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.
You could always donate the first (practice) coat to one of the many local charities. In fact, if memory serves me, didn’t you score the cashmere yarn at Goodwill? Perhaps donating the practice coat to a charity would be “returning the good fortune”?