Chanel Jacket tutorial 5 - hems and finishing

This is the home stretch of making the jacket! While there's still quite a bit of work to do we're nearly there!
There aren't any new concepts to worry about, I'm assuming you are an expert in fellstitching now - this will serve you well!
The hem, the cuff, the neckline and centre front are all finished in the same way - really it is the same way as the seams were, but with a hem! Press the hem of the fashion fabric. You might need to notch curved hems like the neckline.

Pin and press the lining to the hem allowance

Fellstitch the lining to the hem allowance

Chanel jackets have all sorts of finished, some have bias tape, others have selvedge of the fashion fabric as a trim. I chose braid. I did think about making my own hairpin lace braid, but you need a good 4-5 metres (depending on the size of the jacket, pockets etc.) so in the end I went out and bought some, Choose something that will ease round corners so you don't have to mitre it. I pinned the braid to the centre front/neckline/hem and to each of the cuffs and... fellstiched it on (of course)

I didn't go for pockets - they add bulk and I always carry a handbag. If you do want pockets the normal type is a patch pocket lined then fellstitched on. If you like, the top of the pocket can be trimmed with braid.
The final touch is the chain weight. The purpose of this is to counterbalance the heavy buttons and to make the jacket hang well. You need to choose a chain heavy enough for your fabric - I endee up getting one from the hardware store! I used upholstery thread to firmly attach each link to the top and the bottom.

And there we have it! It was hours of work, but the result is a jacket that is pretty versatile and comfortable. I hope you enjoyed reading this series of posts, and even if you don't jump in to making a jacket yourself that you have picked up some techniques that you might find useful.