What can I say? Wool tweed is both wonderful to work with and challenging.
My fabric, while quite sturdy and stable, is coarsely woven, which means it's prone to fraying. I'm addressing this in a number of ways. I've experimented with serging, pinking, and overcasting seam allowances -- all of these work (though I don't see myself pinking too often).
In the case of darts that must be sliced open (aka too bulky to press to one side), I whip-stitched the seam allowance down by hand. Fortunately, hand stitches done in brown thread are invisible.
The greatest challenge so far is bulk. Anything stitched and turned -- a pocket welt, for instance, must be carefully graded and trimmed. But at the same time, because of the coarseness of the weave and its tendency to fray, I can't trim too close to the stitch line. Thankfully, with steam and a wood clapper, I can very effectively press out most of the bulkiness.
I am trying to sew this project slowly and, frankly, I can only take so many hours of this kind of work. Today I managed to finish both front single welt pockets and purchase my lining, a creamy coffee-brown silk twill from Mood. My most productive day so far.
In other news, there is a new sewing machine in my life, but you'll have to wait till the weekend for more info on.
That's all for now, friends. The days ahead will likely be all about donegal tweed, though I do have a few other things going on to help me stay sane.
Have a great day, everybody!
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