I need to get caught up with all the progress that I've made. I actually have a coat that I can put on, not that I exactly want to wear a wool coat in the middle of summer. The major pieces went together easily and I used my Bishop Method book which emphasizes sewing in [...]
Blog posts
obsessing a little
Thanks to everyone on the Pattern Review message boards who advised me on the patch pockets. It was unanimous that I interface the entire pocket even though the instructions (just pictures) don't show it. I think they would have been very disappointing if I had merely lined them. I'm getting a lot of mileage out [...]
Rainy day progress
I was really hoping today would rain so I could make some headway on this project. I managed to get several of the design details finished. I made the pocket flaps which are lined with black satin and interfaced with the hair canvas. Then I moved on to the yoke which is lined with black [...]
Getting out of a bind
Ok. This pattern, as published, is for an unlined coat. All the seams call for bias tape to cover the raw edges. I really can't imagine wearing an unlined wool coat, so I guess it must be something Japanese. Anyway, I plan on lining the coat with the exception of the hood. I don't think [...]
The pieces are finally cut out
I was up early this morning. 3 cups of coffee later I was ready to cut out my coat. I decided to review Edna Bishop one last time. I wonder how many sewists she's scared / discouraged over the years with her constant harping on PERFECTION. I have to admit I was just about paralyzed [...]
Saving the worst ’til last
Just in case you've forgotten, here's what I'm trying to make. The only remaining pattern piece to make has been the yoke, and it's turned out to be a 2 day mind bending experience. It didn't affect the muslin version so I could ignore it, but it's a major design element of the coat which [...]
The London Shrink
Sorry, this isn't going to be about psychotherapy. It's about preshrinking wool fabrics. I'm not a big fan of dry cleaners, so I'm going to do the London shrink method. It's surprisingly easy, and today was the perfect day for it -- hot and not too humid. I tore an old twin sized cotton sheet [...]
The quest for "grain perfection"
Apparently if I want a high quality garment that will fit and hang well, I must first attain grain perfection. Essentially, this amounts to squaring up the length of fabric. My fabric had been "sampled" multiple times in the store, and one edge was very ragged. I clipped into the selvedge above the sample gouges [...]
Hair canvas… and a little rant about JoAnn Fabrics
The Bishop Method goes into great length about the glories of hair canvas. Hair what???? This was a new one for me, and a quick Google search proved that it does, in fact, exist. Sorry, but I didn't even consider looking for the stuff at my local JoAnn Fabrics, the only fabric store for [...]
Muslin #2….as good as it gets
Here are pics of the final fitting muslin. Considering that I had never altered a pattern before, I'm pleased with the result. It's come a long way from the first straightjacket, and it truly feels like it's time to be moving on. The next step will be to prepare the wool. Get ready for the [...]
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