Its 80 degrees outside (hey, it’s February) and I am making progress with this prickly wool melton “Fling Thing”, so wonderfully named by the designer. And, I’m not enthralled. It pains me to have an unfinished item in my possession but I have to put it away for now. It may make me happier after the embellishment, but right now, I don’t want to touch it. Ouch.
It’s the black wool melton included in the kit that turned me off. The yellow, red and blue are softer. The black wool is like a heavy blanket – a heavy, prickly, uncomfortable blanket. It’s probably meant for arctic conditions. However, I did sew it up to this point, and am walking away for a while.
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A few things I’ve noted while handling wool melton:
It’s much heavier than what we in moderate climes are used to sewing – what did I expect? Designer Linda MacPhee is Canadian. I have sewn nothing heavier than a lightweight, loosely woven tweed. This melton is irritating to the skin even over another garment, so I will choose the option of lining; it’s a partial lining – halfway down the back and fronts, and the sleeves. But the “flings” are unlined, and they will touch my neck when I fling them on the shoulders. Should I take the styling hint in the picture and wear it with a turtleneck, or cover my neck some other way?
I used a size 16 universal machine needle, and a 3 to 3.5 mm stitch length to make a lapped seam. There is only one pass of stitching in the lapped seam. Sewing another line next to it looks more finished, but some flexibility is lost – the seam, in my opinion, becomes stiffer with two rows of stitching. But, is one row of stitching strong enough for this heavy fabric?
To avoid bulk, I considered other recommended seam options. One of them was a butted seam. Also thought about a “slot seam”. Both options would need a strip of fabric underneath and more work; I became lazy and decided on the lapped seam. These two interesting seam options deserve exploration in another project, though.
So far, I’ve decided to leave the edges and hems untouched by thread; maybe at a later date, I might use a blanket stitch all around.
Friends, I want to move on to some lighter weight sewing. How does 11 oz rayon jersey sound? I sent my jersey fairy over to Sew Much Fabric, and she unintentionally matched the color scheme of my prickly fling thing coat/topper. Looking forward to sewing with primary colors of the jerseys!
Samina
Blogging note: I do my best to post on the blog every Tuesday morning at 7 am CST. Sometimes I can’t schedule a post due to actual, physical reasons. But yesterday, a disheartened sewing heart kept me away from finishing this post in time. See how an unsuccessful sewing project sends a seamstress into the doldrums? Took me a full day to bring myself to write this post and move on.
Sew Everything Blog 
it’s beautiful….
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Thank you 🙂
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You are welcome 😊
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Your topper is pretty Samina, although I do understand the way you feel about the heavy, stiff wool. I once chose a wool fabric for a jacket that felt just like I imagine a horse blanket would feel. (Poor horse) because that fabric was really rough on the skin. I choose to actually wash it before using and it did soften up a bit even though I loss a full 7 inches in length from the process.
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Faye, horse blanket is the right word! Since this was a kit,was unaware of how the fabric felt. If I could touch it before buying, I would not have purchased it.
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Perhaps you could use a softer, kinder, gentler fabric for your flings?
It’s 83° f here in N Florida
so even the thought of wool makes me shudder. 😄
Becca G
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Actually, the pattern suggests that it can be made in rayon or linen for warmer climates.
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Since I can “see” the black wool from a distance, I can tell you it really looks beautiful! I’m loving it! I’m surprised the wool is so heavy! I bought a ready wear wool cape coat from Ireland and the wool was so thin I thought it must be warmer in Ireland than I imagined! LOL! Too thin for here. I’m in Minnesota and it was 17 degrees today!
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Mine is definitely a Minnesota coat – even unlined. i have the pattern for you, if you still want it. Please send me your address through the contact page and I will ship it to you.
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Oh thank you! That is so kind. But I have to decline your offer. I just couldn’t afford to buy the fabric I want :o) to make the coat. I’m currently making a poncho out of fleece. Low budget, but money is tight! :o)
But thank you so much!
I gave away a couple of patterns sewn for me that I didn’t care for. I posted it on my blog a couple times. I just asked who wanted a pattern only used once, but not my style. They were Indygo patterns and were snapped up quickly!
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It’s too damp and cold in Seattle for wool without a lining. Also itchy. My neck is itchy just thinking about this. I know there are people for whom this is not an issue.
(skritchy sounds)
It is lovely.
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The black fabric is specially bad. Oh well, live (I mean sew) and learn.
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I love the colors and the fling effect. I agree that the scratchy wool would be a problem. You’ll find a solution. Walking away for now will bring it.
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You’re right about the flings, but maybe in a softer fabric.
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It looks beautiful but I can understand how hot scratchy wool may not be ideal in your current situation.( It’s freezing here if you would like to swap climates for a while……)
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Kim, thank you! I would love to swap climates…. especially when the hot Texas summers roll in.
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