Vogue 1266 - part 4, pausing

Sometimes, you just have to accept that a project has missed the boat. We are a quarter of the way through what is often considered to be the coldest month of the year in the UK, and I am nowhere close to having a completed winter coat. I just started too late, having spent so long on my 'Holly' dress - a prioritisation which I don't regret in the slightest.

At the rate I'm going, winter will be well over by the time I’ve finished the coat. So, I decided to get it to a sensible break point and then leave it. I'm not going to ditch it altogether, I still want to complete it as part of this year’s MakeNine, but not until late autumn. (If, in mid-March, you come across press reports of unseasonable blizzard conditions in North-west England/North Wales, then you will know that I am regretting this decision!)

As expected, there has been a lot of hand sewing this week.

So much hand sewing

The seam shown in red had to be trimmed, graded, turned right side out and firmly pressed, and then understitched by hand. Because the fabric is so thick, I did this in a variation on back stitch, with a gap between the stitches (I have no idea if there is a name for this 'stitch'). Then I had to stab stitch in-the-ditch along the line shown in green, also by hand, to hold the collar in place.

The next job was the in-seam pockets. The fronts are cut from the lining fabric and the backs should be cut from the coat fabric, but I worried that this would make the pockets too bulky. So I went for a compromise approach of a strip of coat fabric at the edge where it might show, and sturdy black cotton from my stash for the rest.

Pocket back

The side seams were then sewn up, and this is as far as I have got. Everything needs a good press, especially the collar, and the side seam allowances need catching down. Then I will write up the next steps in my notebook so that I don't forget them, and put it all away for a few months.

Pausing point

I'll be back next week with a new project. I've got a couple of choices to consider, but right now I'm leaning towards a straightforward palette-cleanser!