Meet Michèle

Meet Michèle.

Michèle and I met at the cash register of one of the local fabric haunt, our conversation quickly spread into the parking lot. Michèle used to work at Courrège in Pau and then she moved here to work for Gérard Darel before production moved elsewhere. Michèle was a production manager. Michèle agreed to share some of her vast knowledge with me. I mentally bowed and kissed her feet.

On Monday afternoon, I brought all of my bits and piece to her place and we poured over them. She instructed me to ditch almost all the interlining I had planned, she drew new ones, she told me how and where to reduce the seam allowances, gave me some bating for the sleeve head, told me to have the coat pressed by a professional before inserting the lining and much more, which I'm just hoping I'll remember because it's invaluable.

I spent most of yesterday redoing what I had done and with all this red and white, it looks like I'm making a Santa outfit. 'Tis the season.

The main lesson learned here is that tailoring a coat is not like tailoring a jacket. With wool this thick, had I played by the books, I would have ended up wearing a piece of cardboard. Lesson learned.

Merci beaucoup Michèle!