Absolutely stunning. A must make.

Hi Janine, Great job on your jacket! I love It! And congratulations on your progress toward retirement.

Oh Wow Wow Wow! What a Beautiful French Jacket!

standing ovation on that jacket, bravo

Hooray for you! Your Chanel-style jacket fits beautifully and is so flattering.

Janine, you should be so proud of your french jacket...you look amazing!

Beautiful!! Thanks for sharing your challenge with the hem. I really like your trim.

Congratulations on making a beautiful jacket! Great job!❤️❤️❤️

Congrats on achieving one of your 2024 sewing goals-your jacket is perfect (remember the three foot rule in sewing!). We, sewists, are hardest on ourselves since we work so close to the garment being made. You’ll enjoy this garment for years. Thanks for mentioning Power Sewing videos. Just watched the one on lining knit pants. Wouldn’t have found it without your shout out!

Janine, your jacket is stunning! It looks fantastic on you. I love your choice of lining, it brings a smile everything you show it. Way to go!!

Great jacket! So glad that you could save it.

Beautiful jacket. Ron Collins is wonderful.

Wonderful jacket! Youve done a fabulous job putting it together!

Janine, What a nice jacket, and it looks so nice on you. What an accomplishment! I agree with you that it would look sharper with shoulder pads and sleeve heads, but otherwise, perfect.. Love your videos. Thank you for sharing. Suzanne

Your jacket is gorgeous. Love your choice for the lining

Well done Janine, your jacket certainly is a winner. Your patience, hard work and focus, definitely paid off and I'm sure it will be a winter staple in your wardrobe for years to come.❤

What a triumph, the jacket is lovely and a perfect fit. As you told the story of the over steamed hem, I was literally starting to type “wet blocking” I am also a knitter and it’s a super important part of making any knit wear. Great vlog and thank you for taking time to share.

Great job on the jacket. Ron Collins is the best and I plan to go to another one of his 3 day classes.

Wow, you made the perfect jacket. Beautiful ❤

Lovely jacket and it looks great on you. I have that pattern and you have inspired me to give it a try this year.

Perfect jacket. Colour suits you, hangs beautifully, the smile on your face says it all. What more would you want. Congratulations on your couture jacket. Looking forward to your second one 😊.

Your jacket looks so good. The colours are perfect for you and the fit is amazing. You should be totally proud of this accomplishment.

Oh, Janine, the French jacket is wonderful. Win, win, win for all your goals. I think that color will serve you well for years. Congrats on a successful project and the patience it took to get there…..

Catching up my sewing videos. Yesterday March 1 was spent traveling by car from Virginia to Florida. Not a very good trip but thank goodness we are here and enjoying time with family. It was so nice to be able to wear shorts today. Janine the jacket is beautiful. I hope you have many occasions to wear it & show it off. Another thing I did when I retired was I gave myself a year. I didn’t do any major housework or any major projects in the house or yard. I just basically kept clean where meals prepared,where we ate, slept,sat,and personal needs. I focused on myself doing exercises,relaxing, and when I basically started my sewing. If you haven’t donated a year to yourself it’s never too late.

Wow! Your jacket is beautiful! I’m not sure I’ve ever commented on a video of yours before but I’ve been eagerly awaiting this reveal. Congratulations on such a beautiful garment.

Gorgeous and amazing tips. Thx.

Love your new jacket ❤

Wow you should be so proud of the jacket. It’s so professional. I’m sure you’ll wonder what you ever did without it. It’s going to be so useful. Love the pin 😊

Beautiful jacket! It really looks high end!

Your jacket is just beautiful Janine! That is quite an accomplishment, wear it proudly! My favorite free indie pattern is the Harper Cardigan by Sinclair Patterns. I love that it comes in Petite, Regular and Tall files.

Congratulations on finishing your French jacket. The lining and the trim make it so special. All the fitting work you did paid off #highfive Regarding going to the gym: I still go in the mornings even though I’m not working. It’s ingrained into me because I used to go before work and the people I say hi to still go there as well.

I love your jacket. I find the longer I’m home the less productive I am, so I’m working on that. Izzy sees mad a beautifull crossbody purse from Lavender and Twine. I think it would be worth looking at.

So cute!!!

A make to be proud of! Fabulous! I just made the Sinclair Harper Cardigan and love it, it is a free pattern

Great job on your jacket! Fits well. Good colour on you. Classy and useful addition to any closet. ❤ it. I have used that T shirt pattern to make a couple of Ts for myself and a few other people with different body shapes too. Its a good basic. I just found the Styla reine shirt pattern which I am seriously thinking of doing as my frugal project this month. I'll be watching the videos for other inspiring ideas.

Harper Cardigan! I made 3 this winter all different lengths & they get worn a lot! Not a free pattern but I made the Harleson Belt Bag (cross body) by Noodlehead Patterns & it's perfect for a wallet, phone & keys. Your jacket looks so good on you! What an achievement you should be soooooo proud!

A homerun! I love your Chanel jacket. I have been sewing many years and never heard of a garment flipping out. Great you solved!

Janine. WOW, WOW, WOW! Such a gorgeous jacket! And the fit is perfect. Congratulations! ❤ ❤❤ Bernadette

Janine, your jacket is beautiful!! It looks fabulous on you and fits you perfectly. Your Mother's pin is lovely and adds that special touch. Well done!

A free pattern on repeat for me is the DIBY Anything but Basic tee, and they also have the Anything but Badic Leggings. The tee is, for me,especially good for drapery knits, and will go up a size for a cotton Lyra or French terry. FYI.

That's the first time I've ever heard of using a chain along a jacket hem to weigh it down. I've heard of metal weights in the bottom corners of curtains, but never jackets. Now I need to look that up. I guess we learn new things no matter how old we get. Your jacket is lovely.

Exceptional job on your jacket! Lovely, functional and a classic. Regarding bag making, have you noticed Wandee Easy Sewing channel on KZfaq? She makes gazillions of them in all shapes and sizes, and of course, free! ❤ Suzanne

Your jacket is absolutely stunning! I love the lining, the trim and the fit. Such an amazing job - well done you! So funny because I’m working on that Big 4 tee (I have the old McCall’s one) right now and not having a good time with it. 🤣 Congrats on joining a gym - that’s fabulous! I really need to focus on getting in shape and losing the weight I’ve gained over the holidays but it’s so hard to find the time. I mean, I would have to give up some sewing time for it so… decisions, decisions… 🤣 My all-time favourite free pattern is the Harper Cardigan by Sinclair. I have also had success with the Uvita top by Itch-to-Stitch. Hope you’re having a great weekend!! Xx 💞

What a gorgeous jacket. Bravo for not giving up

I’ve been watching those Power Sewing Videos….she’s so mean to him 😂 . Your jacket is beautiful and I love that fun lining. I’m glad you were able to fix the jacket, kudos on that fit. I think my favorite free pattern is the Sunday V neck tee from the Friday Pattern Company. I can use up off cuts I have for the sleeves and neckband. It’s a great around the house, and even pj top tee.

congratulations. I just found this pattern this year and am finishing mine hopefully this month. I am waiting on trim. Your jacket looks really nice. Great job.

Wow! Your jacket is brilliant. Congratulations on a major project well done.

Janine, your jacket is beautiful! Congratulations!!

The jacket looks awesome Well done! I have been told that the weighted cord for making drapes put in the hem works for coat making there are a few types. Might be something to check out. It could be helpful for another coat project I see more coming it turned out so well I am a stay at home person What I do is I get up in the morning with my husband for coffee and send him to work I do all my housework or things that I need to get accomplished In the morning I plan our supper do any baking cleaning etc. Then afternoon is my excercise time , then the rest of the afternoon I go to my office (sewing room lol) It's my happy place. I enjoy the time spent sewing it's so rewarding to wear something like your lovely jacket. Definitely time well spent. I don't feel guilty or think that I should be doing something more important. My husband is very good about asking what I am working on. That I spend some of my day sewing. He als knows that when we go to the city a stop by fabricland is always on the list Happy sewing ✂️🧵🪡👚 Thanks for sharing your sewing journey with us Take care

Isn’t it lovely to have a near perfect jacket? It’s beautiful and your fit is spot on. This will serve you for years. 🎉

Bravo, Janine! So glad you had the patience to finish and it looks good. The trim was well selected to suit the fabric and lining is lovely. I think you are right about the shoulder pads; even a 1/2 to 1" pad would really lift the shoulders especially in the back. Had to look back a few times to see what you meant. Have always loved the Chanel jacket (and skirts). Next time a muted tweed and / or a patterned tweed? Regarding shoulder pads for any other jacket you may make, you may want to look up the technique which Peggy Sager uses. (Silhouette Patterns). I learned this technique back in the 70's from a friends mother who had worked at one time in the "rag trade in NYC". Used it since then on most of the jackets and coats I have sewn. Makes such a difference. (You would also need some tie interfacing) Cheers and happy sewing. Joan

What an amazing make! And thank you for the lesson learned about heavy steaming for the hem. Question: Did you pre steam the whole piece of fabric before you cut it out? Would you recommend even heavier steaming as in trying to shrink it all? Seems daunting!

Beautiful grey fabric.

The jacket fits perfectly! I got my French jacket out I made a few years ago and my body has changed so much, my shoulders are so round now, I’ve just had my 71st birthday , and it rides up in the back. It just isn’t wearable now. I think I might try another if I can find a sewing buddy to help with fitting. I’ve got to get sewing a harvest apron for my daughter from some of my mother’s everyday clothes. There’s directions online for that. That’s my plans until gardening time!

I really like the Stellan tshirt by I think it's French Navy pattern company. Although I changed it about. It has a dropped shoulder that doesn't really suit my narrow shoulders. I also made a fanny pack from free pattern. Of course I can't remember the name of the company that released it. It's not very big, has a nice shape, holds my phone, sunglasses, and I added interior pockets for cards. I will send you the info later today. Your jacket is stunning. The fit is perfect! Where on the body of thr jackets did you start the trim, how did you join the ends, and did you sew it on by machine or hand? I just finished a jacket I call the Burberry/Chanel mash up. There was so much hand sewing on it, but what a sense of accomplishment when. It was finished, I'm sure you feel the same. Now it's time for some easier, quick sewing. What better time than the frugal sewing challenge. Congrats on joining a gym. My friend is motivating me to just start an exercise plan, other than walking. I'm also joining a chair yoga class with a friend and my sister. I have to get out of the mind set that there are things I have to do on the weekend! I'm retitled, that is no longer the case.

Hi Janine, thank you for sharing your French jacket journey with us. Your jacket turned out beautifully and is such an achievement. Did you hand sew or machine sew the lovely trim you added to your jacket? Also thank you for the referral to the sewing channel - I subscribed straight away, as like you, I wish to continually improve on my sewing and fitting skills. I look forward to your next sewing adventure. 🌸

Quite professional trim

I wouldn't trust any dry cleaner with your beautiful jacket. I'd spot clean, brush and air it out.

I'm in Tucson, AZ and we no longer have Fabricland. They closed years ago. They had good fabric.