A New Jacket in time for Christmas

Living in Somerset and being so far away, if I sew for my sister it's ages before she gets the finished garment. We started this jacket back in the summer. Toiles and fittings take a long time as we only get chance to meet up every few months.  But finally the jacket is done, and I think she really likes it.

I've chosen couture techniques to construct this garment.  The fabric is a woollen tweed which has been quilted to the lining to give it structure, but at the same time keep it soft.   I used the edges of the fabric to made a trim to finish the edge of the jacket and then I stitched a velvet ribbon over the top of the trim to finish it off.

The fabric frayed a lot when I was working with it, so I added extra seam allowances when I cut it out, and tacked around the outline of the pattern  before removing it from the fabric. Then I checked it again and re tacked once the quilting was done. This allowed me to keep the pattern sizing correct.  Then I stitched the jacket together with the help of the tacked lines,  it was a lot of work, but I believe it was worth it.

She made the trousers  she is wearing herself, I drafted the pattern for her last year, then she made up her own trousers.  I just need to encourage her to have a go a tailoring now and she can have her new outfits quicker!!