Bad sewing day

Do you ever have one of those days where you know that you want to sew but not quite sure what you want to sew? Well I've had one of those today.
Normally on a Saturday I go down my local community center and sew, but not today, this left me with a dilemma. I'm working on a quilt as well as my coat, which I said that I'd only do down the center, but then again it is my sewing Saturday.
Well I opted to do my coat, should have done the quilt. I've done another two blocks, pinned them up only to discover that I've done two sides the wrong way round on the colours. The middles should have been the outers and vice versa. Bugger. Well in the grand scheme of things you'll never know, although I will. 

Well it wouldn't be my work without a mistake or two!

The hem line is done!

Well the hem line of the coat is now done. 18 blocks down and another 12 blocks left to complete the bottom section, then it's geese & hex's.

A little distraction

Whilst doing my coat I often get a little distracted. This time it was doing a mug rug swap with the quiltinggallery.com. I'd never done one before, this one was 'fall inspired'. It's not as easy as you might think. It easy enough making something for yourself or someone you know well, but to make something for a quilting person with only email as the contact it was quite a challenge. My partner I was assigned happened to come from Sevenoaks in Kent, I could have been paired up with a international partner, you just don't know who you might get. That's half the fun, making new quilting friends.
So here they are, the log cabin two are what I made for my partner. The mushrooms and blustery leaves are from Emily. I love them, they're so different from what I would make.

12 blocks down

12 blocks done, only half are shown. My sewing room is too small to lay them all out, but you get the idea.

Writing this blog

One of my sewing friends Sue asked me today had I written anymore on my blog? My answer was no. As I said to her I've about 100+ blocks to do all which look very similar so posting 'another done' is going to get very boring. So I've decide every time I do a few and pin then onto the pattern I'll take a picture and then write the a blog, that way you can see the coat growing without the blog getting boring.

The pattern

You can see the design for the skirt part of the coat a little better in this picture. This is half of it, I'm mirroring the blocks as I'm making them, fingers crossed it will look ok.

It's going to be a slow journey

Well the first four blocks are done and together. I shouldn't have joined them really as I still haven't worked out quite how it will all go together, but I just wanted to see what they'd look like. So hear they are.

First blocks done!

Well it's taken me 2 couple of hours but the first two blocks are done. It's taken me longer than I thought due to not being able to see the lines very well on the left hand block, and using dark coloured fabric doesn't help either. So I might have to spend a little time drawing guide lines on the sewing side.

These two blocks fit at the centre back at the base of the coat

(close up of the block)

The start of production

After a long break

Well after having taken a long break from my coat project due partly health reasons but mainly to finish off a quilt I started nearly 9 years ago, and make a quillow for my husband and some mugrugs & pot holders for a charity coffee morning, oh and a carry bag for my cutting mat, rulers etc I'm back on track. (Have I really done that much since April?)
I've started sewing the foundation pieces although I haven't traced everything as yet, I just got so inpatient!
Well can you blame me?

OMG!!

Its taking me absolutely ages to trace off the foundation pieces onto solufleece. I must be mad doing this, but then I never did anything by half. I'm getting really impatient, I just want to sewing!

Nearly there

Well most of the paper patterns are traced off and I just need to cut them out. I still have to trace off the filler sections and then the foundation pieces. The foundation sections will take longer as I will trace them straight onto solufleece.
Well I thought I was nearly there, I so want to start sewing, I'm getting impatient. I know I have to get this part right or the whole coat could end up wrong, so its worth doing right.

Toile is finished

The toile is finished and one of my sewing friends has fitted it on me today. Only a few alterations so thats good. I just need to transfer them onto the pattern draft, tipex out the lines I don't want to trace. I can then recut the patterns pieces, and finish drafting the foundations.

Samples

The flame sample looks so much better with the background added.

Samples

I thought I'd better start doing some samples, here's 1 of the flame sections and a spiral flame section.

The design is drafted

Over the last day or so I've transferred the designs that I drafted on the skirt part of the toile to the paper pattern pieces.
I've drawn up the foundation sections; they are now ready to be transferred onto the stabilizer.
I still have some fine tuning to do on the top part which I won't be able to do until the coat has been fitted on me.

Toile

I've had a very productive day so far and managed to get the toile shell together before lunch.
I need to go back to my blocks and check the sleeves as they were a real pig to set in. There was too much at the head even for me to ease in, and with wading as well there will it’s even worse. If my block measurements are ok then it will be back to the books.

I still need to set the zip and the lining. Look at where I'm going and how to add pockets (set in or welted).
I have to add I'm still not convinced that a zip is going to look right, so will have to wait and see and mull it over.

When I tried it on it felt a little big, so I will ask one of my sewing friends if they will fit it on me. Then we should be good to go!

The final design

My final design as a pencil drawing.

Coloured to give an idea of what the coat might look like.

The Working Drawing.

My first designs

 My first designs for the front of the coat.

 Design of the front and several back styles.

Out of order

My next lot of posts will be out of order I'm afraid, I'm writing them in draft on my phone, then editing on my laptop at the weekends, when I can also scan in pictures etc. So my apologies everyone.

Designing the foundation sections

I had a really good day today down at sewing, and got a lot of basic ideas drawn up on the toile.

I'm drafting the design using tailors chalk, and actually learnt something new as well. In all the years I've been designing & sewing I never knew how to get rid of chalk lines. I sussed it today, a damp cloth. Just how stupid is that! Something so simple. I love it when I learn something new, now matter how small or insignificant.

Sorry the photo is lousy, you just can't see very well what I've drawn.

Some of the ladies down the group thought that I was working on the actual garment, and were quite shocked when I said that it was just a mock up which would probably end up in the bin when my coat is finished.

The Pattern

It’s been years since I've cut a pattern, I just can’t for the life of me remember how to draft silly things like collars. Where do the seams on a fitted jacket sleeve lie. Oh help I just can't remember, well back to the books I go! I’m glad that I kept all my college work now; I knew there was a good reason for it and that I’m not just a hoarder!!

It’s now drafted after a couple of attempts and the pattern pieces are cut; now it’s time to do a toile. Here goes nothing!!

The Idea

Well after over a year in the designing, I'm nearly there. The basics are done although I still need to decide how I want to fasten the coat, I keep changing my mind!

I love the great coats from the late 1800’s. I trawled through the net for images & drawings of coats from that period and also looked at modern copies. I also searched for collars, cuffs, pockets, sleeves and coat lengths. Everything I found was a little fussy for the type of patchwork I had in mind, it was all food for thought so time to start designing and simplify things.

The Toile

Why am I doing a toile (mock up)? There are several main reasons,
1, I need to make sure that the coat will fit, I wouldn't be happy if I got to the end and it didn't.
2, so I can draw up the foundation designs so I can see what the end result might look like.

I'm substituting polycotton for cotton, felt for batting and satin for lining. There is no real reason for this apart from, its what I've got in my workroom that needs using up!
It will give me an idea of what it will look like, how it will quilt and how it will feel.

I will still do samples of foundation piecing and free motion quilting, as well as using what I learnt when doing my bed quilt.