Lining for Compass Cloak

Since I can't seem to do anything the simple way.......  I decided the lining for the cloak needed some embellishment - pinking to be precise.  I cut the lining out of the taffeta and white cotton for the peek through fabric.  I sewed the shoulder seams on the taffeta, pinned the shoulder seams together,  then basted through all four layers (right front the back folded in half and the left front).  Using an exacto knife I cut out the pinking pattern through all four layers at once.  I turned my cutting mat upside down for the pinking step.  After finishing with the cutting, I removed the basting threads.  Next step was to sew the shoulder seams on the white cotton.  Then I layered the white cotton with seams down with the burgundy taffeta on top and carefully lined up the neckline, center front, and hem.  I pinned all over then used a double needle to stitch parallel rows between the cuts.  The stitching at the center front and center back is vertical.  Since the cloak is not a full circle, the stitching changes angle at the shoulder seams.

To continue with the I can't keep it simple theme... I decided I needed pockets.  Patch pockets would have been too easy!  First I made a pattern about 11 inches wide with the top fold on the diagonal and the bottom edges angled to match the corner of the center front and bottom hem.  I cut it out to pink flannel  - because that is what I had in the fabric stash and stitched a piece of  the taffeta over the area that would be visible through the pocket opening.  Then I made two welts and marked a 1" wide box in the center of each.  I placed the welts on the right side of the lining and stitched around the box.  Then the pocket was laid out flat right side to right side of lining over welt.  From the wrong side of the lining, I stitched through all layers following the stitching lines of the box in the center of the welt.  I carefully cut down the center of the box and towards each corner, pulled the pocket to the inside and pressed.  I lifted the edges of the welt and topstitched the opened pocket to the lining in an area that would be hidden when the welt was topstiched down.  With the pocket still flat, I topstiched around the bottom and sides of the welt.  Turning to the wrong side, I pinned the edges of the pocket together and stitched the pocket closed.  Turning back to the right side, I topstitched the top of the welt down. 

Embellished lining was finished - next step was to attach to the cloak.