Oops, I did it again!

I worked on the coat while ill this time as opposed to rushing nd I put the collar on wrong. I brought the collar band right to the fold line instead of to the centre front. I only realized after I had it all graded and top stitched. So, out came the stitch ripper and the collar was removed to the shoulder seam, basted then hand stitched into place. Needs a press and some topstitching, but I am going to leave it alone until tomorrow.
Sleeves are in and hemmed, shoulder pads are in. Needs sleeve lining, hemming and buttons and then it can be put away for six months! I think I can get it done in time for Spring.

Again with the tweed!

Collar and front

Full length with the back flare showing on right.

Button jammed through hole. The puckers are because there isn't a shank on the button card. I found four of these at half price at the local sewing shop. I am very lucky to have a local sewing shop just up the road from me. I walked there for a class in about 3 minutes.

I didn't have enough silk to face the sleeves in it, so I have used lining. It still needs some hand work, some pressing and, oh yeah, a longer lining!

Back to Tweed- sounds fitting for St. Paddy's Day

I am the self proclaimed queen of UFOs. I must have made thousands of them in my life. Whenever I run into a snag, I move on to something else.
This happened with my tweed coat. I did not know how to handle the button at teh neckline with the appliqued band and diamonds, so I ignored it. But it is a bulky tweed and there are a thousand pieces. Today, with a balmy temperature of C. 16 degrees, did not seem like a day for sewing a heavy tweed coat. It seemed like a day for sewing a trenchcoat or a pair of spring trousers, but I needed space to do that. So finishing up the coat is now a priority. The lining has all been cut, collar and welt pockets done, sleeves cut.
Today I sewed on the fly closure on one front and the facing on another, sewed the shoulder seams, side back seams and even got the collar basted on. All pressed, no rushing!
The coat looks good so far and the problem of the top button has been solved. I am going to use a hook and eye.

In love with a jacket

And now there is a "Go to park" meltdown so I will finish later.

Don't do it!

I have been terribly busy here, it IS coming up to St. Patrick's Day don't you know, but managed to sneak in some precious sewing time for myself.

If anyone else gets a chance to do this- I heartily reccommend taking a deep breath and going slowly. Just because you get a short time span to work does not mean it is time to rush. Isn't a big part of they joy sewing the ability to enjoy the process?

I had put the outer part of Vogue 1098 together last week, but I was unhappy with the sleeves. I have a bad habit of deserting a project if I run into a snag but I was determined to complete it before I began anthing else.
Yesterday I managed to take the sleeves down a bit to a more acceptable (to me) width. I basted the seam allowances to one side to determine the look.
Today I removed the lower sleeve section and lined it while flat. I even marked the alteration of the upper sleeves on the pattern pieces. I don't always get to this, which is a fault I am trying to overcome. I sewed the lower sleeve back on the uppers and topstitched.
I had a bit more time so I cut the linings out. Just enough fabric in the vintage acetate satin lining fabric for the body and lower sleeve. I accidentally sewed the sleeve seam rather than the hem seam on both pieces and notched it before I noticed, but that was not even the major faux pas. I managed to correct it, turn, press, understitch, press again.
No one was screaming for me yet, so I sewed them and applied the lining, turned it quickly to admire and try on, then realized I had lengthened the jacket by three inches when I cut it initially and had not added that length to the lining pieces!

I have used up all of the lovely and hard to find acetate satin lining that I had, so will need to use another fabric as an extension to the lining. I don't want to recut in Bemburg because it needs the heavier lining. Had I not rushed initially, I would have underlined the silk with something like a cotton batiste as well and not needed the extra body of the lining satin to make up for the difference.

So my experience makes me send out this bit of advice: when you get a bit of time, estimate what you can get done and do it. Don't let adrenaline or unusual quiet force your gleeful, shaking hands into rushing through the process. It is not all about the finished project.

Another Teal Jacket in the works

I have a thing for teal jackets. They go well with a variety of my dark neutral basic tops and bottoms: black, charcoal, espresso, chocolate, taupe, even sometimes with navy.

I have purchased, but not yet received this fabric from Emma One Sock,

And this one from Fabricmart Fabrics. I hope they work together. I would like to use the crepe to make bands on a Chanel style jacket using Vogue 7975. I will probably make it a V-neck or add a collar though. I don't find a round neckline flattering on me.

I resisted the first one for quite a while because of the poly content and my experience with the pilling of the not-all-wool brown tweed coat. However, upon reading more accurately, I realized that the base is all wool, with synthetic embroidery, which seemed more satisfactory to me. It was $45/yd and I got 1 1/2 yds, but at a roll end discount. This is why I will need to find a coordinate for it.

Vogue 1098 Jacket

The weather has been warming up and I REALLY needed to work on something other than my wool coat, so I began the jacket from Vogue 1098 in a silk tweed. I loved the lines on the envelope and was delighted with the idea of being able to make something with minimal alterations. The a-line jacket follows the lines of my a-line body. I love the jacket, I love the fit, but I hate the lantern sleeves. They balloon out and add pounds to my frame. I don't need more pounds, so I will have to do something to take them in. Pictures soon.

Another closeup

I had to crop it as it was too large to load otherwise.

What the stitching became

There is a bit of distortion at the top of the cuff. I should have used a firmer fusible on the satin.

Motif Satin Stitching Tutorial

Satin stitching a motif without an embroidery machine can be a challenge. I personally cannot justify the purchase of a fancy embroidery machine and the software to digitize more than what I already have with my Janome 350E and Embird. To embroider motifs like these, which exceed my hoop size, I use a technique that makes it fairly simple.
The base fabrics are rough cut to size about 3/4" larger than needed all around. Depending on the fabric, they are either fused with a cotton interfacing or spray glued to satin which has been fused. In these examples a cotton velvet was glued to an interfaced satin underlining.
The motif is drawn to size on the pattern in marker then traced onto the rough side of a sticky backed tearaway stabiliser. Instead of using the tearaway as a backing, it creates a topper and design guide for the stitching.
Here you can see the layers of fabrics with interfacing and the motif stuck on the velvet. Velvet has a napped surface and therefore a tendency for any applique to shift, so I have quickly basted the motif down.

The motif is then satin stitched all around, filling in the design and covering up the tearaway topping. I have used two layers of a tearaway beneath as well, spray glued to the fabric. The glue helps since here is no hoop to hold things in place and the fabric gets a lot of turning. You need to be careful not to push or pull too much or the fabric will distort and pucker.

Here you can see that the right side has been stitched twice, while the left has received a third run down the centre, which blends the stitches in. I use an Omnisew machine, which is an industrial zig zag head that has been adjusted to do a compact satin stitch. The width can go up to 13mm. I have used about a 7 or 8mm width, so achievable on many domestic machines. I used about a 4 on the gold stitching below. The stitches will sink into a napped fabric to some degree, so you need a slightly wider stitch than you might think.
The white stitching has all been done.

I added some gold as an accent. A second color can give a more definite edge and correct any whiskering or shaky edges.
Here the top cuff is done, while the bottom cuff has yet to receive the gold.

This is the first time I have used the sticky stabiliser by itself. I usually use a satin applique and fill over it completely. I haven't done much of this for a while, but when I am in practise, the motifs really turn out well and makes it hard to rationalise the time and expense of buying and learning digitising.
Doesn't stop me from turning green with envy when I see the embroidery work done on those machines though.

I did it!

They weren't that hard to do, either! Everything had been fused, so no ravelling. I had to ease the pocket bag back into shape on one of them. Once done the one corner showed one one side, which would not have been so apparent had I used black or grey pocketing. However, I used brown Kasha as an homage to the brown in the tweed which has gone unnoticed otherwise. I scooched the welt over about 1/8" and steamed the slight bubble out.
Now to get my work sewing out of the way so I can get back to it!

Setback

I just realized my pockets welts were put in reversed. I put the left in the right and vice versa.
I din't even notice until the second one was in. They looked kind of "unhappy" to me and then I realized the welts pointed down instead of up.
I just have to keep telling myself it won't be hard to change, despite being in thich ravelly tweed with 1/4 seam allowances.
I wasn't supposed to work on them again until Monday and I should have just left it there.
(it won't be hard to change, it won't be hard to change...)

Tweed coat pattern-jumping off point

Single breasted view.

Tweed coat

So, while I am swamped with work and extra family commitments due to my husband's illness, inspiration has struck. Isn't that always the way?
I have some tweed from Emma One Sock that I had planned to make my CSACoat from. It is a mix of black, brown and grey, but many blacks are too black with it and browns are too brown, so I guess it reads kind of a charcoal grey.
I didn't use it in the end because of concerns about the wear of the fabric. The edges of tweed can get pretty ratty quickly. To prevent this I decided to bind the edges with leather and add a few simple appliques in a charcoal melton that works beautifully with the tweed.

The tweed and the initial design sketch.
I am using OOP Vogue 2449 again, with modifications to the fit. I have flared out the back princess seam and made it about 10" longer. Initially I had planned scallops somehow, but went with diamonds for the design. I also extended the rounded collar out to a point.

The plan was made last night. Already it hasn't worked out.
#1-I want to do a fly closure at the front so the buttons don't compete. I have only done this once before and I would prefer to use something I can unpick, so I reversed the fabrics.
#2-But a binding won't work with the fly closure. So applique it is!
I am determined to just DO this before I chicken out.
The collar before turning.
The tweed collar was fused, then another collar in melton was laid over with the stitching lines marked. It was stitched and the inner portion was cut away. I didn't interface the melton, but it needed it, so crossgrain strips were added afterwards. The edging was done in a straight stitch that I will hand embroider over. The threads were pulled through and tied off on the diamonds.
Collar and pocket welts.
This shows the melton edge with leather diamonds along the join line. I did one larger diamond at the CB of the collar.
I learned my lesson and fused the pocket welt melton before the tweed was added. When enlarged you can see the white interfacing showing where the section was cut away from the melton on the pockets. I used a sharpie to colour it in. Shhh....
Welt pocket sewn in.
The charcoal at the front will be the front band.

The collar, before and after the stand. The basting is still there, so it is a bit puckered in places.

Back of collar, looking a bit dirty. There is a lot of pink fuzz around. Mid way through this project I realized I had to make a birthday present for my daughter's friend, so made a pink Minkee rosette cape. That stuff sheds everywhere!
I love the subtle texture contrast between the leather, tweed and melton. You don't notice the diamonds in colour value, but you can really see them when they catch the light.

I would like to add a dark rivet in the centre of each diamond, but am not sure yet. I have time to think though, I won't get back to it until early March now.

Thanks and a question

Thanks to all those who have expressed concern, either through comments, emails, telephone and personal calls and Stitcher's Guild. DH seems to be better, has seen his GP twice, has had one specialist appointment and is awaiting results from two tests. He has taken an active approach in getting better, which is good. Once we learned he wouldn't die from his "episodes" we were able to relax, whcih made them less frequent and not as severe. Hmmm, apparently stress could be a contributing factor.
I haven't been able to do much personal sewing lately, except whatever I could whip up for the upcoming birthday girl's costume box.
I recently had one dress for a client that nearly did me in though. If it had been personal, it would have become a UFO, but I had a deadline and couldn't back down on it. The dress fought be tooth and nail the entire way along. The result was lovely, but hard to get done and out. It was like a very difficult birth, but the result is always worth it.
There have been two in the last six months like this. Both were for 14 year old girls. Both, according to their mums, are in that difficult teenage angst phase. Am I feeling this? I have never met either girl, but energy does get passed on.
Has anyone else had an experience like this?