Anita's Examples - Norway
Chase Outfit
Since I don't look good in dove gray and can't afford suede, i
decided to make mine in sand coloured wool. It is fully lined with
sand coloured (but a tad more pinkish) brushed isoli. It is intended
for everyday use (this is now my regular coat!), so I decided to put a
zipper in front. It is not invisible because I needed a split one, but
I made it as invisible as I could manage. The other change I had to
make for practical reasons was to skip the ribbon in the back. Hardly
any fun getting stepped on on the subway all the time :)
For
the bodice I made my first muslin ever! (About time...) Still in shock over
how well it all worked out. I made the loops for the front lacing out of the
woolen fabric and remembered to attach them before doing the panel
seams (yes, we all have made mistakes in the past).
When the bodice was fitted properly, I attached tube upper sleeves.
Later, I fastened the petal-shaped lower sleeves. This turned out to be
quite a project because of the many layers of fabric - I ended up using all
my pins at the same time, and ruined about six machine needles in the
process!
On the upper sleeves, I hand embroidered the art noveau design. Acid
etching on wool was not an option (!), and machine stitching wouldn't give
the "substantial" impression I wanted. The extra hours of work were worth it
though :)
Then the four skirt panels were attached to the bodice - making sure the
skirts overlapped a bit in the sides. I decided i wanted the skirts to be
longer than in the original, simply because it gives a great feeling walking
around every day with long skirts around your ankles!
The collar is supposed to be textured, a fact of which I'm painfully
aware. I'm in the process of hand embroidering my own overlay fabric. Since
I really wanted to start using my coat before springtime, I have saved the
collar project for later (Meaning I work on it every free second, and will
attach it as soon as i finish it)... Picture updates will follow.
