Buttonhole Breakthrough + New Lining Fabric!

I wish I could take credit for this lovely buttonhole, but I cannot.

In the end, I chose to have my peacoat buttonholes done at Jonathan Embroidery, in the Garment District (256 W. 38th St.).  I am so glad I did.

As you know, I made a lot of test buttonholes with my Singer buttonholer (the one with the keyhole templates) and they came out well.  So well, in fact, that I had decided to make them myself.



But I didn't like the way they looked cut (done with a seam ripper).



At Jonathan Embroidery, the buttonholes are cut open mechanically, without stressing the fabric, and the hole looks much cleaner -- especially the keyhole area.  (I need to invest in one of those buttonhole cutting kits.)



If you're taking a garment to Jonathan Embroidery, you have to mark your buttonholes precisely -- difficult on a rough tweed; my chalk kept rubbing off.  The woman who helped me was very patient, however, and re-measured and re-chalked everything for me.  That said, I knew precisely where they needed to be and I also brought buttons with me to test.  In the end, the whole thing cost just $8 for 8 buttonholes -- well worth the cost, especially given the attention I was given.  (It wasn't crowded when I was there, luckily.)

While uptown, I also decided to buy new lining fabric.  The silk I'd experimented with was too slippery and frayed too much; the Bemberg I had in my stash was too thin.  In the end I opted for a heavy poly satin.  It's stable, sturdy and will support an inside pocket.  I don't think I'll get to the lining till tomorrow and I only hope I can finish it by Coatmas Eve.

Silk twill -- a fraying nightmare.

Rayon Bemberg -- practically transparent.

Heavy poly satin -- cross your fingers.

The buttons are now on, I am happy to say, but I still have to add sleeve heads and press the whole garment.  And add the lining, of course.

In the worst case, I will model the coat without the lining, but hopefully that won't be necessary.

And that's today's coat report, now back to Bewitched, already in progress.

Have a great day, everybody!