73: Red coat part 2 - slow progress

Well finally  got about one third of my table back which I can just about sew on. The rest on my table is still covered in assorted candlesticks, vases, lamps etc from the lounge where my partner is still plastering. He is doing well. Its looking good. He still has the fireplace and the ceiling to do but its now looking like we may actually be able to use it for Christmas. We are going to just paint it and add wall paper in a year or so once the plaster is properly dried because we never want to find ourselves in this situation again where we have to re-plaster. Of course it is possible if it happened again we might just be able to afford to pay a proper plasterer but right now we just could not.

So, sewing.........well I got my table or part of it back yesterday and managed to get a small amount of sewing done today. I have begun constructing the coat very slowly, with much head scratching,  which I began here : http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/73-red-coat-part-1_2.html

I have sewn up the bodice front and back and joined them together at the shoulders. I have clipped all the curves and am considering whether to cut off the excess fabric. I have left it for now. Also maybe I should topstitch? The pattern does not say to top stitch but I do like it. The instructions are very sketchy as usual with Burda so I am just slowly trying to figure what to do.

my sleeve and undersleeve

I have never done sleeve vents that have buttons before so I am a bit stuck there. I may have to have a sort through my very old patterns to see if there is one with a sleeve vent that has better instructions. I will probably get there eventually. I have sewn the under sleeve to the top sleeve but do not know what to do next so have left this for now until I decide the best course of action. I obviously must somehow do the facing first I reckon before sewing up the side else it will make a very messy looking finish. So for now I am stuck here. Also I assume the lining is meant to go in before I do this since I must somehow attach the sleeve vent facing to it I think.

Back with side backs sewn on

I clipped the curves but have not yet cut off excess fabric

Harriet models my bodice to check for obvious problems

Then when putting onto Harriet in order to take pictures I realised the sides are much longer that the CF and CB. Turns out I cut a different view! Still better too long than too short I suppose.

 So I have cut the wrong view. View 104 which I am attempting to make has the hem a couple of inches shorter than view 101 which I have cut for the side panels. You can just about see in these photos. Simple to fix but still a nuisance. View one is considerably longer as shown on the pattern piece below.

So to alter it I have pinned the pattern piece on and cut off the excess. Hopefully everything will still work ok. It must be 30 years since I made a coat using a pattern. I have made hoodies using just squares of fabric but this is a proper fitted coat that needs interfacing etc. The closest I have got to a fitted coat was my Gingham along jacket but that had no sleeve vents and was much simpler than this is. http://brackencrafts.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/65-gingham-along-jacket-construction.html
Well for now that is it for this week. At least now I am able to sew again!

I will soldier on with this.

Thanks for visiting my blog

Bracken