Coat plans plus enter the giveaway

Today I have been working on a muslin for a coat that I plan to do this week.  For my birthday some months ago some very dear friends gave me a gift certificate for Gorgeous Fabrics and I felt I should make something substantial that would last for a while and I could happily think of them every time I wear it.  I ordered this black basketweave wool coating.  It is so soft and just weighty enough to be  perfect for a coat.   

I did lighten up the photo a bit so you can see the weave,  which makes the lining look more red than black, but it is very much a black lining with a red accent.  Either way I am happy with the lining as well, from Fashion Fabrics Club.   Note on fabric preparation:  I did pre-shrink this wool by putting it in the dryer with 2 fluffy dark color towels which I had soaked with very hot water and wrung out , to create a steam dry effect as instructed on Off the Cuff blog of Pamela Erny.  (also plan to use all her interfacings on this project).  The wool measured 131.75" long before and 128.5" after so that was very worthwhile to do.

I had planned to do a very serious coat - by serious I mean old-fashioned hand tailoring, pad stitching, collar shaping etc.  But I have not really found any pattern that suited. Searching for a style that is not too trendy - since I want it to last a while and be worn with evening clothes, dresses etc in the wintertime.  My thought is that the dress I wear can be this year's style or next,  but the coat needs to be a supporting player, not the star in this little fashion drama.  Maybe I am erring on the side of caution, but this is what I have selected, Simplicity 2311, version in the center shown in red.

Here is the muslin, not quite fully put together and looking like some kind of weird lab coat in the aqua color.  I keep staring at the lapels and even marked with a felt pen where I thought the roll line should be.  But I decided I was trying to fit a square peg into a round hole with this one.  The collar as designed is supposed to be a little bit oversized with a soft roll so I decided to go with it.  This way it is all fusible interfacing and I should have a coat in a few days.

Tomorrow some real sewing on this project, right now I am off to dinner with friends with a detour to get some coat buttons on the way :)

And the giveaway mentioned in my last post continues.  Sign up to be a blog follower or leave a comment to enter a drawing Jan 2 for a box of See's chocolate candy - a California favorite.

Happy Holiday Sewing,  Beth