Pages

Wednesday 31 December 2014

Big Black Tailored Overcoat

One of the classes this year was Tailoring, and I am making a coat. The class is over, but my coat isn't quite finished yet. I gave my pattern a very big collar and lapels.
The mockup.
Since it's such a long and involved process, I'm not going to go through every single step of making it.
The sleeve being sewn.
 My fabric is wool melton, and my lining is rayon bemberg with blue & burgundy threads.
The back lining.
This is the canvas interfacing I used for the front. The assignment only required fusible interfacing, but I wanted to use canvas, much to the delight of my teacher. The black line is a bit of cotton zig zagged over the hole where the dart is, and the grey stuff is wool, which is also zigged to the canvas.
 Here's my under collar.

 And here it is with some of the pad stitching finished.
 Pocket flaps. They're lined in the same black cotton as the pocket bags are made of.

I did a prick-stitch around the edge of the pocket flaps.
The dart in the front stops just above the pocket.
Attaching the welt and pocket flap.
 After sewing the pocket bag on I had to attach the canvas to the front piece.
 I cut a rectangular hole through the canvas so the pocket could sit on the other side of it.
Cross stitching the pocket allowances to the canvas.

The top of the pocket bag, with the allowances nicely secured.
 Lots of temporary basting.
 The lapels with lots of pad stitching.
 Tailor's tape on the roll line.
The allowances of the canvas trimmed back to the stitch line, and fusible tape put all around the edge.

 Putting the shoulder pad in.
The cross stitched edge is the front one. The back edge hangs free.
 The shoulder pad basted in.
From the back.
And from the front.
Prick stitching the seam where the lining is sewn to the facing.
Here's the front with the facing sewn on.
 It's been pressed, but still looks a little baggy because the edge hasn't been prick-stitched, and the lining isn't all attached.
 This is what the coat looks like at the moment.
 The collar isn't together yet, but the sleeves are.

I can't proceed further without instructions from my tailoring teacher, so I'll finish this when I get back to school. I'm really looking forward to wearing it.