Lady Grey's Sew Along Update: Oilcloth

I followed the same steps as the lining and put together the oilcloth exterior of the raincoat.  I haven't had to use scotch tape on the presser foot yet as I've been working with the interior cloth, but I can tell I'll definitely need it when starting to hem everything and attach it all together.

In order to put together the oilcloth pieces without leaving holes from the pins, I used binder clips... it worked great!

After I attach the lining, I just need to add the pockets and and belt loops.  Oh... and button holes... but I'm nervous about that part.

Lady Grey’s Sew Along Update

Time for an update on my raincoat!  As one of my first posts mentioned, I didn’t have the Lady Grey pattern yet so I started with the Amy Butler Rainy Days raincoat.  The pattern has now arrived so I’ll start on that jacket after I finish the raincoat... which is progressing nicely!

I started with the lining. As I wasn’t doing a muslin version of this coat, I’ve been meticulous with my sewing and marking.  This has been a pretty easy pattern so far and apparel sewing is still new to me.  The hardest part was the sleeves but only because I’m not a fan of sewing gathered materials.  It wasn’t too painful - I just used a lot of pins!

I didn’t hem the length of anything yet (as you can see, the sleeves are a little long) as this is just the lining and I can cut back anything that is too long for the final jacket.  Aside from the length, I really like the fit.  I just put a little pin in front to get an idea of what it will look like closed.

I started stitching the oilcloth material.  I’ll be using binder clips and paper clips instead of pins to avoid any excessive puncture marks.  So far so good! Hopefully I’ll be done with the jacket in the next week.  I’m going to a dance workshop this weekend so anything I don’t finish in the next couple of days will have to wait until next week.  It’s been a quick sew so far, but I’m going to take my time putting the oilcloth together to avoid any scary mistakes.  More coming soon!

Rainy Days Here I Come...

I’m taking part in my first Sew Along: the Lady Grey jacket sew along.  I’m pretty new to the world of sewing my own clothing. I’ve dabbled in craft and accessories but until recently hadn’t attempted clothes.  As a Scottish Highland dancer, I’ve recently needed some new costumes which are custom and can be incredibly expensive.  Luckily I had help from family and friends, but it inspired me to work on this skill myself.  What better way to start than a ‘sew along’?

I ordered the pattern for the Colette Lady Grey coat, but I’ve also been wanting to make something out of oilcloth... in particular, a raincoat.  So I’m going to try the Amy Butler Rainy Days Hooded Raincoat. I picked up some nice oilcloth from Bobbin’s Nest in Santa Clara. I’m catching up with the group and cutting out the patterns and muslin tomorrow.  Because I’ll be working with oilcloth, I’m going to take this slow as the fabric isn’t very forgiving.  I’ll keep you posted as to the progress.  Here’s a picture of the oilcloth and the green lining.