Readers,
Just a little report on the progress of the leopard collar jacket.
I cut a stencil of the collar pattern piece from heavy paper and laid it on the velveteen to preview the look before I cut into the fabric. This leopard print varies from dark in the middle to lighter toward each end, and I wanted the pattern to be balanced.
I have done similar things–cut out a window from plain, heavy paper–to preview the look of a plaid pocket flap I considered cutting on the bias. I’ve found this easy, useful, informative and fun.
All these years I’ve hesitated to chop into fabric that’s close to irreplaceable. This stencil/window thing is a little trick to nudge me toward taking the big step of cutting.
Another preview I did, just for fun, was to lay the velveteen on my wearable test jacket, folding under the seam allowances. Now I have a pretty good idea of the impact of the leopard print pattern as part of the overall garment. It is certainly eye-catching, but it looks like it will be in balance.
I cut the wool-cashmere pattern pieces yesterday, working around the moth-holey parts of the yardage. (I bought this fabric second-hand–buyer beware!) Luckily, there was more than enough intact material for this project.
I pulled a milk-chocolate brown lining from my stash. Interfacings are next.
