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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 the proper direction. Shoulder seams are sewn outward, vertical seams are sewn bottom to top. I don't ask why, I just do what Edna says. After setting in the sleeves I beefed up the shoulders by hand sewing a 6" and 4" bias strip of wool over the sleeve cap. This really helped smooth out the sleeve cap. The coat, as designed, is unlined so I had to develop patterns for a lining. I used the sleeve patterns as is. The back was cut on the fold allowing for a 1" center back pleat. The front lining required some calculating, but again the Bishop Method book was a big help. Because I want the lining to be free moving I needed to attach the leather toggles and tabs before attaching the lining to the coat. Each leather tab took well over 1/2 hour to sew on. 4+ hours of hand sewing later I'm just about ready to put the whole thing together. I just want to tweek some of the seam binding in the hood, and rip out and re-do a front seam where the lining and front facing connect. I sense being in the home stretch of this project. I've found a trench coat sew-along blog, and even though I'd be way behind everyone, I may jump in with my bargain olive green stretch denim.
OMG, it's looking great! I have to admit I thought you had abandoned the project because there were no updates. But not so!
ReplyDeleteWow -- the coat is really looking fantastic!
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog and I've really enjoyed reading about your coat. Inspiring! It makes me feel like I can make one for my husband. Never mind that there is a coat for myself that I started two years ago that still needs pocket flaps. Anyway, I look forward to seeing what you make next.
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