Guess what? Now that the pattern pieces are all cut, sewing this Lichen Duster project is going faster than I expected. It’s a lot of long seams, which are familiar territory. Thanks to the excellent pattern, things are swimming along.

Above is the pocket construction, which is quite cleverly designed to fold together in a lovely, seamless way. Some steps, like sewing the pockets, are rather satisfying.

Here is the most advanced seam in the Lichen Duster. It’s the back of the collar, where you must sew essentially a set of y-seams to join the collar to the shoulder area. For this step I was grateful for the video that pattern designer Meg McElwee provides as part of the Lichen Duster Sew-Along. The sew-along a series of 7 posts that cover the entire duster construction. In fact, if you’d like to preview the pattern prior to purchasing (in order to make sure that it’s your cup of tea), that series is a great way to do so.

Approaching this step like a patchwork y-seam worked well for me!

Now that the collar is attached, just straightforward construction steps remain, like hemming and attaching the facings.

And, yes, I’ve tried it on - - - but, I’m not so sure about it actually. The Birch Leaves fabric is gorgeous for this garment, but I don’t think that the color looks good on me. Plus, even though I shortened it significantly, I feel like the garment overwhelms my 5’ 4” frame. Ugh, this doubt is not a good feeling! I’ll report back when it’s done, either way.