Jedi Smurf Coat: Sewing the Bodice

I knew this would be a slow sew because of all of the pieces involved. What I did not expect was the fabric to be difficult and finicky. I usually like sewing wool because it's stable and respond well to heat. This is a beautiful fabric, don't get me wrong. But it's a pain in the ass to sew with all of its raveling, shedding, and general don't-want-t0-be-handled-or-pressed-ness.

Plus the fabric gives off a chemical odor I steam press.  I read on PR that people who bought the same fabric had success with washing it first. I wish I had read that before cutting.

Initially I wanted to do a bunch of light tailoring. Yeah, that didn't happen. I sewed hair canvas, thread-traced some seam/fold lines, and called it a day.

I fused weft interfacing to the skirt hems and all facing areas. I wanted to interline with flannel for extra warmth, but there are several areas of extreme bulk and the extra layers would have made this even more challenging to sew.

Because there are so many layers, the back neck and front self facing were difficult to attach. I had to baste it by hand first and then sew it by machine. Things were not made any easier because the fabric raveled so much. I ended up serging the whole neckline to keep my sanity and from making this a wadder.

The pattern calls for self fabric for the interior of the hood. To reduce bulk, I considered using lining, however I didn't care much the contrast showing so visibly on the outside.

Now that I look at this side-by-side, the lining doesn't look so bad. It's too late now, the hood is already attached. 

Anyone else getting a Handmaid's Tale vibe? Maybe I watch too much TV.

The bodice side seams are stitched and, honestly, the coat looks so much better without them being sewn. 😐

Yeesh. I hope those folds smooth out or something once the skirt is attached. I have a suspicion that the length I removed from the back bodice might be contributing to this wonkiness. Oof.

As you can see, the front pockets are installed. I emailed Burda for help on this part and what they said now makes complete sense. I still ended up sewing the pockets my way because of the fabric thickness.

I'll share the pocket construction in the next post.

L

Edited to add:  I had to turn on comment moderation because I got spammed with over 200 frivolous messages.