Miyake Coat Continues

An hour a day is my goal.  Some days more, some less.  Finally the boxes are packed and shipped for Design Outside the Lines, so I am rewarding myself with playing with this coat which is whetting my appetite for more Miyake patterns, already have a couple others out for musing upon.

I took an afternoon and put in bound button holes --- on the man's/Canadian/Japanese side of the coat.  The buttonholes are pretty good and I can live with the minor error, tho I had a 'moment' when I realized my mistake.  It has been a while since I've done bound buttonholes, so I had to revisit my own directions from the Tailoring book.  This classic book used to be part of the Singer series.  I did consulting on the research & tech stuff for this book many years ago and it was the basis of tailoring classes I used to teach.  The photos are somewhat dated, but the information holds up.

The info on bound buttonholes comes from couture via the strictly run pattern making classes I took from Simmon Sethna, who studied in Paris in the 1950's and ran classes in her SF apartment using the same methods she learned at the renowned Chambre Syndicale...the very school where Issey Miyake trained.   The buttonhole lips are cut on the bias and results in a soft effect, just right for this fabric.

Back to the pattern...I am going to like this coat!

The pieces fit together well AND there are some surprises.  The pockets are shaped, 2 separate pocket pieces had me scratching my head...these are not normal sewing pattern pockets.  One set is sewn to the front of the coat, the other to the back, and the shapes are curved, so when worn, the pockets nest into the shape of the garment.  Clever!  ...and it took reading the directions to figure it out.  The sleeves are also beautifully shaped, so they curve just like the arm when the coat is worn.  

When I tried on the coat shell, it was too big.  It has been years since I made a muslin, but this experience made me realize the value of making one as certain fitting aspects really only show up in the fabric.  The tissue fitting looked just right, but the wool version needed help, and the fix was no problem.  

So I consulted with Katherine.  She is very good at fitting and keeping things simple.  

The sleeves were too big/wide as was the body.  I took in both sleeve seams in all the way down, 1/2", then took in the relating back and front seam (front just as far as the top of the pocket) a corresponding amount.  That did the trick, now the coat fits.  I was glad I had not touched the lining yet, so yesterday I put together the shell of the lining making the same seam adjustments.  Keeping my fingers crossed that it all fits together.

I was glad I not only opened up the neck all around, but lowered it by about 3/4" at the front.  Measured the neck opening and made a new collar piece to fit the new neck.  The neck measurement and the collar are the same, have to remember that the collar ends at about the center front, so it is important to do the math so the pieces fit.  I cut the collar on the bias and pressed to remove the stretch, then re-cut it.  At this point the collar is a big unknown.  The shape of the pieces is like nothing I've ever seen.  My bias version keeps the shape, just larger and cut on the bias.  Reading the directions, it is sewn and finished in a totally unique, Miyake-esque way, rolled to the outside and hand stitched.  I'm not sure about how the facing will work: which  for interfacing and for turning the raw edge under in the classic sewists 'clean finished edge'.  This seems like a lot of bulk, and my fabric is not that heavy.  But I will give it a try knowing I can always plug in another collar.  This one seems to be like a roll, might be good or not.    

The photo shows the coat shell.  More to be revealed soon!