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.  

Prepping the fabric.....and a discovery

I like to use the London shrink method for preparing wool fabric.  It's simple and much less expensive than taking a length of fabric to the dry cleaners.  God knows what they actually do there, if anything, other than waving some steam around.  I used this method way back on the toggle coat so there is more information in the archive.  

It's really quite simple.  You will need an old sheet torn into 30" wide strips.  Soak the strips in a sink of water and then wring as much water as possible out of them.  Lay the damp strips on one half of your wool fabric and then fold the wool over to make a "sandwich".   Fold the fabric up to make a manageable package. 

 I then wrap the whole mess in some plastic sheeting to keep the moisture in.  I let it sit over night.  The moisture in the sheeting will gradually be absorbed by the wool, and in the morning it will all be of a uniform dampness.  Unwrap and allow to air dry.  

Before cutting your pattern the cut edge of the fabric must be squared.  This will insure that you have "grain perfection" and the garment will hang well.   Pull a thread across the width of the fabric.  Wow, look how easily I did this!  That single thread is as strong as steel.  I think my bargain "wool" is mostly NOT wool.  Otherwise the thread would have been breaking constantly.  

I did a burn test, and although it didn't roar into flame, there's a hard plastic melted edge.  Oh well, I'm not going to agonize over it.  I have $30 invested.  It's a great color and has a great hand.  I'll just avoid gas stoves, bonfires and candles.  

I cut my pattern pieces and mark the darts and placement lines with tailor tacks.  I don't bother to tailor tack the buttonhole / button positions because they always fall out way before I get to that point.  I think that's enough work for today.  I'm actually to the point of actually putting this coat together.  Yay!  

Completing the welt pocket

Moving right along.  

Now we're working on the inside of the coat.  Take the larger pocket piece and align it with the other piece of pocketing.  While doing this,  smooth the pocketing and the coat fabric flat.  Pin the pocket bags together, but BASTE the the upper pocketing to the coat fabric above the welt opening.  This will hold the pocketing in place for the next step.  I'm a "baste-a-holic" so I would probably baste the entire pocket assembly to the coat front.  

Now from the outside of the coat, edge stitch along the fold where the fabric was slashed and pressed back.  The basting will help hold all this together and keep things flat.  This will secure the pocketing at the opening of the pocket.  

Now stitch around the pocket bags to complete the inside.  

The welts are then pressed back into position and stitched down.  I hope this has been helpful.  I know I'll be more confident when it comes to working on the real coat.  

Fire up the blog! The welt pocket mock-up

It's good to be back.  My mom is doing much better and I've left her in the care of her cairn terrier, Tessa.  I'm back in Maine and back on the pea coat project.  My "sew-alonger" in the UK has probably already finished the damn coat!  Anyway, today I did a mock-up of the welt pocket.  

This is the 3rd Japanese welt pocket that I've done, and I'm glad to report that it's also the easiest.  I just always like to do a "run through" of the pocket so I know where I'm headed.  There's a certain finality to welt pockets.  They either come out well, or they're a disaster that's in your face forever.  I think the practice, and finding where the potential pit falls are, is well worth the time and effort.  

I don't usually go into this much detail, but this is for the benefit of my sew-along pal.  

OK.  Here I've chalk marked the placement line on the coat and the stitching line on the welt, which has been turned and had its opening basted together.  Once the welt is flipped back into position it will hide the end of the dart that extends down from the armpit.  

Align the welt stitching line directly over the placement line and baste the welt to the body of the coat.  I always flip the welt over just to be sure I have it going in the right direction.  Put the wrong welt on the wrong side of the coat and you're doomed. 

The pocket pattern of this coat includes all the seam allowances.  Hooray!  Here I have marked the stitching line on the smaller of the 2 pocket pieces.  Align this mark directly over the stitching line on the welt and baste the pocket piece in place.  Now all of the 3 placement / stitching lines are one over the other.  Stitch along the stitching line on the pocket, being sure to start and stop your stitches right at the edge of the welt.  Take some extra care with this step. 

Now press the seam allowance of the welt and pocket back to get them out of the way.  The coat fabric must now be slashed.  This is the part that I truly hate.  The slash lines are clearly denoted on the pattern.  I approach this step with great caution.  Because the welt is angled the "points" at either end of the slash will NOT be identical.  I flip the welt back and forth to be sure the points will be covered by the welt.  Better to slash too little than too much.  After slashing the opening, press the "flaps" back and push the pocketing to the inside of the coat.  It should look like this from the outside.  

Temporarily on hold

Dear readers, the pea coat project has hit a little bump in the road.  My 87 year old Mom has been battling pneumonia for a week now, and I've been driving back and forth from Maine to NH to help her out as much as possible.  There really isn't any time for welt pockets right now.  I'm sure you'll understand.  

Thanks for all the feedback on the coat length.  Looks like the longer coat wins out.  Things should be back to normal after the Thanksgiving weekend.  

Pea coat muslin and a question

Just as a refresher, this is the book that I / we're working from.  It should be pretty easy to find on either Ebay or Etsy.  The photography is really stunning.  So even if you never make any of the coats, the book is a pleasure to own.  BTW I'm showing it placed on the pattern sheet so you'll know what you're getting into! 

OK,  I've finished my muslin for the pea coat.  I have to say that it went together easily after I figured out the crazy dart at the neckline.  As usual, the sleeves are too long, so I've turned them up about 1.5 inches.  My alterations, which were made during the pattern tracing process, added 2" of extra ease through the body.  There's plenty of room.  I've pinned in a pair of shoulder pads which were much needed.  Otherwise, I would have been faced with the dreaded sloped shoulder adjustment.  The pads are easier, plus they give the coat a more tailored appearance.  

I'm pleased with the fit in the back and across the shoulders.  The sleeves were remarkably easy to set on this coat.  For once, there wasn't an enormous amount of easing required.  My "sew-alonger" is concerned that the sleeves are too narrow.  She's sewing for a size 42 guy, I'm a 40.  I suppose it all comes down to the man and how the coat will be worn.  I wouldn't ever wear more than a shirt and sweater under this coat, so the sleeves suit me fine.  Wearing a suit jacket under it would be a totally different story.  In that case I'd want more room.  Then again, look at what Burberry is offering.  The emphasis is clearly on very slim sleeves (along with ridiculously young models).  

My co-sewer is also planning to lengthen the coat by 10".  I say "go for it!"  The beauty of making our own clothes is getting exactly what we want.   I'm actually leaning in the complete opposite direction.  Here I've turned up the bottom hem an additional 2".  I think it makes the coat a little "younger", "fresher", "hipper?"  I'd have to reposition the pockets, but that should be easy.  I don't have many followers, but I'd love to hear your opinions.  Shorter? Longer? Oui? Non? 

Short version front

Short version back.  

The devilish dart!

Warning!   This post will be of limited interest to anyone who isn't trying to make this coat. 

There are 2 darts on the front of this coat.  One runs from the armpit to behind the welt pocket.  Very straightforward.  The other is at the neckline, and has to be the most bizarre construction I've run into yet.  It took a couple of tries, but I finally figured it out.  Here goes.....

This is the corner of the shoulder seam and neck opening.  The seam allowances have to be added while tracing the pattern.  I'm using 5/8" seam allowances.  Add the allowance along the shoulder seam, turn the corner and add the allowance along the neck opening until you reach the TOP of the dart.  Draw a horizontal line across the top of the dart markings into the area of the neck opening.  Then continue with the 5/8" allowance to complete the neck opening.  

You'll end up with a jog in the neck opening.  

Mark the dart, I've used tailor's tacks, and stitch the dart.  

You will end up with a tuck.  

Now, very carefully clip the top of the dart as close as possible to the top of the stitching.  You will have to make one other very small clip to release the tuck.  Very hard to describe, but you will sense what has to happen.  Trust me.  

Press the dart and the neck edge will magically form one continuous line.  The top of the dart will be just barely inside the seam allowance.  At this stage of the game it would be a good idea to staystitch the neck opening.  Don't worry about the clip because you would be clipping this seam anyway.