batt(l)ing on…the coat saga continues

So, the coat project has been temporarily put on ice (ok, it’s not that cold but it sure is frosty in the mornings) whilst I sum up some more energy and enthusiasm for getting the remaining sleeve fit sorted. I am toying with the idea of adding gussets to help make them more comfortable. I can safely experiment thanks to my toile sleeve which I still have left over. Until I am satisfied, my remaining pink wool shall remained untouched and uncut!

Of course, this does not mean my sewing machine has been idle. Far from it, in need of a straight forward sewing fix (less face it, this coat has been taking FAR too long) I have made another baby jacket for my friend. This one is quilted, which has been interesting in terms of preparing the fabric. It takes a long time. But worth it for the finished effect. May I introduce Kwiksew 4080. I even managed to use some of stash as my mother had given me some lightweight cotton flannel in cream which I didn’t know what to do with. It’s not the inside batting layer. I have also made a matching hat. At some point I’ll get a photo sorted but it got finished at the last minute before delivery so not picture opportunity….

Apart from unpicking two of the buttonholes – please someone invent an undo feature at the touch of a sewing machine button – this was a pretty painless project. Applying bias binding around little baby cuffs is a little tricky!

fraying temper

The pretty pink wool viscose fabric I am using for my coat project has a dark side. It ravels. Horrendously. I’ve had to zig zag stitch finish everything as it was literally coming apart in front my eyes. This has made it harder to accurately sew as you have lots of fluffy bits obscuring the seam allowance marker on my machine.

I finally thought I’d got somewhere last night, and then discovered it really needed taking in at the waist. This pattern is really odd. Have never had this reverse modification process. Normally I had to add to the waist and hips, not reduce in this area and add to my bust. Still, we now have some photos to look at. May still need to do some more work on those armholes…