The Vogue Coat- Actual Progress?!?

Here is a post where I lamented my lack of progress on my vintage Vogue 775. It chronicles the years that have passed since I bought that beautiful pattern at an estate sale in Oregon. The wool came from Mood in New York later and I managed to do a muslin and cut and underline all of the pieces before we moved to Chicago, ahem, two and a half years ago. 

Finally, a week or so before Thanksgiving, I finally started sewing the coat together. Having made a muslin, it came together quickly and easily. 

 Sorry for the mediocre phone pictures, but I was just taking them to show my mom my progress. I have the shell completed, but I am currently debating the addition of the cuffs and the double collar. I think they may look a tad costumey. That will be for a later post.

 It has that cool button detail where the buttons make an inverted V, but I still need to find 15 buttons to do that. I saw these as Jo-Ann and I might consider them. They are made to look like vintage brass buttons and are metal. I think they would maybe look nice with the blue.

Hopefully I will find some buttons and a lining that I like and maybe finish this coat THIS WINTER!

 Whoo hoo!

My awesome fall jacket- Minoru Jacket Sewaholic pattern #4

Tasia, from Sewaholic Patterns, has released her fourth pattern. The Minoru jacket is a lightweight casual jacket that I think is perfect for the fall. I was lucky enough to be a pattern tester for this pattern and it was SO HARD to keep it a secret for a month because I love it! 

Since I am on the mailing list (you could be too!) I got an email about pattern testing and pounced on it. I consider this the highlight of my unemployment. Sitting all day on the computer doing job applications and wasting time on imgur meant I was checking my email constantly. Yay! So I got a copy for free and made it up to check for clear directions and pictures, etc. I finished it at the beginning of October and then I had to wait until it was officially released to show you.

 I made mine out of army green cotton twill with a brown plaid cotton lining. The jacket has a big collar that the hood zips into, so you can hide the hood and tuck it into the jacket. It also has a front zipper (yeah no sewing on buttons!) and elastic at the waist to give it a nice, fitted look. It is such a great jacket!

 Tasia says this is an intermediate pattern, but I think a diligent or advanced beginner could do it. All of the instructions and pictures are really clear and easy to follow.

 Above you can see the collar and hood, and below you can see where the hood can be zipped into the collar.

 Even when pattern testing, I can't resist making some changes although I followed the directions (for once!). I underlined it in flannel to make it warmer and more appropriate for a Chicago autumn and I lined the hood because I was really pleased with my fabric and lining and how cute they look together.

 Equally cute open or closed. There are pockets on the inside for keys or credit cards.

 As you can see the elastic starts on the sides and goes around the back, just enough to give it a nice shape. I like having a jacket that doesn't make me look like a tube. I bought brown metal zippers with gold teeth. I like how they look and I also have clear memories of having plastic teeth break off zippers as a kid. I suggest metal zippers. Jo-Ann had a terrible selection and I had to adapt the hood opening for a smaller zipper. Pah.

Anyways, this is a great pattern and I made a really study and well-sewn coat. I am proud of myself. This really might need to be remade in a fun color for a spring jacket, too. Oh the possibilities! I have been wearing it all the time for dog walking and going to work and it is warm and cute. It is on pre-sale now if you join the mailing list and when it is officially on sale you can go here to buy it. There really aren't any parts that I messed up on or did a bad job- so there!

A clean vintage fur coat!

Now this coat is totally clean and wearable! I took off the fur trim and then bathed it in the bathtub using Woolite and really hot water three times. Then I put it in the sun on the back porch to dry. 

 Reattaching the fur was a giant pain in the butt, so let's just say this coat is never going to be cleaned again. It took an entire Poirot movie and an episode of Project Runway. That's like at least 2 hours. I also repaired a tear in the back lining and a place where the hem was coming undone.

I then sprayed it with Febreeze and let it air out on the back porch for about a week. It no longer smells like BO or has dirty tissues in the pockets, but it is slightly musty with that old house smell. I think it will air out with use, although it isn't cold enough for a wool coat yet.

Yay awesome fur coat- ain't I fancy?

A little coat progress- underlining complete!

I must admit, cutting out the wool was stressful. It all fit, and I made no mistakes because I took my time. The front pieces were the worst, because they are gigantic- the front is the bodice and skirt and sleeve all in one piece. So as I was distracted laying it out singly and cutting it twice, I look up to see my "helper" helping stink up a hundred-some dollars of wool. What a brat! Look at him studiously ignoring me!

All the pictures are a little dark, since it's night. The light blue is the flannel underlining, the dark blue is my wool.
It worked out perfectly, since I now have each piece with no marks on the wool, and all of the marks on the flannel in marker. The pattern has about ten million marks you need to transfer: darts, slits, seam allowances that change on a whim, button placement for 15 buttons, etc. I basted it on the machine, of course! I spend all my patience on 6th graders at school; I have no patience for slow sewing!
This is the interfacing I am going to use. It is Pellon Shape-Flex, a woven fusible one made from cotton. I am pleased. My sample gave it nice bit of stiffness, but not too much. You do have to fuse it with a damp cloth, but that's fine.
The coat is going to be super warm! It still has nice, heavy drape and isn't really all that bulky at all. I'm excited!

My next project, and second to last January goal: making a pair of gloves. The pattern is the glove I deconstructed and traced; the fabric is an eggplant/aubergine purple. It's pretty- the light is bad.
Don't forget to enter the giveaway, if you haven't already! I will be drawing names tomorrow or Thursday night!

Wool for my coat

I chose the blue!

While the burgundy and mauve were beautiful together, I wasn't sure. The textures of the two wools were different, which I think would bother me a little. Plus, the coat will look very retro and perhaps burgundy would make it look old-fashioned. I think the blue is more modern.
Plus the blues have the exact same texture, which pleases the perfectionist in me.

My question for you:

Should I interline this coat in flannel? It will be a long coat, which is more for winter. The wool is medium weight, so it's not very heavy. Plus, we won't live in New Orleans forever, so it will be my investment coat. I will have it forever.

P.S. Here is my fabric for my classroom tablecloths. Hot pink and apple green. I bought them on two separate trips to Jo-Ann's to use two 40% off coupons.
Hopefully I will be able to carve out a little time each day to sew and make some progress. I have the black skirt, my cape, my tablecloth and the pattern cut out and fabric purchased for another skirt! I refuse to have UFOs!

White shorts re-do

Today is about 100 degrees out. We had plans to walk the dog at the park, but he only wanted to sit in the shade. This picture is post-rolling-in-mystery-stink.

Look at that precious baby face!

I remade my white shorts, and they are much more appropriate now. I made them about one inch wider on every piece. That made them comfortably loose. I also drafted a curved waistband to solve the gaping back problem from the last pair. I also did the fly better this time. All in all, much nicer.
I used an awesome vintage button. I think it is slightly off, it's making that fold on the fly... Oh well. Vintage zipper too, once again about 5 dollar shorts.
The back is soo much looser. Yay!
So now I have a wearable pair of white shorts! My summer is over in about 2 weeks, but it will be warm here through October, so they'll get some use!

Coat update:

We're going to NY the last weekend in July, so I need to finish this! Then, off to buy beautiful fabric for a coat. I'm thinking chocolate brown and tan, but we'll see....

Vogue 755 Muslin... in progress

You could safely say I am obsessed with this pattern. I love it. It will be the most beautiful coat in the world.

Fortunately, I own it already. It was my best 25 cent buy at that estate sale. I can't find it on the internet anywhere for sale, so who knows how much it goes for.

I oh so carefully pressed the pieces, and they are all there. It made me nervous- what if I tear one? (duh, tape it.) I'm IN LOVE, I can't be logical!

I laid out the muslin on the floor and threatened Andrew and the dog with violence if they came anywhere near my pattern. They cowered in fear.

Not really, it sounded dramatic.

Then I carefully cut them all out. Man it used an absolute freeking sheet ton of fabric. Sheet. It might be thwarting my plans of owning a cashmere coat. Grr. The envelope says 4 yards of 54 inch fabric, and I think it's telling the truth. yikes.

So, I am making a real muslin out of muslin and I am going to fit it perfectly using my Kenneth King guidelines in my Threads magazines my mommy bought me.

And it will be beautiful.

And then I will pick it all apart and lay it out again to see if I really need 4 yards!!! Eek.

PS- Due to my shortness, I usually can get away with buying much less. Like my halter top and pants wanted 4 yards and I bought 3 and it was fine. Vogue 755 has weird shaped pieces, so we shall see.

And then I will go to New York and buy the most lovely fabric ever envisioned for my beautiful (future) coat.

Oh, and did I mention it's an unprinted pattern? Luckily, it'll be the second one I've done, but tomorrow's sewing will be transferring all the dots and squares onto my muslin in pen.

Wish me one billion buckets of luck!!!