Lady in the House

OK, Lovelies, here's a close up of the Lady Grey Coat, constructed via the incredible Lady Grey Sew Along. Do you think it would have killed the photography gods to give me a few good shots of my face?!?

At any rate, in the interests of forestalling mutiny (y'all have been the most patient crowd ever), I present to you the finished product:

FYI, the collar isn't generally wonky, I just smushed it up by accident in this shot...

Is it me, or is all you can focus on here the stray hair stuck on the belt?

I pick stitched both sides of this freakin' collar - because first off I did the wrong side by accident?! Fortunately, you can't see my efforts on either side (cuz they're not particularly good).

This shot points out how I'm going to have to put a snap at the bottom of the right lapel, above my left hand, because the fabric is just too plentiful there. It needs to be stabilized against my chest.

This shot is specifically to show off my WendyB asterisk ring!

The bound button hole that actually worked well. There's another I don't intend to show you!

So there you go. Please say some good things - or some constructive ones - because this freakin' thing clocked in at 100 plus hours of labour (though still estimate another hour to go by the time I snap it an catch stitch the ribbon hem to the fashion fabric hem) and about $175.00.

To answer a popular question: Do I like it, now that it's done?

Well, that's not a fast answer. I do like it more than I did a couple of weeks ago (thank the sewing goddess) when I wanted to hurl it across the room. I suspect, some of my dislike was related to my tremendous sewing-fatigue. When I signed up for the sew along, it was my goal to learn. On that level, I achieved and then exceeded my every expectation. However, from the get-go, I didn't particularly jibe with the pattern. Don't get me wrong, I see it's appeal and I do think it's a lovely shape. But I felt it was an exaggerated silhouette, and I didn't know how that would work on me.

I haven't seen every sew-alonger, finished result as yet, but I will say that I think the coat looks particularly fabulous on women of stature. I think if you have lots of shape - curves and height and substance - the silhouette exaggeration is not overwhelming, but sassy and sexy.

I'm a smallish person with large breasts - of course, you've been living under a blog rock if you don't know that about me now :-) I think this coat is shapely on me, but still a bit much, dare I say vaguely clownish. The body feels too big. I can't move the buttons any farther over (i.e. to narrow it up) than I have without distorting the mid-line of the coat, so I'm relying on the belt and (eventually) a snap to give it more skim.

But never mind my error (arguably, I should have noted this in the muslin stage - though my canvas cotton didn't give any evidence of this challenge in the final garment). The lapels and collar are just large. I suspected they'd be large for me, even before I started. I minimized them somewhat, and still I think they're large for me.

Furthermore, the sew-in interfacing, in addition to the 8 panel princess seam shape, means that the peplum is extreme (more so than these shots indicate). I don't mind this, but I have hourglass proportions. If one were rather endowed of hips and bum, I'd carefully consider using fusible interfacing only, or of working with fabrics that are thinner and drapier than the boucle wool I used.

Would I make it again? No. (Though who needs two of any coat, in truth!)

Will I wear it? Damn straight. I'll wear it and I'll brag about it. I've nicknamed it the "Judy Jetson Jacket", in honour of the crazy peplum.

Would I recommend it? To a woman of a specific shape, or to someone who naturally loves its cut, definitely. Just make sure to follow the sew along, for tips, and to cut your lining longer than the instructions direct - or you'll be adding some ribbon to the bottom of it to extend the lining length.

So now I put it to you. Have you made this coat? If yes, what are your thoughts? If no, would you like to make it (or would you wear it if you found it in a store)?

Promises, Promises

Hey Ya'll: I was away for work over the last couple of days so I only just had a chance to take outfit photos of the new coat (here's hoping some of them are actually good...) and I will post them this evening.

There's nothing like wearing a new coat to point out its fit idiosyncracies. Turns out, I'm not quite finished - I have to put a snap at the inner lower corner of the lapel because the fabric I used is too heavy given the position of the buttons. I can't make the buttons any snugger given the line of the coat. This thing is a little big, lending credibility to my claim that, if you want to make a perfectly fitting garment you need to actually make it in the final fabric twice. Muslin is a coarse substitute, IMO.

Anyway, I'll give you my many thoughts about the finished product in the photo post later.

Hallelujah!

The coat is done.

Let us rejoice. With alcohol.

(More soon...)

A Thousand Miles Journey Starts with a Single Step

OK, so I'm more or less at the stage that Gertie calls "finishing touches". I'd itemize the 7-10 things I've yet to accomplish (a couple are "optional"), but they'll either bore you or freak you out. Why do that to you, gentle readers??

You might be thinking, Sheesh Kristin, only 7-10 more things and the coat is complete. Wow, that's amazing, that's so close. Why complain'st thou? (or some such query, articulated less middle-English-ly). And it wouldn't be a stupid thought, after all, given that I started with - oh - 8 zillion things on the list.

But, as Sal so thoughtfully commented a while ago, it's my blog and I'm can complain if I want to :-)

The thing is that every single step I take becomes, at least in my own mind, more meaningful. I know that's not a productive philosophy, but it is understandable. If I fuck up now (not that I'm going to, mind you, please hear me Universe and Sewing Goddess) I will have done a LOT of freakin' work.

Moreover, it's not even that I worry about fucking it up. It's that I'm tired of it. And I've still got to learn how to do a variety of new things including: finishing the bound buttonholes (I thought they were finished?!?!), pick stitching the lining to the coat, affixing belt buckles and under stitching (by hand) the lapel and front facing edges.

And then there's the fact that I'm not sure I like the finished product.

You can see how I'm plodding on.

Update: After I wrote this I did a couple of hours of work on the coat, affixing the sleeve lining to the fashion fabric, basting the lapels and front facing edges, and positioning my ribbon over the hem (getting ready to sew it on). I've also been thinking a lot about how to finish the bound buttonholes (after re-reading posts on it and asking questions). So my misery (and nervousness) has abated somewhat. Nonetheless, thank you for listening and continuing to offer your feedback. Your comments give me so much to think about and I really do follow a lot of your advice!

Scrambling

A propos of the tremendous learning opportunity I've had in making the Lady Grey coat, this process has been entirely worth while (life changing, even) on the basis of hand stitching technique alone.

I'm not too proud to tell you that I was afraid of hand stitching. It struck me (ha!) as tedious, painstaking, finicky and hard. Instead, it's meditative, painstaking, finicky and sort of hard, but not really. (That's quite an improvement on my initial impression!)

Here's the thing. I'm a left handed person in a right-handed sewist's world. I sew, depending on the tutorial I'm watching or the book I'm reading and the state my brain is in, with either hand. In truth, I find it harder to re-scope the right handed instructions for left-handedness than to just sew with my non-dominant hand.

I should mention that I'm considered ambidextrous according to those inconclusive tests. I do most everything with my right hand (except write). My dominant eye, ear and foot are on the right. Nonetheless, depending on the moment, I do choose to sew with my left hand and, if the technique is new to me, I have no precedent to follow. Once my brain is clicked into left- or right-sidedness, it's almost impossible for me to switch. I mean, I have to walk away for quite a while till my brain resets itself. Weird, I know.

I wish there were a book called "Hand Sewing for the Left-Handed Sewist". I would SO buy it. Of course, most sewists are women and most women (by a huge majority) are right handed. In fact, the segment of self-identified, left handed women in our population is 1%. How many of them sew, I wonder?? So, something tells me that book doesn't exist.*

Patty smartly suggested that I turn the garment upside down (she read somewhere that it works). Problem is, I generally can't figure out when I'm sewing the wrong way around to begin with. I'm telling you, peeps, my brain doesn't operate in a particularly linear fashion. What's up or down??, really, I say.

So here's today's question: Are you a left-handed sewist? Do you know of a book about left handed tailoring? Did you just switch over to the right-hand?

Or - if you aren't left-handed (the likelihood, after all), do you enjoy hand stitching? Hate it?

*Update: Apparently, there is a book. Guess it doesn't hurt to check before writing the post. PS: Looking at the photo on the cover, my brain winces. I can't figure out if that's the way I want to thread my needle. Maybe I'm a right handed sewist, after all???

Which Do You Want First?

The good news is that the coat is really starting to look like a coat (thank God). Dare I say it myself, it is very nicely constructed (at least so far).

The lining is not super shiny, it just doesn't photograph well...

The belt kicks ass - I really like how it works in this fabric!

The bad news is that I don't like it. I mean, I do hope I'm going to change my mind. Seriously. Like more than you can possibly imagine.

Why don't I like it?

It looks completely contrived on me. The lapels and collar are just weird on my frame - too big and too small all at once. I feel the thing is too big through the body and too small in the shoulders?!

OK, I know it doesn't have buttons yet. I haven't pick stitched the lapels. I haven't tacked down the lining in the sleeves and at the bottom. When I tried it on I was sweaty and tired and I wasn't wearing a bra. These things may influence my thoughts about (and the fit of) the finished product.

One thing that really does bother me about the pattern is that the lining pieces are not accurate. I, like Gertie and others, need to go out and buy lace to affix (somehow, though I don't know yet exactly the method) to the bottom of the lining to obscure the interior of the coat. Not only don't I love that look, but I really don't appreciate the extra time, effort, learning and expense that's going to put me through.

Can you tell I've had enough of this?

Saturday Excursion

Yesterday I went out with my friends Rita and Jessica to the Windsor Arms* for tea. We had such a great time! Of course, it meant tearing myself away from the coat which is getting outrageously close to looking like a coat. But I was so happy, in the end, to be free of my sewga room enjoying great conversation and beautiful surroundings. (Note: I took photos and will post them soon.)

Afterward, I suggested we head into M0851, a Montreal-based store I've spoken about frequently. Lord, I love that place.

You know recently Kate has been talking about her latest "shopping consciousness" experiment. It involves "buying better", and by that I mean better quality. Somehow, every time Kate goes on a new plan, I get roped in!

Here's the thing. I don't really buy clothing anymore (I suspect you've noticed). I'm not saying I'm opposed to buying - if I need something, or want it tremendously, you know it's going to turn up in my wardrobe. I'm just having more fun spending money on stuff to make my own clothes.

As such, theoretically, that leaves me with a bit of disposable income to spend on luxury when I do buy. Enter my new wallet (with a surfeit of white space built in, apparently, which I can't be bothered to crop today...):
Secretly, it's one I've owned before. And I loved it till it gave up the ghost. See the buttery leather that is so soft it shows that ridge?? That really works for me. The website, on which you can order this, indicates it's a new item. Peeps, it's not a new item. Whatevs.

So I bought it, this Canadian-made item, from a gorgeous store, on a lovely day. It's something I needed, and wanted. I didn't wait for the sale. I decided to pay full price - something that allowed me to indulge my love of instant gratification and which makes me hope the boutique uses funds to pay its manufacturing force fairly. I can only imagine what went into making this thing. And I sure am glad it's mine.

*For such a chichi hotel that website sure does suck. Windsor Arms, join the modern era and fix that thing.

Deets

I'm off again on another little trip for work so posting may be light on the ground for the next few days.

Since the Thanksgiving sew-free week, I've been really pushing on with this coat, i.e. the only thing I spend any quality time with. I'm not usually a week-day sewer. I will work 20 hours on any given weekend, and I'll read, shop, plan etc. from Monday to Friday, but I don't generally sew mid-week.

Having said this, once I overcame the "bound buttonhole bind", I was quite a few steps behind on the sew along and I've been really working to make up the lost time. In the last 8 days I've spent 40 hours on the freakin' coat. That's in addition to my day job (dare I say, my career), my marriage and my kid. Never mind the freakin' house which is no longer meeting my standards of organization...

I'm so fixated on finishing this thing. Outrageously - almost magic-realistically - after every detailed task, there's yet another detailed task. I can't yet see the end of it but I am committed. (Scott says I should be committed.)

I'll leave you with a few random thoughts about the project:

• I have learned SO much it's insane.
• I'm trying not to feel contemptuous of this garment at it demands my each waking moment, kind of like a new baby.
• At least it doesn't cry.
  
• I'm vaguely concerned it's going to be too large. I have to figure out a way to quantify fashion fabric ease (every fabric is unique) as it differs from muslin fabric ease (which is consistent and all but non existent). I'm beginning to think I just need to make every muslin (fitting first attempt) in the fashion fabric. Oh, but what a waste of money and beautiful fabric that might be...
• Mind you, last time I was concerned a hand-made garment was too large, after a few wearings I realized that it was the perfect size...
• I have to remember that I may hate this thing at first, being so up close to all of its "flaws". With time, however, I will grow to love it. (Cue hypnosis music.)
  
• Gertie, an excellent sewist with a truly fascinating blog, is also an amazing technical writer who has managed to make a tremendously complex process knowable. The only reason I've been able to plug on (with all my lack of experience and insecurity) is because she brings forward the next step in the right order with great instruction. (I understand her next sew along will be a beginner-level one. If you have any interest in sewing - getting started or renewing your skills - sign yourself up when it starts. You will not regret it. Esp. since a beginner project could not possibly suck up all your life energy for 2 months.)
  
• This long-term shit is tiring. I'm only taking on single-weekend projects for the foreseeable future.
• My creaky, sewing body needs some yoga. Big time. I'm beginning to wonder if I have any core strength left and I'm only vaguely exaggerating.
  
• I wonder if creating a coat is like having a baby, in that one is designed to forget the pain of labour once the new creature has arrived. Note: I have never forgotten the soul-shocking, mind-altering pain of labour (home birth, no drugs, peeps) and you would need to knock me out cold slash wake me when it's over if ever I were to have another kid (which I will not). So I really hope "having a coat" produces more effective post-arrival amnesia. Just saying...
  

Slow and Steady

I'm sure not feeling like a hare right now, but I am making progress on the coat.

To wit, here are the back panels (4) princess-seamed together:


(Maybe someday I'll sew in a colour other than navy and you'll be able to make out the tailoring details in a photo...)

And meet the fruits of my Sunday labour, pad-stitching (aka shaping) the lapel collar via painstaking diagonal hand sewing. Those two lapels took more than 8 hours. Scarily, I still have the collar to work on.

That piece of diagonal taping at the lower edge of the chevrons is twill, cross-stitched to the underside of the fashion fabric. It demarcates the roll line of the lapel. Pad stitching is a miraculous couture method which gives body to the lapel it so that it lies flat (but with shape) against the chest, in the finished garment.

This project is truly insane. I know I've said it before, but I don't see how I'll ever buy a tailored garment again. If I can afford it, I'll feel like I've exploited someone. And, natch, the alternative is a garment priced well out of my budget. I reckon, by the time all is said and done, I will have put 100 hours into this thing.

Tonight I came home from work and put another 2 hours in. I got the coat shell (no sleeves) together - including pockets, which look great. This shot (sorry, flash still out) gives you a fuzzy idea of where I'm at.

This shit is hardcore.

A Stich in Time

So it's Sat. eve as I write this - 9:30 ish, which means I've been sewing for 12 hours. I did stop for food and Advil but I do feel I've accomplished quite a lot:

Front and front-side pieces sewn together on a princess seam. The hair canvas or hymo interfacing is hand stitched on top using cross stitches and permanent basting stitches.

Sorry for the crap shots - my camera flash battery is flat and I haven't had a chance to recharge it.

All the stitching you see has been done by hand. The long vertical lines are permanent basting stitches. The front interfacing is sewn by cross stitch under the seam allowance. The twill tape (on the diagonal) which marks the lapel fold is also cross stitched - talk about a bitch of a stitch!

Tomorrow my aim is to complete the pad stitching (shaping) on the lapels and then to sew the back stay onto the back pieces (those aren't shown here).

Well peeps - I did come to grips with those bound button holes (you can see where they're located, on the wrong side of the fabric, by the cut in the interfacing... ). While I'm not going to win any awards for construction, they are entirely serviceable. I'm so grateful to be on to other challenges!

Some of you may recall my post on tailoring from a couple of weeks ago. In that piece, I said I intended to machine tailor (a middle ground between iron-in and hand tailoring, as described by my fab book Tailoring: The Classic Guide to Sewing the Perfect Jacket). Thing is, people seem to be going either high-tech or low-tech in this sew-along, and I'm not knowledgeable enough to play the middle. I've decided to do exactly what Gertie does. I mean, the woman (or should we call her a saint) has done up so many video tutorials and posts and answers questions tirelessly. So I'm on board.

I cannot believe how much work goes into tailoring. Seriously.

The Project that Keeps on Giving...

It's a gray day for a Grey coat. And I'm feeling betwixt and between with it right now.

For one thing, I'm about to go into a very busy phase - work-wise as well as in life. My family is coming into town for next weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving. (I almost called it Canadian Thanksgiving and then I thought: Duh, it's Canadian. Doesn't everyone know by now that we celebrate it early here?) I'll be traveling for my job, which is busy even when I'm not traveling. I feel like I need to break the back of this garment (nice imagery, huh?) before things go supernova. Because I do not like to be behind schedule.

That's one of the interesting things I'm learning about me during the sew along. Doesn't matter if it's work or play - if there's a plan, I want to be ahead of it. There are wonderful, talented people participating in this experience who honestly communicate their concerns about being late in the game, as it stands. And while part of me sympathizes, another part is all: What's the problem? Just work all day and into the evening on Saturday and wake up at 7 on Sunday and get a few hours done before breakfast.

Like I'm the arbiter of people's insanely busy lives??? I mean, some of these people home-school!

Everyone in the world - I apologize for my judginess. It's an ugly, shadow side of me.

For another thing, I'm at a critical juncture. With all the pieces ready to assemble, I don't know how to move forward with tailoring (not included in the instructions) in the absence of direction. I've never actually tailored. (Why do I say that like it's surprising?? Like, tailoring is just the kind of thing I do in my off-hours in front of the TV...)

So far, I've cut everything out (including my hair canvas interfacing). I've read the books. I've considered the issues 50 different ways. But I don't want to fuck this thing up - given how long I've worked so far - simply because I'm too impatient to wait and cuz I'm concerned about getting behind when that info is finally available.

I've decided I'm going to machine-stitch tailor. It's not as simple as weft (fusible) interfacing (which I have used to good effect in the past). It's not the hard core, pad-stitching, hand-sewing method - which I imagine Gertie will discuss, and maybe even do on her own coat, given her level of experience and her love of couture.

I could get all experimental today, and embark on the unknown, but why? Isn't this about learning from others rather than figuring it all out (including all the fear and horror that entails) for myself?

But I can't do nothing.

So today, so far, I've made the belt. Intriguingly, I cut the belt out incorrectly (I've known this since I made the mistake). I didn't put the piece on the fold so it was half the required length. The perfectionist in me was very unhappy. But the realist, home-sewist said: You're not going to go out and spend another 60 bucks on fabric to gain the length required, so cut another 2 pieces and seam them together at the centre.

I assumed, given I'm working in navy boucle, that this would not be very noticeable and, you know what?, I was right!

I will say that the belt took a good 90 minutes. And a bobbin of thread. So. much. stitching.

I broke a needle as I sewed through 6 layers (where the seaming was). Fortunately, I'm pretty familiar with that scenario! I am also learning about this fabric and how I need to keep the tension between 2 and 3?! (Non-sewists: Regular tension is at 4 and can often go to 5...)

I will aim to sew the fashion-fabric body of the coat before the end of day tomorrow. It's not the next thing on the plan but I think it's a discrete item which will not interfere with the interfacing of facing and lining assembly and insertion of shoulder pads and bound button holes (which scare me, I'll be frank.)

It's my own, sad way of staying ahead of the curve.

Adjustable Me

One of the things I love most about my life is the ability to walk to and from work every day. It gives me some (much needed) exercise but, more to the point, it keeps me sane. You think I'm being glib, perhaps. Alas, I'm not. Fortunately I have strong legs and I love to move so it's an entirely optimal form of therapy.

Walking facilitates my segue from working person to mother person. It takes quite a while to shake off the first and accept the second. And as I go, I think.

One of the other things I love most about my life is my ability to think. I am the best company! I come up with all kinds of crazy theories and associations and blog posts and ways I'd like to change the world and stuff I want for dinner. And I do it all simultaneously. They may say multi-tasking is a fallacy, but they obvs don't know my mind.

I also mull over sewing matters. It might be more accurate to call them issues. Or problems. Or things I can't figure out and it's really bugging my ass. I think of the super smart posts of other sewists I've read and life-altering book chapters. I consider the intricacies of the pattern, of my shape. And I come up with a plan. (FYI, in case I haven't made it clear, this thinking can be very painful. Hitting up against the brick walls of my inexperience or inability or limitation or whatever you want to call it is SO viscerally unpleasant.)

With the Lady Grey coat, based on all of your wonderful feedback, I've made the following alterations on the paper pattern, which I'll use to cut the fashion fabric and lining soon:

• Removed a (graded) inch of fabric from the lower (under) sleeve. I didn't impact the armscye so I wouldn't have to adjust other pieces. Also, the shoulders fit well so I didn't want to mess with them. I took the fabric from the centre of the sleeve piece and the seam allowances will remain the same for the side seams joining the upper (top) to lower sleeve. Thanks, Stacy for your feedback. Can you confirm that this method of removing the fabric will work?
• Speaking of seam allowances, or SAs, I am going to make all of them slightly under 1/2 inch (instead of 5/8 inch). I always intended to do this (pending the fit) because I prefer smaller SAs and because, given the vast number of pieces in this garment, it will give me an extra inch at the bust.
• I did modify the collar slightly - just a touch - by cutting the unencumbered sides to a size 6 (I cut the rest of the pattern in an 8). This won't impact any joins.
• I opted not to adjust the lapels - but instead I'll use a wider seam allowance on those. Once the facing is attached they will be 5/8 inch (by pattern SAs) smaller. If I increase that to a graded inch (merging back to the regular SA at the waist) I can diminish the lapels without sacrificing fabric I may need to reincorporate.
• The really intriguing alteration was for my short waist. (Of course, my waist is perfect, it's the patterns that are too long! :-))Remember those weird fabric bubbles at my waist? It turns out a lot of LGSA participants are having the same issue. For some, the problem requires a swayback adjustment. For others, such as me, it's a bodice length issue. On the muslin, I took an inch out of the waist length (1/2 inch below the waist and 1/2 inch above it) and the problem was solved!!! Of course, transfering that to a paper pattern which is a) flat b) bias cut on some pieces and c) many pieced has turned out to be a fascinating alteration lesson. For starters, I did it without a book. I know, what am I, insane??? Seriously though, the method came to me by osmosis (i.e. the hive mind of my sewist collective) and I knew how I had to do it. I could have disassembled the muslin and placed the altered fabric pieces on the the paper. But I didn't want to for a few reasons. So I came up with a system (Alert: it may bore you if you don't sew - or even if you do): I determined the centre panel point at the waist of each piece and the height from the bottom of the piece to that centre point (15 inches up from the bottom). It meant I had to estimate the waist on the pieces that didn't label it for me (all but 1), though I did have that one piece (the centre front) as a guide. For the bias cut lining pieces, I made sure that the grain arrow continued to align after the length was removed from the waist area. As such, on the paper pattern, I'll need to cut the new lines around the waist to true up the shape again - somewhat more so than the tiny amount I may have to do it for the on-grain adjusted pieces.

The reason this short waist adjustment thrills me is because I feel like my experience - in addition to my community - has contributed to my action! To some extent, I intuited the methodology and intuition is a beautiful gift. Never ignore it.

The caveat is, if it fails, you are going to have to read an epic post. But we all have a while to come to terms with that potentiality :-)

PS: If y'all think I've done the wrong thing with any of these adjustments - PLEASE SPEAK UP!!! Thank you. xo

Lady Like?

The reason I don't show you photos of myself very often these days is because I spend most of my weekend with greasy hair, in the same pair of yoga pants.

So it's not going to do much for my fashionista street cred to show you these:







Seriously, would it kill me to wash my hair??

My vanity compels me to tell you - in case it's not entirely apparent - that one cannot look worse than in stringy, white muslin cotton, sweat pants and unwashed hair. But at least I've got lipstick on!

Hideousness notwithstanding, I'm going to post these on the Lady Grey Sew Along Flickr site later today to see what kind of muslin-improvement feedback I get.

But I'm interested in your feedback too. I know something is weird with the back waist. Any idea of how to improve it, sewist friends?

Also, I feel the shawl collar is too much - too wide - so I'm probably going to hack away at it. Thoughts about how much to cut? One more thing, I've tightened the waist to suit my current (thin) shirt but there's quite a bit of give. I will make sure to position the button such that a sweater can be worn underneath. This is Canada, after all...

Reader question update: Andrea says: I was more than a little overwhelmed after reading Gertie's muslin post. All that work for just the muslin? I'm starting to get cold feet. How many hours have you put into it so far?

My answer (started in the comments) is convoluted (but optimistic!): Try not to think about the investment or it will freak you out when actually, doing it is not hard. The muslin actually goes together quite quickly after the cutting and thread tracing. In total I've prob spent $150 bucks and 20 hours so far (includes buying fabric and notions, reading pattern and reference books, cutting, thread tracing etc. - the whole shebang). Not negligible - but that's over the last 3 weeks. Today was veritably easy as far as muslin fitting goes. The pattern instructions are very clear and the princess seams give a lot of fit latitude. Join the Flickr group. It will keep you involved because you'll see what everyone else is doing and you'll get feedback.

I've cut some corners:

• Made the size 8 (instead of 6 with a full bust adjustment). (Smart to go up a size because Colette patterns owner, Sarai, so much as tells you that she doesn't add a lot of ease into her patterns. And it's a coat so you need some give.)
• Sarai says she cuts for a C cup, but you have to consider that a C cup on a medium to broad frame is going to go a long way on a person with a 32 inch under bust. Especially since the pattern has princess seams.
• I did NOT trace the pattern (for shame!). It was going to be too painful. My rationale: I'm never going to make this for anyone else. Under any circumstances. And I cut the 8 even though my measurements are between the 6 and the 8. Cutting took over an hour. Tracing would have taken 3, at least.
• I didn't add 1 inch seams (per Gertie's suggestion). I went with the 5/8 SA, again, because I cut up a size. Adding the extra 3/8 inch gets labour intensive for reasons that aren't interesting.
• I haven't really felt the value of the thread tracing (which lets you see the seamlines on both sides of fabric. Chalk markings are only visible on the wrong side (inside) of the fabric. If I needed to make a lot of alterations, I think it would be very valuable. For a coat or large project, I'm all for it. But for a skirt or something simple, I'm unlikely to invest the time. Baste the threading, don't properly sew. It saves time. Also, baste the muslin. While it tends to unthread, unless you're careful, if you need to rip out stitches it will be a cinch.

In short, I'm just mucking in. Enthusiasm is everything here. Don't give up Andrea! You can do it.

Overexposure

I'm loathe to show you these photos of my Lady Grey Sew Along lining because they aren't accurate. The colour is actually not green at all (or teal as it seems here) but a rich jewel blue (to go with the navy boucle fashion fabric, every photo of which was wretched and flat or overexposed).

Nonetheless, observe the wrong side in the photo directly above. Do you see how it's flannel? This will add a layer of warmth without necessitating lambswool interlining (which I couldn't find) or yucky synthetics (which I couldn't bring myself to buy). I hope it's going to be effective. If nothing else it will repel the wind better than a regular, thin lining. And the satin is rather rich.

Time, Time, Time

One of these days I'm going to count up the number of references to "time" on this blog - to not having it or needing it or enjoying it or wishing for more of it. I observe this in my writing all the time (ha!) - moreso than in any that of my fave blogs, many of whom are written by extremely busy people. (Dare I suggest it, they may be people even busier than me :-))

So here's another go at telling you that I have tons to say. Really, the details of my mind are so utterly fun and full you would love to take a ride on "Kristin's Tilt-A-Whirl Brain". (You do have to be a certain height though. It's not exactly PG in there.)

Meanwhile, let me give you a few sewing related updates:

• Even if you don't intend to do the Lady Grey sew along, you should bookmark Gertie's site and read along. It's totally fascinating. I'd be interested to hear about it - and to read the comments and view the Flickr page - whether I sewed or not, never mind simply not "actively" participating. I very much appreciate the opportunity to sew in a community, to the completion of a common goal. In truth, I am lonely in my sewing sometimes. I mean, sometimes it's tough having only your stealth and newbie skills for company. I rely on my sewing friends (see sidebar) for all kinds of support - emotional to practical. I am so glad to have a chance to do something that 140 other people will be doing simultaneously. I'm a big believer in group energy, so I'm intrigued to see how this is going to play out.
• It's going to be full-on coat sewing during a month when I'll also be traveling on a few occasions for work. So I wonder how I'm going to fit it all in. I mean, where will I find the time??? (please see above).
• FYI, the fashion fabric I bought for my coat is a navy boucle boiled wool (not matted like so much boiled wool. That's a look I do not like.) Still haven't found the perfect lining. Have the muslin but need to get a bunch of interlining and interfacing supplies. I'm prob going to try to do this hardcore, with the group, so I'll need to use hair canvas (for tailoring) and lambswool interlining (for warmth) etc. If I stop to think about it, I get a bit nervous. So I don't bother to do too much thinking.
• Another FYI, in case you're still considering joining this sew along, you should know the coat will have cost me about 150 bucks by the time I add in all the supplies and fabrics. That's before I spend 30 plus hours making it. So maybe, unless you're really stoked, you may want to go to Club Monaco and buy yourself something warm and chic. I bet you could work out a participatory blog experience out of that, with a little thought. And I'm likely to join, knowing me.
• BTW, don't begrudge the cost of your coats. Now that I'm making one, I don't think I could consider spending less than $500.00 on one ever again, economies of scale notwithstanding. I used to wonder how people spent thousands of dollars on garments. These days I can't believe that one can buy a pair of pants for less money than it costs to purchase the raw materials to make them.
• The Colette Patterns Sencha top is finally available for reorder: It's been out of stock forever (she says, like she's been sewing for years or something?!) because everyone in the freakin' sewosphere wants a chance at it. I just snapped it up to make with 2 woven fabrics I LOVE. One is an animal print (vaguely sheer) and the other is a merlot-coloured matte silk. Here's hoping I can pull this one off so that I look that much more elegant in my new pencil skirt.
• BTW, I'm totally thrilled with the new pencil skirt. I've practically forgotten all the ways in which it is imperfect.