Sunday, February 24, 2008

Corduroy Coat is Finished


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I finished my coat last night, and I am just pretty pleased with it. It seemed to finish up fast, which was nice and kind of unexpected. I wore it to church this morning, and these pictures were taken after I got home. You can see them all here in greater detail, plus a few close-ups of details.


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I did a lot of hand sewing on this coat, including basting every seam by hand, attaching most of the underlining and some of the interfacing. I also did a hand-inserted lining except at the sleeve hems. It was a nice project, and I didn't mind the extra time it took to baste because I did almost no ripping. There were a few places where I had basted the seam on a curved spot with the corduroy and it still slipped when I stitched. So, I learned to baste and pin in those spots, or baste again. I wasn't using a terribly small basting stitch, but the layers were so thick that it was difficult to do a small stitch even if I wanted to, so at times I basted twice.

Once again Marfy patterns show their great lines and drafting with the subtle shaping incorporated into the style. It's so nice how everything goes together just the way it should, and the way we wish all patterns would. It makes all the difference to the outcome when you match seamlines rather than cutting-lines too. More work at the beginning, but it makes everything else go so much more smoothly all the way through. Proper preparation is worth all the work involved every time.

So, how was it to wear? Very comfortable, and it seems to be quite warm, although we're having a warm-up today, so it didn't get a real test. I like the buttons, but I will admit that they feel very pointy when you're buttoning them. I don't mind my fingers, but I hope they won't be hard on the buttonhole lips. Here it is unbuttoned.


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12 comments:

Vicki said...

Very nice indeed! The two fabrics have turned out really well in the style.

LauraLo said...

This is a great coat, Liana, I love it!

Shannon said...

All the hand sewing and attention to detail really paid off - this is another great Liana creation!!

Angelia said...

Wow! This is a beautiful coat!
I found your blog through Laurasewingroom, lots of great info on here too! Thanks

Elaray said...

Wonderful! I like the mix of fabrics. And you wear it well!

Barbara at Cat Fur Studio said...

Wonderful luxury, and at the same time, casual in attitude. It is going to be a chameleon coat for you. You'll be able to wear it almost anywhere, I think. Beautiful job, as always.

Linda said...

Your coat is great. I agree, you will be able to wear this almost anywhere. It looks very warm, which is something some of us still need this time of year. :(

Carolyn (Diary of a Sewing Fanatic) said...

Its a stunningly beautiful coat, Liana!

Anonymous said...

I have never tried Marfy but everything I see of yours is stunningly beautiful and chic...I need to learn more about these

Mariela Alethia said...

Beautiful and the fit is superbbbbbbb

Paula Gardner said...

Your coat looks fantastic! It's an inspiration to actually use the coat pattern that I bought in December...maybe next October or so.

Linda L said...

Wow! Really like this coat.