Close to a Coat

I am very glad that I decided to make a muslin of the Chloe Coat pattern before cutting into my good fabric even though the coat has been relatively easy to make. Putting in the lining—”bagging the lining”—was an exercise in spatial perception skills that left my brain feeling like it had been mugged in a back alley. I watched a lot of YouTube videos. All that is left is the hem and the closures. The pattern calls for snaps, or “poppers” as the Brits say, but I may do buttons. I haven’t yet decided.

Fortunately, this will be a wearable muslin, something I throw on over jeans in the spring and fall when it’s cool. I like the flannel lining. On the second iteration, I will shave down the sleeve cap so it isn’t so poufy and possibly grade out to a slightly larger size at the hips. I need just a scooch more room there.

I hope to have a reveal photo for you by the end of the weekend.

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On my way to Seattle before Thanksgiving, I stopped in Post Falls, Idaho, to see the new Shabby Fabrics showroom. Post Falls is between Coeur d’Alene and Spokane, and has been the headquarters of Shabby Fabrics for a number of years. If you’re not familiar, Shabby Fabrics is an online quilting store. Jennifer, the owner, also has a wonderful YouTube channel.

The showroom is in the front of the (enormous) warehouse, which is a short drive off of I-90 and easy to find.

The showroom isn’t really set up as a regular store. Rather, there are themed booths—by holiday, etc.—with carefully-arranged displays of finished items with numbers next to them. Shabby Fabrics sells a lot of kits. If you see a finished item for which a kit is available, you write down the number on a sheet and clipboard provided as you enter the store. When you’re ready to check out, someone takes your sheet to the warehouse and pulls the items you want. A small selection of non-kit items, such as tools and notions, are also on display and available for purchase. If you order anything from the website, you can ask to have the items held for pickup, which would be convenient for someone like me.

It was late on a Saturday afternoon and I was the only one in the store, so I had a nice visit with Jennifer and her family. If you are anywhere near the showroom, make an effort to stop in.

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Once this Chloe Coat is done, I’d like to run up another muslin of the princess seam dress pattern just to check a few things. I should probably figure out what I am wearing for Christmas Eve and whether that decision involves making something. 🧐