After sleeping on it, and thinking about Sally’s suggestion, I’ve realized that the real problem is not doing a practice coat – it’s working with a fabric that I don’t enjoy. Cheap and shoddy is never the solution, and I should have realized that. I’m planning to be in San Francisco tomorrow for a conference, so on my lunch hour, I’ll stop by either Fabric Outlet or Britex Fabrics and buy some quality fabric in about the same weight, get some good-quality lining fabric, and use that for my practice coat. I’ll wind up with two coats, but what the hey – it will give me more variety.
In this way I can do the practice beforehand (which I feel will be vital) and still enjoy working with my practice garment.