First 2016 Sewing Resolution, Ticked Off

I do love an online sewing challenge, when I have time to take part,  so when House of Pinheiro threw down the gauntlet on Instagram for Sewvember  it gave me a kick in my proverbial design butt to put a coat on my project list for 2016.

This is NOT the coat I made, sigh, but the coat I was inspired by.  As luck would have it, my local fabric atelier More Sewing had the perfect coat fabric in one of my favourite shades at a bargain price - some knitted boucle slightly stretch knit in a fabulous sage colour.  The sewing gods were sprinkling their stardust on me.

I'd already pre-picked the garment pattern from my Patrones stash in issue 272, pattern number 42 - a vintage style fit and flare knee length coat with lapels, pockets and cuff detail. Not wanting to overspend in case of non wearability I dug out some dark lining from the loft (my other secret stash place) and set to work with my Christmas prezzie - aka my new Fiskars dressmaking shears .  The design is straightforward; 2 X centre back pieces, 2 X side panels and 2 X front pieces. Add to that lapel collar, facings, pockets and cuff trim, oh and 2 piece sleeves.

Stitching up was relatively easy with no awkward darts to consider - just some nice princess seams.  The fabric looks like boucle but is in fact a medium weight boucle lookalike knit - hurrah - no fraying seams and not even any need to overlock. It turned out to be the perfect coat material (well almost, but more on that next).  Note to self - ask Mrs. More Sewing what this fabric is, it's a dream to sew.  

So, I started on the stitching up , then ...... Disaster!!  The centre front on one side was cut from fabric that had faded.  There was no covering this up and I knew it had to be recut from a fresh piece of fabric so I hotfooted it back to the shop, where a replacement piece was supplied with no hesitation.  Obviously this was a supplier /manufacturer fault as the fabric had been correctly stored by both myself and the store.  Great service by More Sewing and to be thoroughly recommended.

Minor glitch sorted I ploughed on with the project and I'm happy to say the garment sewed up beautifully, and that included the lapels which I thought might give me trouble as the fabric is a bit thick when working in layers.  

The next conundrum was the pockets - patch in this case - how to attach them to the coat.  Not being keen to top stitch them on - the stitch line most likely goes wonky with thick fabric - I consulted my IG sewing friends and decided to go for hand stitching, very neat hand stitching that is.  This worked well and I think the plushness of the fabric helped to hide the stitches.  I also attached pocket flaps and, not being keen to throw a wobbly buttonhole, went for a snap fastener with button decor in the relevant place.  All good. 

After a full lining and hand stitching of the hem, all done prior to starting my new job and at a snail's pace due to attention being diverted by Everbody Loves Raymond and Frasier (perils of morning sewing) the final detail was added. I think these little cuff details really add something to the coat, after all, how many times have you heard: it's all in the detail?

The lining was an easy addition; such a relief as previous jacket makes have had that problem where sleeve and lining don't completely match - practice must be paying dividends. 

I pondered a while over buttons and even ventured out to my local thrift shop to buy some "suitable" fastenings. However, in the end I decided to go for three large vintage buttons I already had on my habby stash; I was so pleased with the finished effect, I almost want to make something else so I can vintage button mix again. 

Finally, I ran up a furry scarf from a small piece of faux fur to add some warmth and a little glamour to my new coat. 

It even withstands strong winds

All in all I figured I've had coat success in one of my 2016 projects and can now give myself a great big fat tick on the list.

As fierce details - suffice to say I can't remember the exact price of the fabric , maybe somewhere in the region of £10. It's 150cm wide and took 2.5 metres. 

The coat came in around £30 and I've already got loads of wear out of it, so, bargain!!!

Well, what ya waitin for? Get sewing a new coat before the cold weather comes to an end. 

Happy sewing. 

Linda xx