finishing touches...

You might grimace at this, but it works for me! installing the pockets can be a bit of a pain – do you hand stitch? with yarn or sewing thread? who’s to know? Based on my previous experiences, I used the sewing machine and just top stitch them in place! 
Now, you do need to have a fairly good match on the sewing thread. Taking the swatch pocket to the store is a must but you can’t trust the lighting, so I always get two options and then judge at home. I stitched on the swatch to check and felt confident in my selection. Pinned the pockets where I thought I wanted them, sort of in the centre of the half front, over the double stripe, and then put it on. Wasn’t quite right. I found moving them almost to the side seam looked better. I really like how it breaks up the lines and adds to the detail. Took all of 10 minutes to stitch them in place, using a relatively long, straight stitch, following along the inside of the chain stitch edging.
I made the belt, knit tubular, and hand made loops at each side seam at waist level to hold it in place. This may be abandoned at some point, but I had to try it. I like the whole thing, especially the sleeves – that little bit of bell shaping feels nice, kind of feminine, and I like the way it snugs up to the elbow. The way the fronts overlap just right and fall nicely without opening wide as I wear it, makes the belt is rather unnecessary and I prefer the line of the whole garment without the belt. The weight of the longstitch facings is perfect!