After a mammoth couple of months of ‘business’ sewing, including five Christmas/winter articles, a Valentine’s Day cross-stitch and more, I’m finally taking a bit of a break from ‘gotta-dos’ to sew some ‘wanna-dos’.

Last night, I cut out the lining for my Ottobre raincoat. Yes, yes, I know it’s taken me until now to get started on a project I’d sworn to undertake in the depths of winter, but cut me some slack…I had everything traced off and pre-washed. I just had other sewing that had to get done first.

I’m using a really nice t-shirt knit for the lining. I’d been hmm-ing and haw-ing over what to use for the lining. You wouldn’t think white t-shirt knit would be difficult to locate but it was, surprisingly enough. I’d priced out some knits at a few of my usual suspects, because that what the pattern recommended, and the fabrics I found were either so cheap and thin or so outrageously priced that my fiscal conscience balked.

Then, by chance, while I was in my favourite notion store, Nova Sewing Centre, getting elastic, I saw a big bolt of white knit fabric on the shelf. They don’t carry a lot of fabric, so I hadn’t even thought of them originally – mostly it’s just linings and interfacings and such – but this was perfect. Nice weight, right shade of white and best of all? $3/m!! What a score!

Take that, you $29/m over-priced knitwear fabric! Take that!

So now, I’m going to be working on assembling the lining, using it as my muslin before I cut into my beautiful laminated fabric. I’ve done a rough fit and made my usual pattern changes, including petite-ing it and increasing the cup size but knowing Ottobre, I don’t expect too many challenges. Cutting the fashion fabric though will be fiddly, I’m sure, because I will have to cut the coat shell in a single layer, so that all of the large damask motifs align perfectly.

And when alignment becomes a chore, I’ve also started on an exquisite smocked dress for my niece based on Gail Doane’s out-of-this-world dress, Eloise, which is on the cover of AS&E #87. Grey wool, white french lace collar. Mmmm, delicious.