Slowly but surely I make progress. I can’t tell you how much I’m enjoying sewing this coat, I might have said that yesterday, but I also can’t tell you how bulky this coat is getting and how much it weighs. The fabric is a weighty fabric to begin with, a fulled thick wool/cotton combination. And there are a lot of pieces to it, lots of seams and details. It should be toasty warm. I had toyed with adding a thermal interlining, but decided that since it didn’t have a separate sleeve, and you don’t ordinarily thermal line the sleeves, only the body, I didn’t want to interrupt the flow of the unbroken seamline all the way across the body and down the shoulder.
I made a number of different twist ply ropes to couch instead of topstitching, which would just get lost. I ripped them all out and just ended up using a fuzzy black novelty wool, and a couching foot, and applied it down the shoulder/sleeve. I’ll do the same to define the tops of the cuffs, and the center front, to make it appear as if the button area were an actual placket.
I played around with the felt scraps for awhile for the belt in the back, finally settling on folding in thirds, with the natural edge of the felt meandering through the middle. I hand tacked it down, catching in one of the twist ply ropes I’d made, which gave a hint of color, and defined the meandering natural edge of the felt.
When I tried the coat on, the original placement of the belt was too high. I am long waisted, and it looked better set lower. The lining is cut out, and I have the collar, facings, windows in the facing for the bound buttonholes, and lining to still install. The inside of the collar will be more of the felt. Both of my children will be working all day tomorrow, and my husband is still in India, and I’m really looking forward to another uninterrupted day in the studio. The deadline for the fashion show entries is approaching…
Daryl, thank you so much for sending me the link to your blog. I was up early this morning, and have been reading ever since. You really inspire me. Even though I work in a different medium (knitting) I have always lacked (or thought I lacked) the true creative spirit of an artist. But I do know I feel better when I have a project in my hand and that the creative juices are flowing, as simple as they may be. Even though I may not have understood all the techinical terms and steps you were taking with each project,… Read more »
Oh Wendy, thank you so much for your kind words, I feel like I am running a marathon and have all these well wishers on the side lines who are cheering me on! And I am hoping for all of them to leave the sidelines and run with me! And I think you are doing just that! I’m glad Emily is weaving on the inkle loom, it is so portable and the bands are so useful. Have her send me pictures! For anyone else reading this string of comments, Wendy is delightfully my new sister in law. My mom remarried… Read more »