The story on soutache (Threads April/May 2019 #202) inspired me to post. In the summer of 2015, my family saw the WWI – WWII exhibit at Les Invalids in Paris, France. I fell in love with the trims and braids used on the cuffs of officer’s uniforms. A year later, I made an asymmetrical collared wool cashmere jacket from Vogue 8714, and lined it with silk charmeuse. (Cashmere from the now-defunct Barron’s Fabrics, Camarillo CA, and silk from Thaisilks.com.) It was a bit boring, and begged for trim. I didn’t want colored or metallic trim, as it I wanted the jacket to be a versatile wardrobe staple.  I took the jacket to Susan Khalje’s March 2016 class in Vista, CA, where Susan Khalje and Cindy Dahlin suggested making tubes of self trim from bias cut strips. I “fiddled” with the tubes for some time, finally deciding on snail-shell like swirls of different sizes.  One test placement was shown in Susan Khalje’s Threads blog https://www.threadsmagazine.com/2016/03/14/sewing-inspiration-susan-khalje-shares-couture-work-by-her-students
My final placement is shown in the accompanying photos. Not quite as elaborate as the officers’, but still, I think, quietly beautiful.  For more pictures of my projects, see my blog, https://fitsewbeautiful.com/blog

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