Cadet Jacket and Styling by Tracey

Pattern, Marfy 3053

Mendel Goldberg wool tweed

Mood Fabrics silk charmeuse

Mokuba silk grosgrain ribbon

M&J Trimming buttons

Photography by Santiago Vanegas

Happy New Year, Everyone!  Let’s start the year off with lots of gratitude!  I started sewing only a few years ago and I give myself credit for my hard work and dedication.  But without a great teacher, it’s easy to spend years and years just spinning your wheels.  I’m so lucky that I found Susan Khalje.  This jacket is a product of my second Classic French Jacket workshop with Susan.  She has an incredible way of meeting you at your skill level and then somehow gently challenging you to go beyond your comfort zone.  Then before you know it, you have a beautifully made garment.  Besides Susan’s grace, expertise, and patience, she is a master of fit and I credit her with the fact that this jacket is like a second skin.  The fit is insane!!  I am so overjoyed with how this jacket turned out.  It definitely wasn’t simple.  It has 20 pattern pieces, for heaven’s sake and that doesn’t even include the lining!  Because the seaming is such a strong element to the jacket, selecting the right fabric was of the utmost importance.  I chose a simple tweed that would really show off the seams, and then went for a bold color with the ribbon trim and picked statement buttons. I had been fantasizing for a while about making a military coat and this jacket was perfect for those military stripes that I had been dreaming about.  Whenever I have the opportunity to work with Susan, I always try to pick a project with a number of elements that I’ve never tried before.  And this jacket certainly added to my skill set.  It was the best kind of challenge and well worth the effort.

For more information about Susan Khalje, please visit susankhalje.com

Next up:  Sunday, January 11, Courtney’s Opera Coat