WORK WEAR WEDNESDAY ON THURSDAY: 18 DEGREES - WIND CHILL FACTOR 9...

 ...when I made my faux shearing coat in December someone asked me; "Where will you be wearing that - New York?".  Shade people, shade!  Who says it doesn't get cold in Georgia?  Occasionally I'll post what I call WWW (Work Wear Wednesday).  But we didn't have school on Wednesday because of

 this

 this

and this,

 that seams to happen about every four years or so.

But when we did return to school today, the temperature was 18 Degrees with a wind chill factor of 9.  So I felt compelled to wear this...

Thank goodness my Kwik Sew 4197 jacket was ready to keep me nice and cozy during our Antarctic temps.  It's unbelievably light weight, but also remarkably warm.  This is my second wearing - because - yes contrary to popular belief, it does get cold here in Middle Georgia. And, yes (go ahead and laugh) 1/2 inch of snow does stop us dead in our tracks...

#2017 WINTER COAT PROJECT (KWIK SEW 4197)...

...twas six days before Christmas, just one day after my birthday, and my 2017 Winter Coat Project is complete.  Right now I'm calling her my "Fluff-A-Nutter Coat". 

 I enhanced the exposed seaming by hand stitching the lofted side of the fabric to the exterior of the coat so more of the fluff would show - that was a lot of hand stitching - but I made it through.  You know me, I'm extra like that.  But she's done, except for just a little more hand stitching that I plan to do to the seams of the cuffs when ever the forefinger of my right hand heals from pushing that needle for two days (the result of not being able to sew with a thimble).

As you know, working with this fabric was a brand new experience for me.  As with most new experiences, this project involved intimidation that resulted in lots of procrastination on the project.  It wasn't until my Sunday morning sewing chat with Sheila CTK that my mind was put at ease and I was able to work confidently towards completion.  I should have talked with her earlier on in the project but had forgotten that she had made not one but two coats from faux sherling.  Sheila assured me that the shedding would indeed stop, and that I could feel completely comfortable in putting this coat through the wash (line drying afterwards).  THANK  YOU SO MUCH SHEILA CTK, you saved my sewing sanity once again!

When I showed a picture of the coat to a friend today she said, "where are you going to wear this, New York?"  Well, our high temperature today was 71 degrees!  Mind you it was Winter when I started the coat.  Although it's Spring right now, Winter is promised again next week so I will be ready for it when it does return.  I am really amazed how light weight this coat really is.  I have always wanted a coat like this - and now I have one.  There was absolutely no tailoring, no interfacing,  pad stitching or interfacing used in this project.

Thanks for sticking with me through the coat making process once again!!!

2017 WINTER COAT UPDATE...

...time for a little update on my 2017 Winter Coat Project.  From choosing the pattern, which was really a job in itself, to muslin making and fitting, to finally getting to the point where I stopped procrastinating and cut into the actual fabric has taken what seems to be forever. 
 

All in all, I can say that some progress has been made.

As you know, I am a muslin maker.  It helps me maintain a level of confidence.  The purpose of making this muslin was of course fitting, but I it also gave me a chance to see how the overlapping of seams would work out.

The cutting process wasn't that bad at all and didn't create too much excess fluff.  The time I could manage to work on the project this week has been spent making tailors tacks (in blue) and thread tracing  (in white) all joining seams allowances of 7 out of the 8 pattern pieces. This process took 3 evenings, and although thread tracing was not suggested in the pattern instructions, I concluded that it was the most logical way of marking (for me) as not to cause damage to the fabric.  Don't judge my stitches, they are all going to be removed later on down the line.  I knew chalk would disappear too soon, so I chose thread tracing to facilitate proper placement when overlapping the edges before stitching.

I know I'm suffering from delusions of granular, but I foresee this coat being completed by the end of this weekend... 

MY #2017 WINTER COAT PROJECT - KWIK SEW 4197...

...

Kwik Sew 4197

Faux Sherling or Faux Sherpa - are those terms interchangeable? I'm not quite sure, but I found this fabric at Joann's and took the plunge. Every since I brought it home it's been intimidating me.  I've asked questions about working with it, and of course did some Googling so I am equipped with some knowledge: needle type, thread type, stitch length etc.,  I'm still intimidated - but moving forward.

Having to go to work yesterday for 5 hours put a serious damper on my sewing time.  But I did manage to get my coat muslin cut out and marked prior to leaving for work.

I make muslins primarily to check fit, but also to see how things go together.  It's starting to feel possible...