I’ve been spending some time this week organizing my knitting projects by spreadsheet and cataloguing my yarn. All said in total including stash, I have over 60 miles of yarn to knit! That should keep me busy for a few years.
Based on my project completion goals, I will knit about 8 miles of yarn in 2022. I think my goal is reasonable compared to the projects I’ve knit each year over the past two years. Which means I have enough yarn for 7 years.
This doesn’t mean I will never purchase yarn, because that’s not realistic. But my plan is to save my creativity budget and only spend from that account, and to use what I have as much as possible.
Unfortunately, I haven’t really felt like knitting the past couple of days.
I’ve decided to sew a Clare Coat from my navy wool flannel fabric. I have the lining fabric too. I had planned to line it for warmth with Thinsulate, but I have plenty of wool prefelt I could use instead. Have you ever lined a coat with wool? I think it would work between the flannel outer fabric and lining fabric if I planned to quilt it, because it’s a lot like quilt batting. But, I don’t like the look of that, and I’m worried it will sag or tear as a lining without quilting. So, I’m wondering if I could felt it first and then use it. Or, maybe I could quilt the lining fabric to the wool prefelt instead of the outer wool flannel?
I could save for the Thinsulate, but I’d rather use wool if I can, anyway. Plus, I wouldn’t have to spend my budget on that.
Anyone have experience with this?
Snakes & Cranes 
Nope……I have never heard of anyone doing any of this!!!! Will be anxious to see the outcome…..Merry Christmas……Love you.
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Love you too!
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For a coat I wanted warm, washable and tough, I used Thinsulate – I was making insulated shades and curtains at the time and had plenty! I’ve used lightly felted wool bat as quilt lining on a tied quilt; it worked fine. If you plan to wash this coat, it will felt anyway – and maybe shrink in unwanted ways. But maybe you live a cleaner life than I!
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Another possibility would be to needlefelt it to the outer wool. Never tried that, though.
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That’s an idea, but the color would show through. I think I’m going to try to quilt it to the lining. Thanks for your feedback!
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I don’t have any experience with coat making. I think that pattern is going to look super on you. What color will yours be, do you know yet?
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My fabric is navy. If it turns out well, I may make a green one later next year, if I can find some green boiled wool fabric, or something else suitable.
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Sounds lovely. I can’t wait to see this evolve.
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I do like my boiled wool jackets.
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Or some wool melton. That would be nice, too.
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Oh, boy. That would wear like iron. If you can swing it, I would definitely go for it.
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Neat chart. While fourteen projects in one year sounds ambitious, I’m sure you can do it. Sorry, I have no experience sewing wool coats.
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Pre felt comes in different thicknesses but shrinkage percentage is similar and if this prefelt is going to be used under the arm area where rubbing will likely be at its highest then it will start felting and shrink with the general wear. So I’d personally felt the prefelt before sewing. You avoid lining the armpit. Shrinkage elsewhere may be more forgiving but you may stop being able to get you arm in or find an awkward felted lump under it and that will be an issue.
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I will steam it along with the wool flannel fabric before cutting and sewing. I read an article that says to do that with wool. I won’t be washing this coat, but there is still some shrinkage with dry cleaning.
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Oh I didn’t even think about washing. 🙈
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😀
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That’s a good thought about the underarms, though. I’ll have to be careful where I put the wool batting/prefelt.
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*or you avoid
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So in my experience with coats/suiting construction, at the very least you’d need to tack it (swing tacking works well if you want the lining to hang separately) to either the lining or the coat itself if you don’t want to quilt it. Otherwise, the weight of the wool for the insulation will migrate downward from gravity and you’ll either have it pulling oddly at the exterior fabric of the shoulders if you’ve incorporated it into the seams there or it will cause drooping at the hem (possibly both).If you’re going to quilt it to the lining as you’ve mentioned above, I think that will solve most of your issues, but I’d flat quilt the 2 together, and then cut them and sew them into the coat as one piece, if that makes sense. (hopefully!)
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Yes, that makes perfect sense! I was wondering about that. So flat quilt the wool to the lining before cutting the pattern pieces out of it. Thank you!
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Yep – that’s it exactly! 🙂
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That’s an ambitious knitting planner! I have found that (personally) long-term knitting plans I make for myself don’t survive the spring’s first bout of startitis… 😉 I have no experience knitting wool coats, but it sounds like you have some great ideas and good advice already!
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I love your stash organization! You did just great work on that! I don’t know thing one about sewing, so can’t help you there. But can’t wait to see your new coat!
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Wow that will be a cool coat!
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I have not experience with it, but your sewing prowess is amazing.
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