Jacket is Done! Happy dance!!!

Everything is done, and now I also have the pleasure of a proven jacket pattern that fits my daughter well.
Additionally, I can sew more collars any time I want. She still wants one in burgundy fake fur - where in the world I'll find such a fur, I don't know.
Here are the pics.
The front (looks wide because it's got the thick lining, and because I stuffed a dress up around the waist.

 The back - the fur looks really good.

 Details of the wrist cuff - I designed and embroidered a cuff because the pattern was too short in the arms.

 The lining, quilted by me, plus a zipper pocket.

 With the removable collar. There are buttons underneath the small collar so the large collar/capelet can be removed or changed.

Birgit vs Steffi - the great Piluki battle

Today was my last day at work for the year. It's been a long week, but today was particularly nice, because I got everything done early and could go home early.
Now to start on my many holiday projects.
What to do first? I finally settled on something just for me, a piluki. I'd been wanting to make one since Birgit sent me the instructions 6 months ago, and wanted it even more after Steffi demoed it for me at the Bad Herrenalb retreat. But there was never any time - always another project, always something more urgent.
Today I said, Enough! - I'm taking my precious gift of time and giving myself something, the piluki.

But which method? Birgit put a lot of effort in the instructions, so I started with them.
Honestly, though, my poor addled brain couldn't handle the "fold this way, then fold that way, then flip and do it again in the other direction" instructions. So I turned to Steffi's instructions:

1. Make a quilt sandwich
2. Add the zipper
3. Fold the cylinder so it goes the way it's supposed to 
4. Sew the ends of the cylinder shut, being careful to open the zipper enough so you can turn it.

How did it turn out? Pretty good, even though I could have finished the lining a little more neatly.
Here are the pictures.
Who won the battle? Birgit's fabulous pics kept me on track, but Steffi's folding instructions work better for me. Ultimately, I think they make a great team. They ought to do these things together, maybe we make a video of Steffi doing the project and Birgit makes sure she does it right. Heehee.
Enjoy!

Thor the Renovation God is sweet as sugar pie

Thor has been a trooper this year. First I went to a retreat, took an extra day or so of vacation. Then I took a little more vacation for the Baltimore sewing circle. Then came 2 more retreats. Sum total is that Thor has several days more vacation left over than I do.
Today he took one of those days to go into Stuttgart. I asked him to look for an English-language patchwork magazine if he ended up at the main station.
He did, and he went above and beyond in his husbandly duties. Look at my goodies!
Magic Patch is a French magazine in English.
Fons and Porter Love of Quilting is the well-known US magazine.
New Zealand Quilter is totally new for me.
He even found an Australian machine embroidery magazine.

What a wonderful gift to have on a cold December weekend. I'm taking tonight off from the jacket and just reading and giving myself new ideas.

keeping busy on the jacket

Since I couldn't find any appropriate padded lining, I decided to quilt my own.
Here are a couple of pictures. I used a leaf decorative stitch alternating with a straight stitch. I would have done more, but I just need to get this done.
The padding is just a polyester batting, but it should be nice and warm. From these pieces I have to cut the lining pattern pieces, then sew them together. Good that I have a walking foot. Also good that I could stitch 1000 stitches per minute - I really had the Bernina going full throttle tonight!