There’s something classic and feminine about a Chanel suit, so I’ve been seeking a good pattern to make them for the girls. Here’s one pattern I tried recently.

This one is Coco from HankieChic. This designer has moved from Etsy to another host since I last posted about one of her patterns: you can now find her patterns here.

I wasn’t sure about the big bow, but tried the pattern anyway. The top and skirt are actually a dress, and the top is a halter. It’s shown with an added belt. Both the dress and the jacket are lined.

I cut the suit from a yarn-dyed silk obi in taupe, and the blouse from a scrap of silk leftover from a blouse I made for myself ages ago. I cut the skirt and jacket lining from Bemberg rayon, and lined the halter top with the same silk fabric.

The jacket has raglan sleeves and a shoulder dart, then princess seams. The skirt has side seams and a center back opening.

There aren’t grainlines on the pattern pieces, which is characteristic of these HC patterns. I guessed, making the grainline vertical on all the pieces. I had some bias stretch on the front edges of the halter so if I made it again, I’d stabilize that edge by putting it on the grain.

Here’s the finished suit:

I think the neckline on the jacket is a bit wide on this one, and to me, the shoulders of the jacket are a bit big for B. There’s a gap between the neck of the halter and the jacket that could be addressed by adding maybe 1/8″ to the neckline all around. I might do the skirt differently too, with darts or pleats in the front and back. Also, I’ll probably lengthen the sleeves. I’m not much for a bracelet length sleeve on a jacket, though it’s common for dolls (probably because it’s easier to get a shorter wider sleeve over their hands.) So, modifications planned for this one. Overall, though, it’s quite cute – and I like the bow better than anticipated. 🙂

I also cut out a pillbox hat in the silk, using the pattern from that first suit, but haven’t sewn it together yet. They are fiddly to make.

I’m also in the midst of trying another suit pattern (the quest continues!) and will show it to you when it’s done.