A couple weeks ago we had the craziest, most awful, heat wave. 113 degrees said my phone, but the official temperature was 116.

I mean. Absolutely, no question, it was way too hot. It was like being in an oven. Above 100 is very rare here, so above 110? Just not ok.

So I stayed inside, hiding from the heat. AC blasting away, fans blowing. The silver lining? I had time to finish some projects.

Like this two layer coat. I’d shown pictures of it in process, it is now finished. A sheer layer of appliquéd and beaded strips over another coat appliquéd with more waving strips.

And, below, a pieced and beaded coat, in different textured white kimono silks, with white and cream pearl beads sewn along the seam lines.

Right now, I don’t have full-length shots of these pieces, only these snapshots. I’m holding out for professional photos. As soon as I have some taken, I’ll be sure and post them.

Next up, on my wall, little square appliqués pinned onto what will be a collar for a new Shawl Collar coat.

I wanted to disrupt the evenness of the dot pattern fabric that I used for the base, so I chose a meisen kimono silk with a graphic design that fractured into odd shapes when cut into smaller pieces.

Below, my process. I cut the fabric into strips, turn under two sides, then cut those strips into smaller pieces and fold the two remaining raw edges under. Voila! Little squares with no raw edges.

After the pieces are pinned onto the base fabric, I lay it out on my table so I can baste them in place.

Below, basted and ready to be hand stitched.

I’m now onto another applique piece. You can see it behind the first picture at the top. It’s a black kimono silk with waving red and white lines. I’m adding my appliquéd red strips between the printed ones. Can you see them? Behind the coat, on the left side of the picture, a piece of the silk as it came. Next to it, red strips pinned in place.

Stay tuned.