#2017 WINTER COAT PROJECT (KWIK SEW 4197)...

...twas six days before Christmas, just one day after my birthday, and my 2017 Winter Coat Project is complete.  Right now I'm calling her my "Fluff-A-Nutter Coat". 

 I enhanced the exposed seaming by hand stitching the lofted side of the fabric to the exterior of the coat so more of the fluff would show - that was a lot of hand stitching - but I made it through.  You know me, I'm extra like that.  But she's done, except for just a little more hand stitching that I plan to do to the seams of the cuffs when ever the forefinger of my right hand heals from pushing that needle for two days (the result of not being able to sew with a thimble).

As you know, working with this fabric was a brand new experience for me.  As with most new experiences, this project involved intimidation that resulted in lots of procrastination on the project.  It wasn't until my Sunday morning sewing chat with Sheila CTK that my mind was put at ease and I was able to work confidently towards completion.  I should have talked with her earlier on in the project but had forgotten that she had made not one but two coats from faux sherling.  Sheila assured me that the shedding would indeed stop, and that I could feel completely comfortable in putting this coat through the wash (line drying afterwards).  THANK  YOU SO MUCH SHEILA CTK, you saved my sewing sanity once again!

When I showed a picture of the coat to a friend today she said, "where are you going to wear this, New York?"  Well, our high temperature today was 71 degrees!  Mind you it was Winter when I started the coat.  Although it's Spring right now, Winter is promised again next week so I will be ready for it when it does return.  I am really amazed how light weight this coat really is.  I have always wanted a coat like this - and now I have one.  There was absolutely no tailoring, no interfacing,  pad stitching or interfacing used in this project.

Thanks for sticking with me through the coat making process once again!!!

2017 WINTER COAT UPDATE...

...time for a little update on my 2017 Winter Coat Project.  From choosing the pattern, which was really a job in itself, to muslin making and fitting, to finally getting to the point where I stopped procrastinating and cut into the actual fabric has taken what seems to be forever. 
 

All in all, I can say that some progress has been made.

As you know, I am a muslin maker.  It helps me maintain a level of confidence.  The purpose of making this muslin was of course fitting, but I it also gave me a chance to see how the overlapping of seams would work out.

The cutting process wasn't that bad at all and didn't create too much excess fluff.  The time I could manage to work on the project this week has been spent making tailors tacks (in blue) and thread tracing  (in white) all joining seams allowances of 7 out of the 8 pattern pieces. This process took 3 evenings, and although thread tracing was not suggested in the pattern instructions, I concluded that it was the most logical way of marking (for me) as not to cause damage to the fabric.  Don't judge my stitches, they are all going to be removed later on down the line.  I knew chalk would disappear too soon, so I chose thread tracing to facilitate proper placement when overlapping the edges before stitching.

I know I'm suffering from delusions of granular, but I foresee this coat being completed by the end of this weekend...