary Sews 
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