Fun in Omaha - ASG Class

The Coat Class I did for the Omaha ASG yesterday went very well.  I had a good time, and I think everyone else did too.  I had said earlier that I was taking about 6 coats that I'd made, but when I got them all together and actually counted them, there were 8.  I hadn't realized I'd made that many, and now I feel very virtuous, or productive, or something anyway. 


This is my latest Coat/Jacket as I'm putting it on and buttoning it up to show the fit.  Yes, it really does match across the seams and hem, but not while I'm buttoning it.

Here's a favorite I wear all the time, and you can see the slide of the Marfy catalog illustration of it.

This is the second time I've done this class, and it's just so much fun.  I hope I will get to do it again.

Ooh, also a little tid-bit I heard while there:  Kenneth King is coming to Kearney, Nebraska this fall to do a 2-day workshop for the Bishop Educators group.  I will make sure I get to attend!

A Fast Raincoat

From Raincoat

I'm heading to Chicago in the morning to have a sewing weekend with some fabulous friends from all over the continent. Patti, who lives in Chicago, has invited us all to come and attend the Haute Couture Club's Fashion Show and Luncheon. We will naturally take the opportunity to do some Power Shopping of the Fiberly Kind, and of course there will be lots of chatting, show and tell, etc. At the last minute, almost (about a week ago) we decided to have a challenge, and any garment we started after the challenge was issued and finished before the event counts. I can't wait to see what Patti, Linda, Kay, Ann and Nancy show up with. This raincoat is my challenge garment.

I decided I needed a new raincoat for the trip, and since I've had this fabric on hand waiting to be a raincoat for a couple of years at least, I was ready to go, sort of.

From Raincoat

Deciding on a pattern was my next problem. I think a raincoat should be very roomy so it's easy to pull on over bulky layers if necessary, and I decided to go with the Marfy cape pattern #0493 I've used before, but I knew I would lengthen it both at the hem and the sleeves. So it's only sort-of capey. I started this on Sunday and finished it Tuesday. It's unlined, as the fabric has a very slick finish on the wrong side. The right side is a coated print. When I bought it, it was almost sticky/rubbery feeling, but now it's not sticky at all, so I don't know if it's aged well, or lost its oomph. It's much nicer now, IMO.

I enlarged the pockets from the original, and I think they're just the right size now. I love this style with the gathered pocket placed into the band.

From Raincoat

I think the most interesting and fun detail on the coat is the closure.

From Raincoat

I knew I needed some kind of focal point, as there's just so much pattern to the fabric, and with the cape-styling, there's a large expanse of unbroken fabric. I originally thought of Ultrasuede for some kind of front band or something, but I couldn't find any Ultrasuede anywhere, or anything to stand in for it. I thought of snaps, and was very pleased to find these Magnetic Snaps at JoAnn's in their handbag notions. They're exactly the same as those in the snap area, but much more reasonably priced. I used 5 in all, but still wanted something like Ultrasuede to place on the right side of the snap placement area. There was nothing, so I scouted around the store, thinking there might be some small suede or leather scrap stuff in the craft area that would be big enough for what I wanted. Well, you'll never guess what I finally used. In fact, I think it would be fun if you all just guess. So leave a comment if you think you know. I'll give you a hint or two. It's not fabric. I purchased it at JoAnn's, and it comes in quite a few colors.

I think it's going to be a nice coat to just throw on when I need it, and it's going to be perfect for my trip, as it's no-wrinkle, and certainly won't show any spills, if they don't just wipe off anyway.

From Raincoat

The Coat On Me

Thank you all for the very, very kind comments on my coat! Since I always want to see everyone's garments on them, I feel like a cheater just showing things on my dressform. I was anxious to get some photos of me wearing it and I was lucky enough to get my father to take some photos of me in the coat this afternoon when I was over there. They turned out pretty well I think.

Of course we all see every flaw in our own work, and I can see them here, but I've decided to quit obsessing once something's done, and just enjoy the finished product. I love this coat, and as many of you guessed, it's really luxurious feeling. I'm sure it's probably the most glamorous coat I'm likely to have or make, and I'm going to take advantage!

You can see all the coat photos here.

As a special bonus, my parents noted that there were some photos on the card in their camera from the last few times they'd taken pictures. There were about 12; some from last winter and some from the summer before that. As you can tell, they're not exactly shutterbugs. So, they sent the whole camera home with me until I get a replacement for mine. How nice!

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve and a great New Year. We always watch the Rose Parade on television. A tradition, and lots of fun. It always seems to get the new year off to a pleasant beginning.

Cashmere Coat is Finished

Link to All Photos in this Post

I got the buttonholes finished today, and now I'm completely done. I'm very pleased with this project. I don't have any photos of me wearing it because I dropped the camera on a cement floor while I was taking these photos, and that was the end of that!

I don't think you can see the shaping very well on the form, but it has a very nice, subtly slimming line, and has a lovely shaping to the side seam area, even though it doesn't have side seams as such. Marfy drafting shows its excellence once again, at least in my opinion.

The lining is silk charmeuse, and I used the same corded-look whipstitch with DMC floss to attach the lining to the body of the coat as I used on the pocket linings. I also attached the monogram circle to the right front lining in the same way.


Here's a close-up of one of the buttonholes. I used the same DMC floss to make them as I used on the lining, etc.

The stitches are fairly large, and even at this scale they tend to disappear into the pile of the cashmere. I love the way the bead on the edge of the lips makes a perfect line, and I think the variegated floss adds just a little spark to it.

Here are the buttons buttoned through the buttonholes.


I want to thank Marji of the Great Coat Sew-Along for spurring so many of us to start and finish a coat project. I know I would not have attempted such a complicated project with so many new techniques without her encouragement and knowledge. I think she's planning to open the GCSA blog up to viewing after the first of the year, and I would recommend it to anyone who's interested in making a coat or jacket.

Coat Buttons

I finished my coat on Saturday night, except for the buttons and buttonholes. I had determined that I wanted to do hand buttonholes, and I'd tried to choose buttons some time ago with a swatch of fabric, but I just couldn't decide, and so I waited until I could take the coat with me to the button shops. I knew I wanted something rather unique, but which didn't take attention away from the entire garment, but complimented it. It was also hard to be sure of the right size until I could see them on the coat


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I am very pleased and rather surprised with my choice. I actually had two of these buttons already, and had thought I liked them a lot with this. Of course I had no idea where I had found them, or even when I had bought them. Amazingly, there they were at Sew Creative, so I bought two more. I will have to get an extra next time I'm there, but I thought I had three at home, so only bought two more.

I think these look a little like Jules Verne flywheels or something. Very engineered, anyway. I also bought another set of buttons just in case, but these were definitely it.

I have 2 of the buttonholes done at this point, and will finish the final two tomorrow I hope. So far, I'm really pleased with the coat, and I can't wait to show it off in its completed state.

Coat Progress 3

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This is the collar edge, showing the hand topstitching I've been doing. I wanted it to look somewhat like saddle stitching, although it's kind of a hybrid between prickstitch and backstitch. I've done this around the pockets, flaps, collar and on both front edges. I used 2 strands of Mettler's Silk-finish Cotton thread.

Here is the way I did the stitching if you're interested. Pull out a very long length of thread, double it and thread your needle with both ends. Tie a knot in those two ends. This ensures that when you want to go back a stitch or two to correct things, as you will, you can just unthread your needle, pull out the stitching and re-thread.

I stitched right to left. Come up with your thread a stitch-length to the left of where you want to begin. Insert your needle to the right, at your desired starting point. Come up again a stitch length to the left of your first stitch. Continue this way until you're done. This allows for fairly long stitch lengths, which is what I wanted, while still doing the work of an edge stitch even though the stitch is long and fairly loose so that the stitching won't disappear in the pile of the fabric.

It's easy to keep your line straight by using your thread and needle as a guide. Make sure you've inserted your needle so that you're going straight before you push it all the way through and up again. Use a needle that's at least an inch and a half long for this so you can line it up with the stitching you've already done. Too short a needle is not the thing for this, at least with fabric this thick. You can also hold the length of the thread out ahead of your work to judge where you're going, especially on angles or curves.

Here's my coat as it is right now, hemmed, unlined, sleeve hems pinned, and the coat pinned closed at the neck only. I still need to find buttons I like. That will be my after Christmas project.


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I have the lining just about ready to go in now, and I'm having such fun working with the silk charmeuse. My new Pfaff sews it just like a dream. I tried a 1.5mm stitch length, as promoted by Linda Lee, and it looks gorgeous. I can hardly wait to sew something else with charmeuse. It's been a long time since I did anything with it but line jackets.

Monogram and Pockets

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I wanted to add some special touches to my coat, and a nice interior monogram is one of them. This will be appliquéd to the lining. I tried various threads and embroidery flosses and was a little surprised that I liked this variegated floss the best. It's a DMC linen floss. I'm also using it for a nice edge finish on the lining.


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Here are the pockets and flaps after topstitching, but before lining.


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Here's the inside of one set of lined pocket and flap. You can see the lining edge treatment, with a close-up below. It's just a whipstitch, but I think it gives it a pretty, corded effect.


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Thanks to all of you that commented on my steam generator. I like it very much, and I did end up doing a pretty widespread re-do of my sewing area because of it. That was a good thing too. I have a better working arrangement now I think.

Smocking, Pockets, Patrones, and Weights

May very kindly offered me an extra copy of the September Patrones and of course I jumped at it. It's a great issue, with a special section of coats and also of high-waisted skirts and pants as well as the usual mix of garments. It's so interesting to see the designer garments they feature. I will have a hard time deciding on one garment to try first. You can see the issue in the photo below, along with several other interesting things.

 

I got more weights from my darling brother. I especially like the smaller, amoeba-shaped ones. They fit nicely in the hand, and are a perfect shape for corners of pattern pieces, and for odd curves, etc. They're so nicely polished and smooth and just kind of fun to hold. Like the first long strips, they're stainless steel, as are the narrower, curved-end strips at the top.

I went to a Sewing Guild meeting last night, and our program was so good. Carla Fiedler, one of our members, is a very serious smocker. She did a Trunk Show for us, showing probably 25-30 smocked garments and a few purses, pillows, Easter eggs, and heirloom quilts incorporating smocking that she'd made. Very inspiring, as all of her construction is just as meticulous and beautiful as her smocking. The group's choice for most fabulous piece was a First Communion dress in silk with smocking as well as many heirloom techniques which she made for one of her daughters. It was just breathtaking, and obviously an heirloom in its own right.

She then taught a short introduction to smocking. She provided pleated swatches, or as she called them "doodlepatches" and needles threaded with floss. We learned to do an up-cable and down-cable and traveling stitches. I can see that it would be fun to do a real project, and was especially intrigued by a photo of somewhat abstract smocking from an Australian Smocking & Embroidery magazine she passed around.

I learned two other related techniques that were new to me as well. One is a method of knotting your thread that's very much like a french knot, and the other was a method of separating strands of floss called "Strip and Squeak". It's been a long time since I separated floss, but I always have just done it the way my grandmother taught me when I was a little girl. This is much more fun, and looks like a better method as well.

Finally, a photo of some coat progress. This is the interfacing attached to one pocket and flap. Since the photo was taken, they've both been finished, the edges pressed in place, basted, topstitched and ready for the lining. I need to cut out my lining for everything so I don't do the pocket pieces from the wrong spot.

 

Although The Peep was on his appointed rounds again last night, I'm glad to announce that there were no gifts in the garage this morning. After reading the comments from all of you cat lovers, I'm relieved that he didn't bring the rabbit into the sewing room for safe-keeping. Not that he had the chance, thank goodness.

Last of all, I ordered something today that I've been wanting for a long time. I've been suffering with an iron on its last legs for quite a while now (it got knocked off the ironing board, and since then the steam only works when you push the burst-of-steam button, but then the button won't come back up so you have to reach in with a pair of tweezers and pull the stem of the button back up - see how I suffer!) and its replacement is on the way. I took a recommendation from a Guild friend on what to get, so I hope I like it as much as she does. You will see it when it arrives.

Progress and Weirdness

I'm very pleased with my coat progress yesterday. I cut off the extra fabric at the fronts, cut out the pockets and flaps (they seem to match very well,) and got one pocket/flap pair interfaced and the edges pressed.

Before I got brave enough to cut the pockets, I procrastinated by ironing 20 shirts. Now you know that means I was willing to do anything rather than start in on the cutting. Pearle was happy with his shirts though, and I admit half of them were mine that had been waiting to be ironed, so it was equal opportunity wrinkles for a while there. I don't wear shirts as much in the winter though since I like something warmer, so probably he suffered more than I. He does have a few other shirts though.

So. On to the weirdness. Our cat, The Peep, likes to stay out all night, or at least the late night through to morning, even when it's pretty darn cold, and he's a hunter. He can come into the garage to wait to get into the house in the mornings, and a lot of times he's snoozing out there when we open the door, but this morning, we found a "present" from him. He popped right in and went and drank some milk, leaving his very large rabbit out in the garage. I'd show you a photo, but it's pretty graphic. I moved the car out to clean up, and honestly, they could have filmed an episode of CSI out there! Generally he eats his catches and there's not much left but a smear here and there, although they're usually smaller. I think. Maybe this was his second catch of the night or something, because it was pretty complete still and he had no further interest in it. It was just me, the Windex, Clorox Wipes, Lysol and paper towels. I'd just as soon he left his 'trophies' elsewhere.


The Peep



"Nature Red in Tooth and Claw" around here. Definitely. He is a very nice, smart cat who knows his business, and I have to say there's very little rabbit, shrew or ground squirrel trouble in my garden, and he seems to leave the birds alone for the most part.

Now, back to cashmere, with relief.

Coat Progress Report

Yes, I'm back to working on my coat, although it's been a harrowing process, and although life has definitely gotten in the way, I will finish this.

I've been somehow unwilling to take the next steps with it, and I finally decided that it's because I don't like the extra I added to the front per Roberta Carr's instructions. After careful looking, pinning and checking of both the muslin version and the actual coat in process, I've decided to cut off the extra and go with the original Marfy drafting. I don't know why I thought I should try to improve on them, they obviously know more than I do. Why did I not listen to Ann Rowley, who some time ago very kindly noted that this was NOT the way coats were done anywhere she's been. They always tape the edge and pull up on the tape if it wants to swing open. After my testing, I suspect that Marfy has already taken the whole issue into account somewhat anyway. So, as usual, I make work for myself that I don't need.

Part of this epiphany came about after I pulled out my corduroy/suedecloth Marfy carcoat I made last year and thought about it as I wore it. It's about the same circumference or narrower than the cashmere, and seems to be fine, even though I whacked it off shorter than designed. I had forgotten how much I like it until I put it on again. I do wish I had done padstitching in the lapels, but I didn't really know enough I guess. I'm now wondering if I could do a little remedial stitching invisibly through the back of the lapels and get results. Any opinions, or even the voice of experience? I'd love to know.

I also have been working on cutting the patch pockets and flaps, and realized quickly that I really can't match the pattern perfectly since there's a dart that ends below the top of the pocket. So, I'm going to match the front and lower edges of the pocket and match the flap to the pocket and call it good. As busy as the pattern is, I think that will be fine. I only get one chance with this since the repeat is large, and I have to have a pocket and flap that match on each side, and I don't believe there is enough fabric to do another set. I'm going to trace 2 copies each of the pocket and flap pieces so I can place them all before I cut.

So, work is progressing, although not as quickly as I could wish. I don't want to rush though, or try to do tricky things (like match and cut out the pockets) at less than optimum times, like late at night when I'm too tired to realize I'm too tired to do things right.

Coat Progress

Coat Photos Link

Finally, a progress report on the cashmere coat. It's coming along pretty well, if by fits and starts. The photo above is of the coat body after underlining, with the collar just sitting on the coat with a pin on each side at the front. Notice how beautifully it works. I padstitched the undercollar and stand, but I think the fact that the collar is designed with a separate stand has a lot to do with the way it looks. It just has to have the perfect shape because it's designed right into it. Here's the collar sitting on a table after it's been stitched and turned, and with the upper and under stand seams pinned together.




I agonized quite a bit over the layout and cutting. I have to say I'm pleased as punch with the way the pattern match came out. I did try really hard to get it right, but there's always an element of luck that plays into it, I think. Anyway, it came out almost perfectly. I have to think that one of the reasons this fabric was expensive is because they used a fabric designer who made it possible to get this really great match. Here's a close up of the match on the side back and center back seams.



Tomorrow there probably will not be any sewing done because we're having a new furnace put in, and it's right down by my sewing area. I'm going to move a lot of things, and cover everything I don't move with sheets so I don't have to worry about dust on everything. At least I hope I won't.

Coat Muslin

Well, I've pretty well finished the coat muslin on The Great Coat Sew-Along. I haven't heard from Marji on her opinion of it since I got the sleeves in and the collar on. We had thought it might be too big in the back, and I tried narrowing it a bit. It was not good that way. I think the cashmere is going to hang differently enough from the muslin that the center back won't fold as it is now. I think it will look rather luxurious and nicely full. I hope so anyway. Pearle had a good point as well, which was that since this was going to be kind of a special coat, I may want to wear it for a long time, and I may gain a pound or two at some time in the future. Heaven forbid, but I would not be terribly surprised. Even if I stay the size I am now, I like the way it feels and looks. Here are the photos of the finished muslin. Now if Marji comes up with something, I'm going to try it, but for now, I'm pretty well set on this, with possible adjustment of the off-grain center front. It's swinging a little far to the side in the muslin, but you can't tell what will happen in the actual fabric, which is thicker and heavier. And as Roberta Carr says, you can always cut it off and you're right back where you started, no harm, no foul.


More Muslin Photos

These are taken with only a blouse underneath. You can see it with a suit jacket underneath, without sleeves at the Link above. The other photos with sleeves are with the back narrowed, which I don't like.

My fabric is on its way, and when it comes I'm going to work on deciding what underlining and lining, etc. I will use. I don't think I have any silk that I'll want to use for the lining, but I want to see how a few prints I have look with the cashmere. I'm not sure I have enough of any of them either, but I can see.

Coat Work

I've got the body of my coat muslin together and ready to check. I'll take photos tomorrow and see how it really looks. So far, I'm pretty pleased. I haven't tried it with a jacket or sweater underneath, but it looks like I should have plenty of room for that.

Marji asked about the pattern drafting on the front/side piece and I have some photos of the piece itself and of the marked muslin, which is easier to see I think. As always, follow the photos links to PBase where you can see larger, more detailed photos.

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There's a lot of shaping in the dart which is really the side seam, and it makes a nice waistline curve on the coat. You can see that much better on the close-up of the muslin piece here.

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There's not a lot of seam allowance after you cut down to the horizontal dart so you can match the vertical dart. When sewing the first side I stitched the horizontal dart and then cut down to release it. On the second side I tried cutting first. This was a mistake I think, as it leaves such tiny seam allowances to work with twice instead of just once. This is definitely a spot for some reinforcement and/or overcasting.
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MaryBeth commented on the attractions of a pattern already drafted for turn-of-cloth, and I thought you might all enjoy seeing the collar and undercollar patterns stacked up. The undercollar is on the top, and is quite a bit smaller. The CB and neck seam areas match exactly, then the upper collar gradually increases toward the point and remains larger all along the outer edge.

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The collar stands and front facing are also drafted this way.

Below you can see the inside and outside views of the vertical/horizontal dart combination after it's stitched.


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Tins asked about the Roberta Carr off-grain adjustment. It's in the Palmer/Pletsch book, Couture by Roberta Carr. It's a method of adding a wedge of fabric to an opening, like a coat front or a skirt slit or whatever so that it hangs closed nicely. I imagine we've all had skirts that had a nice, on-grain slit that wanted to swing open all the time. This happens with anything that's sort of narrow, or at least not really flared, and which has an on-grain edge at the opening. You add according to the formula, and it all depends on the length of the garment and the weight and properties of the fabric for how much you add. On the muslin it's a little tough to tell since it's not the thickness that the cashmere is, but I think it's going to be a nice addition to the pattern.

I did get my swatches today and I don't care for any of the contrasts they sent with the print. They're all beautiful fabrics, but they don't really go with this. So I'm planning on an all-print coat. I'm wondering if it isn't yarn-dyed and jacquard woven too, as it has the pattern on both the front and back. The contrasts were all wool/cashmere blends and they didn't have the same surface look as the 100% cashmere, which is probably okay, but the weight and feel of the fabric is completely different. After feeling and holding the almost weightless cashmere, the wool blends feel stiff and heavy.

Coat Decisions Part 1

Well, after all my pattern ideas, I have settled on one that I didn't even mention or show in the last post. I should have realized right away that since this fabric has such a busy print, it needs a very staid, classic style to balance it. When this year's Marfy catalog came out, there was a coat pattern in it that is a style I'd been looking for, and although I had no plans to make another coat anytime soon, I bought it. I knew that if I didn't, with my luck when I wanted the style I wouldn't be able to get it or find another. This is Marfy #1746.


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I actually looked at this pattern originally when I was going through coat patterns I have, but I was so fixated on a swing-type coat that I just dismissed it, and as I said, a swing coat style with this fabric just never came together in my mind, no matter how hard I tried to make it do so. For some reason, I came back around to this pattern and looked at it again, and suddenly I could see it in this fabric, and it seemed to be just perfect.

The pattern has a Front and Side piece that are cut in one with a vertical dart from the pocket level to the armscye in lieu of a princess seam, and also a short horizontal dart off of the vertical dart. There is no side seam. The Side piece joins the Back as an armscye princess seam, so there's a lot of unbroken area for a patterned fabric. There is a CB seam. It has a 2-piece sleeve of course, and the under- and upper-collar and front facing are drafted to include the turn-of-cloth. I've found all Marfy patterns to include this, and it's awfully nice. There are no lining pieces, but that's easily remedied.

I've ordered a swatch of the gorgeous Cashmere Print I want to use from Elliott Berman Textiles, and also asked for a swatch of a plain cashmere or similar fabric in the darker color if they have it. I think it would be fun to do the facings, under collar, and bottom side of the pocket flaps in the plain color. They said they'd look, and if I can't get it, doing everything in one fabric will work very nicely too.

I checked the hem circumference of this pattern against several other patterns I have, and also against several coats I have, and although at 60" it's narrower than the other patterns I checked (the Patrones is 74") it's the same as 3 coats I have that I like very much, and which are perfectly comfortable in width. So, I'm not worried about that.

Marji suggested that I do Roberta Carr's off-grain addition to the CF on this coat since it is fairly narrow, and I'm glad she brought it up as I'm not sure I would have thought of it. It's an easy change to make, and I'm now ready to cut out the muslin and stitch it up to try on. I'm glad to do this muslin for reasons other than the obvious fitting, as I'm figuring my own yardage needs, and I came up with 3 yards by measuring the pattern pieces. The catalog recommends 2.8 meters for a smaller size than mine, so I'm hoping to be pretty close. I don't want to order more than I need to, and I certainly don't want to get too little. I cut my muslin piece at 3 yards, so I'll see if it will work. If not, I've got more muslin and either way I'll know how much to order. I may order a little extra anyway, just in case, and for print placement.

My sister had a wonderful idea about using any scraps. She suggested glove cuffs, and wouldn't that be pretty luxurious? I've decided that any gloves I make should themselves be a knit or at least non-ravel fabric that's somewhat stretchy. Even leather has some stretch. Anyway, that's all pie in the sky until the coat is done.

I know I'll need underlining for this, and I'm anxious to get the swatch and see what I think might work, and I need to find a really nice lining. I'm thinking silk, and I'll see if I have something I like or if I need to order something.

As The Vogue Sewing Book says:

"Don't skimp on the inner fabrics: interfacings, underlinings, and lining fabrics should match your fashion fabric's quality."

I want to do this well, and if I'm going to use a wonderful fabric, I want to at least try to end up with a wonderful coat. I'm certainly going to have all the help I could ask for to get it right.

One thing I've realized while planning and thinking about this is that although I've always said Yes when asked if I have more than one project going at once, I actually don't do it very often, or at least if I do, it's not more than one "major" project, so this will be an interesting experience from that angle as well. I'm not sure I'm really comfortable putting down the jacket I'm working on, for example, and beginning pattern work on this coat. I think I need a list with steps to do on it more than ever before.

Coat Pattern Dilemma

I was lucky enough to get to participate in the Marji's Great Coat Sew-Along although I wasn't sure if I was going to be sewing or just watching and learning. It seems that I may get to sew, but now I can't make up my mind about a pattern. I was thinking seriously about this Patrones design, either as a raincoat or in a seafoam melton.

Patrones Coat

Then I saw this fabulous Cashmere Print, and I've been thinking about it ever since. I've gone back and forth and right now I'm forth. The big problem is that I can't decide on a pattern that would do it justice. Here is the sort of thing I'm thinking of, but I worry that the two Vogue patterns are dated, and the Simplicity is more of a jacket, which is fine, but I'm not sure I'd do it for the Sew-Along.


Vogue 1227

I'm leaning toward the swing coat slightly, and away from the Issey Miyake coat, but I am by no means wedded to anything yet.


Vogue 7322

There's also a Marfy pattern that would be great, but it would need a contrast, and I'm not sure I can get one easily, or in time. I would think the darker color would be what I'd want, and it would have to be an exact match.


Marfy 1418

The Simplicity appeals because of the bias peplum, which would show off the print very nicely.


Simplicity 4047

Anyway, I'm going to have to make a decision about the Sew Along pretty soon whether I do the cashmere or not.

First Patrones

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I ordered the December 2007 Patrones magazine from Twisted Angel the other day, and I got it Monday. It's a Spanish pattern magazine, somewhat similar to Burda World of Fashion. It's a little more geared toward designer patterns, and there are some nice ones in here. There are 3 blouses I could see making, and a classic evening jacket, although that's something I don't need. There are also several evening gowns since it's the December issue, or maybe they have them all the time, but I doubt it. Several of the gowns remind me a bit of 1920's lingerie, and I began to think that one at least would be fun to do as a very luxe nightgown.
Photo Link It's something I'll have to think about anyway.

I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to actually join in with Marji's Great Coat Sewalong or if I'm just going to be an observer. I'd really like to sew along, but raincoats are on my brain, and I think this opportunity to make a great coat with expert assistance should not be wasted on a raincoat. That said, there is a neat coat pattern in this Patrones that calls out to be a raincoat.
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I think the photo of the coat is just awful, as is the fabric and the standard of sewing that I can observe. I really like the lines of the pattern though. I think this one will have to wait, or else really hurry up before the Marji-Coat.

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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