I'm just "saying NO" to all the topstitching on my coat. If I'd made the unlined version it would be necessary to hold things in place, but I think it looks more professional without it. Plus nothing looks worse than a garment with bad topstitching, and I don't want to run that risk. To hem the sleeves I inserted a 2" wide bias strip of my hair canvas. The hem is folded up over the strip and the two are sewn together. The actual hemming is between the hair canvas and the coat fabric. The same technique is used on the bottom hem except the bias strip is muslin which I hit with some spray starch. In one of the pictures you can see how the hem and strip are sewn together. I wonder if the $2000 Burberry version has this kind of attention to detail? You'll also see that I hand basted the strip into place. I've become a HUGE believer in hand basting while working on this project. This should make my daughter, the monster making / hand sewing queen, proud of the old man. Hard to believe, but all that remains is sewing the bottom hem of the lining into place.
