Friends, if you're like me you have poor impulse control. That's why I'm just going to go ahead and show you how my faux fur Seventies coat looked earlier today, right after I performed the "turn of the cloth" (flipping the facings to the front), revealing my very understated feral cat lapels and collar.
There's still a bit of understitching to do to keep things in place, but I think you'll agree this coat makes a statement. Having grown up in the Seventies in the Bronx of all places, a coat like this has strong associations and I'm not talking about my childhood best friend Maury's mother Francine. Though come to think of it, I'm pretty sure Francine had a coat very similar to mine. If she didn't, she should have.
She did drive a Ford LTD -- or was it her ex husband's -- which would definitely go with the coat.
I'm not sure how much interest you have in the construction of this coat anymore, but I'll share a few things I think warrant mention. First, slightly off topic, the dogs just love sitting in my faux fur scrap pile and I think they're trying to tell me they want faux fur coats too. Dream on, boys.
Since my leopard-y print (What is this cat print exactly?) was rather thin in comparison to the sheared pink rabbit, I padded the collar and lapel pieces to give them extra oomph. I basted some beige fleece I had in my remnant stash and I'm so glad I did; it really makes a difference. The fleece is trimmed so it doesn't get caught in my seam allowances, as one would interfacing.
I also padded both front lapels.
I didn't add grosgrain ribbon or twill tape along the fold line; I don't think it's necessary though I might change my mind; we'll see how my energy holds up.
I attached my overcollar to my right and left front facings, which were already attached to the neck facing. I then stitched the whole kit and kaboodle to the coat itself, having already attached the undercollar, trimmed seam allowances, and turned them up.
Having shaved my seam allowances on the sheared rabbit fur side, my seams were very manageable and neat. They ended up getting trimmed down to about 3/8" or less anyway.
As always, I've been vacuuming as I go, and when I remember it, I put on my face mask. It gives Michael a good laugh if nothing else.
I'm nowhere near done, of course. One thing I left for last was pockets, because I wasn't sure if I wanted slit pockets or patch pockets. The original pattern calls for patch pockets and it's doable in this fur; I just have to think about how it will look. If you have an opinion about it, let me know before I start cutting/slitting etc!
I also wanted to line the coat, though frankly, the inside looks a lot like shearling and isn't offensive to me at all. I could simple bind my facing edges, hems, etc., and call it a day. Thoughts? Also, how about the cuffs and/or hem? Should I add the cat fur there too, or is the collar/lapels plenty?
Have a great day, everybody!
PS - What's a good name for this coat? Be kind!
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