Coat progress despite distractions

I've been sewing today ... honest!  I felt good when I woke up, so had my daily driver fired up well before lunchtime.  I attached to back skirt to the yoke, after putting "permanent pleats" in the CB deep pleat.

I wish I could take a good pic of how I do this permanent pleat/crease idea that my mom did on my slacks decades ago when I was growing up.  It has no hope of showing up with black thread on an almost black back of the fabric though, so y'all will just have to visual until I get light color thread on the machine to do a demo on a scrap (note to self: don't forget to make an example for this).

A while back ago in chat, gloria had mentioned doing this for her slacks ... after making me first promise not to laugh about it.  I did chuckle, but it was because my mom did this years ago, and I wish I had done it on my long pleated gaucho pants as well.  It's so simple: just edgestitch about 1/16th of an inch in along a crease you want to be permanent.  Since the mystery home dec stuff doesn't seem inclined to hold a sharp crease - I am considering a vague maybe hint of a crease to be the best I can get - I really wanted a way to make this deep pleat hold its pleated shape.  The vinegar trick of chemically setting pleats sounds like it only works on fabrics that will take a sharp crease to begin with (now why hadn't I used that on the linen gaucho pants either?).

Distraction #1 occurred when I had a thought (just one, don't be too shocked!) to put the coat outer layer on Mathilda, and realized the black dotted 80s style blouse was still on Mathilda instead of being washed and worn.  When I pulled my blouse off Mathilda, I noticed I hadn't topstitched the facing down around the neckline.  Well, there's black thread loaded up on the machine ...!  So I went around shoulder seam to shoulder seam, and it has now finally made it into my laundry pile to the washer.

Distraction #2 came in the form of a Hancock run.  I decided I have coupons and ain't afraid to use them, so today is a perfect day to go get a walking foot.  Err ... FAIL!  They have two slant shank feet and zero low shank ... guess which style my machines require?  It wasn't a wasted trip though ... as if I could leave Hancock's empty handed. 

First happy acquisition: some gridded "interfacing" to draw a new corset pattern via Lady Drea's Custom Corset pattern generator.  Y'all knew this would end up being about corsets ... right?  LOL  Once I get it drawn out for my measurements, then I'll tweak the Simplicity 2621 pattern I've used before and frankenpattern the two into a new Elizabethan with boned tabs this time.  If it works out as planned, I will use the white pearl silk brocade for the outer layer!  Ice storm or no ice storm forecast ... I am trying to resist the temptation to drop the coat idea and make a new corset right now.

Which brings me to one of the two new Kwik Sew patterns I bought today.  Along with pleated shorts, I also bought the new bustier pattern, KS 3850.  I'll test it out as a bustier first, using my fuchsia linen from last year :)  then see just how easily it will adapt to a more boned corset.  Judging from the line drawings, it looks like it will convert very nicely!  Oh, I want to drop all this winter coat stuff and start on this immediately ...

Edit: Hit publish too soon!  Of course, all my wanting to drop the coat idea for now and do corsets and a bustier may partly be inspired by maggie finishing up her Victorian corset in blush dupioni.  I think it looks quite good, and considering maggie says she's learning as she does it, I'll bet the next version looks better.  They're not mistakes, they're learning experiences!  And y'all can bet that I have been taking notes, so I can make different mist -err, learning experiences.  ;)