November Collection Continued - the San Diego swing jacket

Here's a peak at what I've been working on.   I finished this yesterday.     It looks great with the pinstripe silk and some other silver gray pieces I have.   If you've looked at some of the Chanel collections over the past few years, this is a variation,  as is the knit boucle jacket.  Chanel is rarely the little jacket anymore,  although those are always there in one form or another.      I'm happy to say that I am getting stronger and am just as head strong.   When I wasn't strong, I still persevered to do what I wanted to do, that I was physically capable of.     It might have taken longer, but I did it.   I know that helped me mentally as well as physically.   Now I want to do everything I couldn't do before.   I had other things to do today but did some cutting out.    Today I walked into our local market without my cane!     I felt like Rocky standing at the top of those stairs.

If you've followed my sewing, you know that I like to take advantage of the fabric and use simple but different styles.   Never use cheap fabric -- not worth your time.

Here are some details of this jacket:

• The San Diego jacket pattern has two piece sleeves that I did a faux flat fell seam and used a multiple step zig zag to secure all the seams at the neckline.    I eliminated the sleeve hems and pinked the edges before applying the bands that are secured in the seams.
• sleeves are bracelet length which is an elegant look and best for layering.
• The length is 22 or 23" and the hem is pinked and unfinished with the band sewn inside.
• The boucle looks the same on both sides -   I marked one side and used that as the outside.  
• The bands of the wool double knit are also pinked and topstitched 1/4" from each edge.  
•  I put contrast bands at the inside collar (no facing - only one layer of the jacket) and the inside hem, then on the outside of the sleeves.    

I'm working on other coordinates and added vertical bands to the boucle knit jacket (open and closed photos below) but don't like them on this one.    It's easy to get carried away and junk things up.    I like simple so the fringe at the front edges is enough.

 I used this braided frog clasp as the closure for this jacket.     I bought some nice closures from Couture Fabrics of Alexandria before they closed.   This is one, and the plaid wool boucle came from there as well.   I was a very good customer and even taught classes for them when my schedule permitted.