Friends, at last I can see the light at the end of the tunnel vis-a-vis this parka project. If I had my snaps in hand, I could probably finish tomorrow. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for them to arrive in the mail, so Monday at the earliest.
But I made my first grommet and it wasn't difficult at all.
My grommet kit -- which I'd purchased to use in making swimsuits but never bothered -- includes all the necessary equipment. I don't remember what all the parts are called so I'll just show them to you. You need your own mallet to hammer the grommet closed, but I actually have a mallet in my tool box!
The doubled piece of fabric below serves as a reinforcement. First I had to punch a perfectly round hole in it using the metal punch (on the left) and a soft piece of wood included in the kit.
The grommet base sticking up is now placed through an identical hole in my lining. I pounded down the grommet top (called a "washer") with the included tool (and my mallet) and it worked perfectly.
From the back it looks like this:
And from the front, like this:
The waistline drawstring will be drawn through the hole in the lining.
I also made a hood, and that has a drawstring too, though no grommets. Each end is knotted and sealed with Fray Check.
My lining -- essentially a second coat -- is complete and ready to be attached to the outside.
I also made cuffs with velcro tabs. I should mention that the pattern instructions are excellent: they're written clearly and include detailed diagrams. I was thankful for that when I made these cuffs; they're a bit of a puzzle as they're mirror images of each other.
And that's it. Tomorrow I will attach the two-way separating zipper, the lining, and hopefully the cuffs. It's going to be a big day.
Have a great weekend, everybody!
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Let's hear it for good instructions! They are really hard to write. I too have a grommet kits, from an ill-fated Chanel bag knock-off project. I'm happy to see how well they turned out for you.
ReplyDeleteGood job on the first grommet! The challenge is keeping the drop punch sharp if you do many grommets.
ReplyDeleteIt's looking great, Peter! I'm a little jealous of the coat sewers out in blogland. I don't even contemplate sewing a coat since it would get about 3 days of wear a year here.
ReplyDeleteYou haven't given up the Sunday vlogs, have you? Missing them lots.
Looks very professional!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love it.
ReplyDeletea word from someone who's had grommets fray out... Fray check your holes before you install the grommets....
ReplyDeleteI admire the precision of your stitching, absolutely amazing!
ReplyDeleteRe Laura's comment above. You could also use an awl to make your hole as this pushes the fibres apart instead of cutting them. I have used both methods for corsetry but the hole puch is still my favourite. You coat is looking fabbie!
ReplyDeletePeter, your coat is looking wonderful. I'm admiring your beautiful stitching and great grommet job.
ReplyDeleteAdd me to the list of those who miss your vlog.
As always, the beautiful top-stitching has me awestruck. The coat is coming along nicely - so jealous of time to work on projects! Is the sewjo moving?
ReplyDeleteIf the drawstrings are nylon, fusing the fibers a the ends by heating them with a flame to melt them to each other would probably be a more permanent solution than using Fray Check.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately they seem to be cotton.
Deleteyou also could tie the ends into monkey's fist knots and then dunk it in beeswax. and if you need a candle wick, you are good to go.
DeleteI think these copper aglets would look nice at the ends of the drawstrings, if you could find a source that didn't require a minimum order of 3,000 pieces:
Deletehttp://hzwj123.en.alibaba.com/product/1689401268-217026403/shoelace_decorative_copper_aglets.html
It seems that decorative aglets are also available from corsetry sites.
Wow, the parka is really coming along so well! Looks great!
ReplyDeleteSeattle Fabric has beautiful matte black grommets. I keep trying to find something that will need me to buy matte black grommets. I'm so 'from here/over parkas', I just can't do that again. I sewed an Early Winters kit pattern parka for my boy friend in high school, which was the thing to do in 1977 Seattle (and I would wager the Daisy Kingdom pattern is a near relation in terms of design and parentage).
ReplyDeleteYour parka is lovely, but I do shed a small tear of regret that you didn't go floral. This is such a tradtional project. Can there be some special Boldness stitched in there? Perhaps some teeny bias tube wrap on the ends of the drawcords? A little floral on the hanging loop? Something?
It's true: this is turning out VERY traditional, for better or for worse.
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