Slow progress

I’m still working on my 80s coat, which is from this Vogue pattern.

The original is only half lined so I decided to line the whole thing, and picked a very contrasting lining: a bright pink satin when the shell fabric is green (I had it in stash; in fact it was originally bought to use with the green coating fabric on a long abandoned project). But then I realised I’d need some more sober lining fabric for things like lining the patch pockets and the inside of the concealed button placket. And the green is proving impossible to match especially as in person fabric shopping isn’t happening at the moment. I have ended up with grey lining, again from the stash.

The first sewing job should have been the bound buttonholes. I’d never done these before and wondered how well they’d go in such a thick fabric. I was particularly concerned about what fabric to use for backing the hole as I don’t have anything that’s a good colour match to the shell fabric. After making some samples I found a bright green quilting cotton was the best because it pressed well enough that none of it was visible from the front, so the poor colour match didn’t matter.

I’ve finished the buttonholes and the front welt pocket, and finally started sewing the shell together. Feels like there’s a long way to go at the moment. My pile of fabric pieces still looks enormous. But I put what I’ve got on the dress form yesterday and the shape is amazing; it’s basically triangular. I may need even bigger shoulder pads than I thought.

14 thoughts on “Slow progress”

    1. Thanks, I am really pleased with how it came out. Luckily the placket buttonholes are regular ones (presumably to reduce bulk as they’re completely hidden) so I only had to do three bound ones: there’s a feature button at the top of the front and a button on each cuff.

  6. Well done for tackling the buttonhole- I think I might have to try some now, so thank you

  7. Finally catching up on some sewing blog reading! The bound buttonholes are fun, aren’t they? I find them less stressful somehow than the regular buttonholes. I always worry about accidentally sewing them on at a slight angle and having to rip, and then you end up with holes in the fabric, and so on. The bound ones can be done with a lot of precision once you have the knack for them. Look forward to seeing the finished coat!

    1. I was amazed how well they turned out; maybe there is more control with that technique, or it’s just that having so many steps forces going a bit more slowly and carefully? Doesn’t work for me with welt pockets though!

  9. Ooh I’m looking forward to seeing this. The color is so wonderful and I love the idea of a strong, iconic, triangular silhouette.

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