Pretty thing

Ooooh, I'm very close to 100 posts and I've noticed that other crafty types tend to have a giveaway with their first 100. What, oh what, shall I do?

So, the jacket I'm using couture sewing techniques on. It's not as far along as I'd hoped because there is a little person in my house who appears to despise sleeping. It's how I imagine living with Margret Thatcher would be - you know, she of four hours sleep a night - but possibly a little more fun.

I'm using a black velvet (I think it may even be crushed velvet - let's call it trashy chic), with a border print as the outer and a pink patterned silk as the inner.


Both fabrics are a blerdy nightmare to sew because they're both slippery little beggars, so hand sewing them is probably faster and easier than doing it at the machine. That, and my machine would chew them up and spit them out - anything that's not a medium weight cotton gets badly treated by my machine.

Also, the pink silk is fraying like crazy. I'm not sure yet how to deal with that. Might have to consider zigzagging it with the machine...


I've surprised myself by bothering with basting before I sew. When I'm using the machine I almost never baste. As it turns out, it's a very handy thing to do. You'd never guess but it actually helps keep the material in exactly the right place for when the permanent stitching starts! I know. Shocking.


I've done something a little silly though. I forgot to plan the closing. And it's going to be difficult because there's all that lovely pattern on the front that I don't want interrupted by buttons or buttonholes. Really should have thought this through.