Finally, The Lady Grey Finished!

So here it is... my Lady Grey Coat. The hemming was a bitch, I'm not gonna lie, but I like how it came out for the most part.

I have to remember next time to leave a bit more room in the shoulders to accomodate the underneath layers, but in Miami underneath layers are not an everyday thing, so it was an afterthought.

It's turned out to be more a jacket than a coat, but I figure I might get more use out of it that way. I think it may go into the closet pretty soon, cause I know it's gonna get hot in Miami soon, but I may be able to use it once more before then.

What do you think of the coat? Have you ever made a coat or jacket for yourself?

A HUGE note to self. Next time you're doing a sew along, don't do an advanced one!

Hemming the Lady Grey

Now my Lady Grey coat is basically done, I just had to hem it. I had already tried to hem it once, and it turned out to be a disaster. So I ripped it all out. Then it got cold here in Miami last night. And I figured I might still have a chance to wear the coat this year. So I attempted the hemming again.

I had already gathered the coat with a row of gathering stitches, but the first time I hemmed it, nothing seemed to line up correctly. I also tried steaming it, as Gertie suggested, but since my outer fabric is a wool blend and not a pure wool, it didn't shrink up like hers did. So i had to deal with the bulk of the gathering while I was hemming.

This time, I went ahead and tacked the hem at the seams. This let me get smaller pieces in between the seamlines to hem, and seemed to be straighter, since the seams were all where they were supposed to be. It turned out pretty good for what it was. I'm so ready to wear the coat, and I figure that I'll be the only one that will notice the hem anyways.

Tonight I'm going to iron the hem again to make it lay as flat as it can, and then all I have left is buttonholes. I have to say that the hem was the worst part of this whole ordeal. The pattern should have been drafted like the sleeves, with room for it to be hemmed flat. Guess next time I may just have to do that part myself.

Lady Grey Sew-along: Almost Done!

I got down to business and finally got down to making my coat. It's been freaking cold down here in Miami, so looks like I will actually get some use out of my coat this year.

I followed the pattern instructions and everything seemed to go rather smoothly. The Colette Pattern instructions are really good, not confusing like some can be. I sewed and used my serger to finish the edges. Even though it's lined, I wanted to keep it all nice and neat. I also decided to go with the topstitching, since I love topstitching and I think it gives the coat some of its style.

The body of the coat came together pretty smoothly. And then came my arch-nemesis, setting in the sleeves. I followed the tutorial that Gertie posted on her site, using some polar fleece scraps that I had. They fit okay-ish... I think I needed to stretch the fleece a bit more. I did rip out the sleeves and put them in again, and the second time was a bit better. I'm sure had i tried a few more times they would have worked perfectly, but in all seriousness, I was tired and just wanted to get them attached.

Then I started on the lining. I have no idea what I did wrong, but the staystitching made the silky fabric pucker. I fiddled with the tension, but that didn't seem to work either. I went ahead and the seams seemed to come out a little better. There was still some puckering, but I figured it was only lining, and I would be the only one that would notice it. Well, me and grandma, but she won't tell.

Now all I have left is the hem and the sleeve hem, buttons, buttonholes and the belt. I know the belt will be done in no time. It's the hemming that's gonna take a while, but I need the hemming practice anyways. So in a few days you'll get to see my fabulous Lady Grey Coat on me.

Lady Grey Long-Overdue Update

Okay, I admit it. I'm a slacker. But truthfully, I've been busy with shows and the store and Handmade Miami. And it's been hot here in Miami, and that was just no inspiration to make a coat. But then it did start getting chillier here, and from what the news is telling me, I should be needing a coat this week. (The high for tomorrow will be in the 60s, that's cold for us Miami-ans).

So I finally got down to it and cut out my fashion fabric. I have almost all of the coat cut out. All I have left is the lining for the sleeves. I hope I can get the coat together in a few days (that's totally wishful thinking). My coat is gonna be more of a trench then a full-on coat, so I think it'll be useful even on the not too cold days. I also got some cute gloves to go with it. I can't wait to be sporting my own coat.

I have decided not to go with the tailoring techiniques that Gertie showed in her blog. I think the pad stitiching and all that jazz, just made the coat look floppy and frumpy. Plus, I have had no luck finding the hair canvas or anything similar. But we'll see how mine comes out.

Wish me luck in my coat-venture!

Lady Grey Sew-along: The Muslins

So finally, after weeks of craziness going on, I got a chance to make my Lady Grey muslins. I'm so glad I made them and just didn't cut into the fashion fabric right away.

First I cut out my muslin in a size 10. I looked at the back of the pattern for the size measurements and thought this size would be best. I thread traced each of the pieces and then got to assembling them. Getting the arms to fit with the gathering stitches was a pain as always, but this is just the muslin. I finished and then tried it on.

What a mess! As you can see from the pics the size is way too big for me. (Note to self: When making an A-line it's totally okay to go with the waist measurement to determine your size, since the hips won't be fitted) Also, I'm short-waisted (or "corta de talle" as I would say) and the waist was totally in the wrong place. So I came and showed it to grandma to get a second opinion. She pinned where my waist should be and told me I need to bring it up about an inch to get the waist on my waist.

So I began to take apart my muslin to start on my second attempt. This time, I wisely chose the size 6 and moved up the waist about an inch. What a difference! This time the waist was spot on. As you can see from the shoulders, it's a much better fit too. Looks like muslin #2 is a go.

So I think I'm finally gonna cut into the fashion fabric! EEK! Wish me luck. I'm also having a helluva time finding the hair canvas needed for the tailoring. I'm gonna make a stop at a fabric store which has more apparel type fabrics in the hopes of finding it there. Such a shame that I have no idea how to say "hair canvas" or "hymo" in Spanish. I guess I'll just have to try my luck.

Lady Grey Sew-along: The Supplies

Look what came in the mail last week! My Lady Grey Coat pattern. Man I had been lusting over the Colette Patterns for a while now. I'm so glad Gertie had a discount code for us sew-along-ers. It was a it pricey, but man was it worth it. The pattern is so well made. No crazy fold out instructions or messy envelope. The pattern is in a little portfolio. The instructions printed out booklet style and the pattern was tucked into a pocket neatly in the back. I can't wait to start cutting out the pattern and actually getting started on my coat.

I figured I should get to the fabric shopping, since mid-September is almost upon us. So I got over to my local JoAnn's to see if they had anything worthwhile. First, I looked at the cotton twill. I read on the blog that something like that would be better for the hotter climates, but I just didn't like them. They were hard and a bit stiff. I wanted something with a little more drape. So I headed over to the suiting fabrics, turned out that they had a pretty good selection. There were all different kinds, even some wool gabardines which we beautiful (though kinda pricey for me). I finally settled on a "spring suiting" wool/poly blend. I picked a darkish tan. I really like the shade of it. Then it was onto the lining fabric.

The regular lining fabrics they had were boring. But then I started browsing through the "simply silky prints." They had some great patterns, and I definitely wanted something fun for the inside of the coat. I loved the idea of polka dots, like in the pics on the Colette site. So I got this great cream with brown polka dots. It's poly, but I figure the silky texture will make a good coat lining, since it'll be easy to slip on and off. Plus I love it, and isn't that all that really matters anyways?

I also bought some muslin and the interfacing. This will be my first time making a muslin, so we'll see how it goes. The only things I'm missing are the buttons. I couldn't find any buttons that I liked, but I figured I can just get some from grandma. I'm sure she'll have some that will work. So I'm ready to go. There's no turning back now! (or I'll end up with a whole lotta suiting fabric in my stash)

Sew-along: Lady Grey Coat

So I've been really on a great crafty kick lately due in part to Handmade Miami and all the craft blogs I read. One of my favorites is Gertie's New Blog for Better Sewing. Gertie is awesome. She has a vintage/retro style (which is totally up my alley) and she's a great seamstress. The blog began as her quest to make all the items in Vogue's New Book for Better Sewing. But, she doesn't just concentrate on that. She makes awesome clothes and takes her readers along for the ride, guiding us through the whole process. Demystifying the making of clothes, if you will.

I've been so inspired seeing all of her work and such cute clothes, that I've been itching to make myself something. But I'm always a little hesitant about making clothes for myself. But, Gertie has made it so easy by starting a sew-along on her blog. So, I've decided to join Gertie's Sew-Along for the Lady Grey Coat from Collette Patterns. I've been eyeballing those adorable Collette Patterns for a while now and have been itching to buy one. So I just purchased my Lady Grey pattern and am hoping I can keep up.

And yes, some of you may be saying: what are you gonna do with a coat in Miami? I was thinking about that, but I figure it will work in a lighter weight fabric. Plus, I'm really hoping for at least a few cold-ish days this winter, and if there aren't any I'll wear it anyways!

So keep checking back on the blog to see the whole process of my crazy-ness in making this coat!