The Sewing Place
The Emporia => In the wardrobe => Topic started by: charlotte on August 28, 2019, 13:16:37 PM
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I am absolutely in love with this pattern (https://www.sewdirect.com/1067/)! This has to be hands down the easiest thing I have ever made. The fabric/style has a lot to do with it - a lovely fulled loden boiled wool, which allowed me to leave the edges raw and forgo any seam finishes. I have also gone for a brooch fastening, rather than adding any closures so no wasting time with any buttonhole nonsense. Plus the sleeves went in like a dream. It's unlined so it doesn't look the absolute best inside. It would look better inside if the seams were top-stitched or flat felled but that wasn't the look I wanted. I could invisibly hand-stitch the seam allowances down... it's an option.
It also fitted almost perfectly out of the packet - it's just slightly wide on the shoulder so I just added a folded up bit of fabric as a sort of sleeve-head/shoulder pad as a last minute fix. I did the whole thing from start to finish in a very leisurely three hours.
I made View D, with a bit of added length and minus the buttonholes, which means it can be worn in a variety of ways.
This one is to wear to my cousin's wedding in October. I am already planning a more everyday version in a more practical colourway (petrol blue) and possibly one (in orange) for my mum for Christmas!
(https://i.imgur.com/7OtYHrQl.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/WSAquY7l.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/3nCtHqol.jpg)
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@charlotte That is a lovely coat, and looks very stylish.
Jessie
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This is very beautiful, classy and versatile. You made a great choice of fabric there.
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Lovely coat @charlotte it's great when you want to make more than one ;)
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Could you do a Hong Kong finish on the seams?
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Thanks for all the lovely comments. I am very pleased with it.
Could you do a Hong Kong finish on the seams?
I could do, but the issue isn’t really that the edges need finishing, it’s more that they sort of spring up and don’t lay flat which makes it look untidy. So a Hong Kong finish wouldn’t fix that. I can’t think of a non-topstitching solution other than painstaking invisible handstitching... so I’ll probably just leave it!
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Is there such a thing as double sided sticky interfacing? If so thin strips of that could help with the worst bits. -<
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Is there such a thing as double sided sticky interfacing? If so thin strips of that could help with the worst bits. -<
I do have some hem tape, but I am not sure it would stick to the uneven surface of the boiled wool. I did get as far as getting finding a tube of fabric glue but then I chickened out. :D
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@charlotte , you can buy double sided tape - a lot of handbag makers use it. That may secure your seams well enough. I use an ordinary one from The Works, but I'm careful to keep away from the sewing machine with it. The one the handbag makers use can, I think be sewn through.
Jessie
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I am curious Charlotte, you say your fabric is Loden and that is has also been boiled which closes it all down. Was the fabric originally knitted and then boiled, and then where did you get this from.
A few years ago I was looking for Loden to make a coat with and all the samples I had were in fact a knitted fabric which is not what I was wanting. Years and years ago I actually had a Loden coat and this was definitely a woven fabric and in Austria where Loden is used a lot as a very warm and sturdy coat for the climate in the mountainous regions it was a woven fabric so I am very confused. In the end I gave up, but I would be interested to know more about your fabric and where you got it from. Thanks.
With regards to your seams not laying flat have you tried using a clapper when you are pressing - lots of steam and then hold the clapper in place for a few minutes, another and cheaper option is to use a wooden rolling pin - preferably a new one that has not been used for pastry!!! Give the seam a good steaming an then bang the daylights out of it with the rolling pin.
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@Elnnina
https://www.activefabrics.co.uk/wool-fabrics/boiled-wool-loden.html
Have a look at these, may be of some interest?
And then I found this which seems to be what you were looking for?
https://www.myfabrics.co.uk/81-4578-061_fulled-loden-grey.html
lizzy
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Love your brooch. I made a similar jacket (can`t remember the name) from fleece and doing a decent buttonhole in it was almost impossible! Wish I`d thought of just using a brooch instead
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Lovely coat and I love the dragonfly brooch too! xx
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@Elnnina the myfabric link that Lizzy777 posted is the one I used. It is definitely knitted and boiled though. I think this (http://https://www.yorkshirefabric.com/collections/loden) might be a more traditional Loden, but sadly out of budget for me!