Garment sewing

Here's where the garment sewing happens - upstairs at Tony's. Big table, big window. Shelves, radio. The ironing board is hidden by the door.

Because there's not a lot of stuff, it's easier to concentrate on one thing at a time.

This coat is the first thing I made here - after doing no garment sewing for years. I'm delighted to find that I still remember how to do all this. I used a pattern but changed the pockets completely, just went ahead and did it and hoped for the best - and it worked fine.

The little round buttons are turks head knots done in a satin cord - found them at Rolls N Rems on Seven Sisters Road. They cost 15p each, what a bargain.

And there was enough fabric left for this jacket, which took 8 1/2 hours start to finish. The coat pattern got reused, with a few little changes. The lining (also left over from the coat and also from Rolls N Rems, which has more stock than John Lewis) has secret pockets.

Tony found "Esmerelda" in the loft and has oiled her adjustment wheels and given her a scrub. She needs a stand, but meanwhile is quite happy on the old treadle that Tony oiled and refurbished last year.