Sep 20, 2014

Parka Post #3 - Hoods, Cuffs + Baby's First Grommet



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!

17 comments:

  1. 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.

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  2. Good job on the first grommet! The challenge is keeping the drop punch sharp if you do many grommets.

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  3. It'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.

    You haven't given up the Sunday vlogs, have you? Missing them lots.

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  4. a word from someone who's had grommets fray out... Fray check your holes before you install the grommets....

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  5. I admire the precision of your stitching, absolutely amazing!

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  6. Re 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!

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  7. Peter, your coat is looking wonderful. I'm admiring your beautiful stitching and great grommet job.

    Add me to the list of those who miss your vlog.

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  8. 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?

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  9. If 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.

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    1. Unfortunately they seem to be cotton.

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    2. you 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.

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    3. I 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:

      http://hzwj123.en.alibaba.com/product/1689401268-217026403/shoelace_decorative_copper_aglets.html

      It seems that decorative aglets are also available from corsetry sites.

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  10. Wow, the parka is really coming along so well! Looks great!

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  11. Seattle 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).

    Your 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?

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    Replies
    1. It's true: this is turning out VERY traditional, for better or for worse.

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