I’m working on a coat. I think I’ve mentioned that. It’s something of a mid-to-late 19th century coat, something appropriate to a middle Victorian wastrel. The exterior is black, because Saturn is totally in-season this year. And because it’s a season for understanding how the past is a reminder of the future, the interior of the coat is lined with this luminous brocade-style print reproducing a pattern from chinese silk, of Fu Dogs and phoenixes and Asian dragons. It’s very much a work in progress — I’ve never made a pattern quite so complicated as this one (which is M7003 from McCall’s Costumes).
It’s coming along nicely. The coat has this solid black exterior in cotton (so it won’t be too hot indoors where it’s likely to be worn. The interior of the coat has this luminous quality when the coat is allowed to hang open or when the vent on the back swings wide. There’s another brocade-style print on the the lapels.
I think it’s going to be quite a lovely garment. Assuming I can make the collar come together. So far it’s not cooperating.
