Monday, October 05, 2009

Should it stay or should it go?

I STILL haven't finished this coat yet, but right now I'm not sure I should bother.



What I have left to do is:
  • Get three buttonholes put in professionally (or sew on some snap buttons) and sew the buttons on
  • Unpick the lining hem and re-attach it so that the back pleat doesn't sag funny
  • Re-do the sleeve hems because the sleeve lining is way too long
And then it will be finished.



I'm not thoroughly happy with this coat though:
  • the back pleat doesn't sit right when it's on, though it looks fine on the hanger
  • Most of the plaids don't match up from bodice part to skirt part
  • the skirt part really sticks out
  • the fabric is a little bit distorted, maybe because I machine-washed and line-dried it prior to cutting
  • I'm not sure this style and pattern is very flattering on me
(Apologies if you're eyes are going a bit weird looking at the back view; it's just a blurry photo)



So anyway, do I spend the extra time and money on finishing it, or is it a dead loss?

It's not all bad though - I have learned enough that, if I were to make this coat again, the end result would be much more satisfactory (though I reckon I could find a more flattering style).

Like:
  • stay away from any fabric that has obvious must-match pattern on it
  • don't use fabric that is super-frayable and super-duper-snaggable (it makes unpicking really really hard, and the floor really really messy)
  • be careful putting in that back pleat, and don't be in a hurry to undo the tacking that keeps it in place
  • don't machine-washing a loosely-woven cotton tweedy fabric in the hope that it will tighten the weave.
  • If you don't look good in high necklines, just accept the fact that you need to wear a scarf with that coat - then go out and buy a really nice one.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I think you're being too fussy - coat looks great! And really how many people can say 'well actually I just made it myself'. And no one need know that it took you a little longer than 'just whipped up in the wknd'.

Anonymous said...

Margaret says she thinks you were extremely adventurous to make something so hard (and that it looks good). And also that it takes a long time to figure out what is good to sew with etc.

Pollyanna_H said...

Looks damn fine to me.

Anonymous said...

It looks great, both on the hanger and on you! I'm amazed! I wish I had that kind of skill!

Watson Woodworth said...

I like it.
But if I were tayloring (I am a perfectionist) I would probably be maddened by the flaws too.

Antoinette said...

Looks fabulous! I strongly suggest you put some closures on that coat, even just some oversized hook-and-eye closures for now, and wear it a few times. You will likely find that all the little things that bug you now won't even be noticeable once you're moving through a normal day. (And then you'll maybe see that no one else notices all those little things, either.) What a great job you've done!!!

Violet said...

Thanks for all your positive comments. I actually noticed that it looks tons better in the photos than it does in real life (kinda the reverse of me and my photographed look).

Okay you've convinced me to at least finish it. I'll use snap buttons as I can do that myself, which will be cheaper than paying a tailor to make buttonholes for me.

And then we shall see...