Unfinished linings

All that stands between a new skirt and winter coat hanging in my wardrobe are two unfinished linings. As I type this I have to confess to being unable to comprehend how it has happened that I drafted the pattern and made the entire coat in less than 36 hours, yet have spent nearly two weeks procrastinating over hemming it? Sometimes I outfox even myself with my own contrariness.

Foxing my children and husband is whether the use of the arm of a sofa as a pincushion should be permitted. This photo was taken a few weekends ago when I was sewing the lining to the facings and the children were both bemused and outraged by this previously unwitnessed abuse of furniture. The pattern is based on a favourite coat, bought several years ago...I've dreamt of reproducing it in different fabrics and finding a way to ensure that it's loveliness was never used up or worn out permanently...it's so nice to have finally made this a reality, save for it being unhemmed.

And this is the skirt lining...I'm wondering how many readers will instantly recognise which pattern this skirt has been made from? I love seeing the endless variations of this skirt appear on people's blogs and Flickr. In truth, I also need to make belt loops for it as well as hemming the lining....and this has been on my To Do list since June (I can't think what happened here, as I did manage to complete two dresses and five or six tops during that time). However, I'm hoping that the winter weather will propel me toward finishing it, as I think this skirt may work better for me in winter than it might in summer.

So hopefully more on those over the coming week, however, I thought you might like to see this dress made by someone who has finished something. Isn't it gorgeous? I love both the cut and the fabrics used and wish that it were hanging in my own wardrobe, hemmed or otherwise.

Florence x