Let's get this party started!

All the pattern pieces are cut out so I'm ready to start.  I like to get the hardest parts out of the way first.  For most coats that means the fronts, and that's the case for this pea coat.  My plan is to do them over two days.  Even though I've walked myself through the pockets, it will take a lot of focus and attention to detail.  One welt pocket a day is enough for me.  

I interfaced the welts with hair canvas cut on the cross grain (otherwise it's impossible to fold).  The seam allowances have been cut off and the canvas is basted into place.  I also marked the wrong sides of my fabric with a chalk X immediately after removing the pattern.  With fabric like this it gets almost impossible to tell one side from another.  Sometimes it doesn't seem to matter.  But I noticed while cutting out this "Not so much wool" wool, that the nap on one side is brushed very unevenly.  I never noticed this in the store.  Probably another reason it was in a pile at the back of the store!  

Here are my finished welts.  I've topstitched them all around.  For my sew-alonger, this will be much neater and easier than the craziness shown on Pg. 62.  Rather than topstitch the completed welts into place I will handstitch them from the back side with diagonal stitches.  

The front darts are stitched, cut open and then pressed open.  A 1" wide piece of lightweight fusible interfacing is placed where the pocket will be slashed open.  This is represented by a shaded rectangle on the pattern sheet.  

I then proceed to make the pocket, ever thankful that I took the time to make a muslin mock-up.  

Here I've chalked marked the slash marks, checked and re-checked them to be sure the welt flap will cover them when flipped back into place.  

Voila, the finished pocket lined with cotton flannel!  I'm going to switch gears and work on something less intensive, like making the sleeves.  The other pocket can wait till tomorrow morning.  There's less chance of screwing it up then.