Hello Readers! Coat-sewing season is upon those of us in the northern hemisphere. The thought of sewing a coat can be a little intimidating. You’re investing a lot of time and possibly money into your coat project, so how can you ensure that you’ll end up with a coat that you love? Today, we have a guest post from Brenda who has been working with a private instructor to help her on her coat-making journey. She’ll be sharing with us the things that she’s learned about pattern selection and modifications when making a coat for a curvy figure–things that aren’t always obvious from patterns and their instructions.
–Michelle
A Little Background…
My love affair with fabric probably started when I was around 5, and I saw my mom sewing a dress. I needed scraps from her table to make a dress for my Dolly. Mom wouldn’t share until her dress was hemmed and finished, but I believe those scraps began my near-obsession with fabric and making clothes. (And I think Dolly was charming in the stapled and taped together dress!)
In choosing my next project, one question has stuck with me: What is not in your closet that you reach for? What’s missing? For me, that is a challenging sewing project that I will likely use only a few days a year since I live in Oregon’s wet Willamette Valley. I want a warm coat for the sunny and cold days we get; for me, that’s under 32F with a wind chill. Usually my outerwear is a rain coat with layers underneath. For the cold and dry days, that doesn’t begin to help me out.
I turned to my trusty sewing teacher, Marla Kazell, for assistance. Usually, I bring her fitting projects, and then I go home and sew. She had taught me enough couture tips over the four years that we’ve been working together that I am confident in sewing most projects. However, the idea of this coat overwhelmed me. I know that most of my jackets are unstructured, almost like cardigans, and I know some vague information like you’re supposed to tape a line somewhere in the collar of a “real” coat. Obviously, this was not enough to achieve a great result that I’d be proud to wear. While I usually turn to Maria for fitting, I wanted hand-holding throughout the process of making my coat.
Selecting a Pattern
My rain coats are made from OOP Vogue 8626. I like the pattern, but the pleats in the back can stick out or wrinkle when I’m driving to work. My winter coat pattern and fabric requirements include being able to sit (with a seatbelt on) for a 45 minute drive to work and have the potential for me to look decent when I arrive. In rain coat fabric, V8626 works, but I had my doubts about a medium weave wool. So, I looked for a coat pattern with shoulder princess seams (I wear a 38DDD bra) that mimics the silhouette of most of my dresses. For me, the shoulder seams are a little easier to fit and press nicely for my cup size. I found Butterick 5966, which seemed to tick all of the boxes and had an interesting side back “saddle” panel. I prepped the pattern for fitting, which includes ironing and then cutting out to size 18 above the bust and 22 below (with the DDD cup). We use a tissue fitting process, such as described in Fit for Real People (Palmer & Alto).
B5966
B5966 was well-drafted, unlike some other projects that I’ve made. (I used to think I was doing something wrong until I had a sewing teacher.) However, it was far too snug to wear over a jacket. I needed at least 3” of additional ease in the bust to fit around, aside from wearing ease. The tipping point, however, was the sleeve which was extremely high and way too tight.
Jacket vs. Coat Ease
Marla looked closely at the pattern and saw that this pattern is described as a jacket or a coat. In our world, a coat goes over a jacket, so how can a pattern be both? In this case, the “coat” is a long jacket that almost fit as if it were a coatdress. The design ease in the pattern is difficult to determine since there are no finished measurements. The McVogerick ease chart (http://voguepatterns.mccall.com/ease-chart-pages-347.php) indicates that a fitted jacket has 3.75-4.25 inches of ease while a coat has 5.25-6.75 inches of ease. My tissue fitting clearly indicated that the pattern was going to need a lot of work to fit. (Had I been working on this project alone, I would have had serious self-doubts, but the problem was the pattern, not me.)
Selecting a Pattern, Take 2
At this point, we considered the time and effort needed to make this pattern work, and I searched for another pattern. I found the discontinued, but still available, Burda 7169. (Burda 7004 was also a contender, but I much prefer a set-in sleeve line to give me some visual structure.)
Burda 7169
I procured Burda7169 and took it to our next appointment. I know that Marla likes Burda since there are many fitting points and those are used to cut out the pattern (http://www.burdastyle.com/downloads/SizeChart_Regular_inches.pdf), reducing the number of adjustments needed. Because this was such an important project with several “moving parts”, I had Marla measure me for today’s numbers instead of using past measurements. These measurements are circled on the chart, and then the pattern is cut, grading between each area. When we cut the pattern, the tissue fit was very good. The biggest question mark was the sleeve, and we decided to cut a muslin sleeve to test before I cut my fashion fabric.
Tissue fitting
I had a short list of adjustments to do at home:
- Shorten the hem 4” and the sleeve hem 2.5”
- Adjust the armscye based on Marla’s markings
- Add to the shoulder to accommodate my square shoulder and a shoulder pad
- Add .25” to the front princess seam on both sides of the seam. With the last adjustment, I also measured the length of each seam to make sure they were close enough for the side panel seam to be eased in, if necessary.
- Finally, I need to off-grain the center front (CF) part of the pattern.
Off-graining the CF is a technique that helps the front edges of a garment appear to hang straight when the garment is buttoned or closed. (See details in Couture: The art of fine sewing by Roberta Carr.) Fabric naturally wants to hang away from the body, and the rule of thumb is to of- grain jackets (and coats) .5” at the waist.
For this coat, the off-graining steps are:
- Cut the collar away from the front (leaving a .25” hinge)
- Cut up the center front line (leaving a hinge at the top seam allowance)
- Put tissue beneath the pattern and make a mark .5”, adding to the center front (away from the waist)
- Draw a line starting at the top of the neck edge seam allowance, through the .5” mark and to the hemline
- Tape the pattern back to the new CF line
- Tape the collar back to the coat front, and fill tissue into the little gap that is left.
After I shortened the hem 4”, the bottom front width was increased by about 4”.
Fabric Selection
For me, the fabric often precedes the pattern. In my stash, I had enough wool gabardine in a deep plum color to make nearly any coat I’d want. I brought this to Marla to make sure that it would be a good choice for the project. We discussed ways to make the coat warmer, such as whole-piece interfacing (which sometimes pulls away from twill, Marla says), or underlining with a wool stretch broadcloth, also from stash, (which didn’t have a good hand with the twill because the twill does not stretch), or flannel (which I’ve had bad luck with in the past) or a loosely woven, soft, fuzzy wool. We’ve settled on the latter. The lining can also add warmth, and I prefer working with silk. (Bemberg makes me crazy with how slippery it is to sew.) We chose crepe back satin in a contrasting peacock green, which should also add some warmth.
Fabric and lining
Next Steps
I have a list of questions for my next visit with Marla: Is there enough ease in the tissue-fitted pattern to accommodate the lining and the soft wooly underlayer? What’s the easiest way to deal with the lining and facing pieces: make the same adjustments or trace from the pattern pieces we’ve already adjusted? What about the fold line for the collar: when is it stabilized? I’ll keep you posted as progress continues!
Giveaway!
Note: I have approximately 5 yards of green wool gabardine to give away. It’s very close to Pantone 19-5920. I’ll mail for free to a US address or for a postage-contribution to an international address.
Giveaway fabric
To enter this giveaway, comment on this post with your answer to the following questions: “Have you ever made a coat before? If so, what went well with your coat project?”
Edited to Add: You have until 11:59 PM (EST) to post your comment to enter the giveaway. Any comments entered after that date/time will not be considered for the giveaway. Thanks!
I am also a college faculty by day and a…well, I seem to continue to work most nights as well. However, I have wanted to make a coat for quite a while now and am about to start on my coat making adventure. I have tried to do as much research as possible to get myself mentally prepared for a task. While doing so, I ran across this post. My question is about the off-grain technique you described. I am having a difficult time visualizing the direction you posted, so would you mind elaborating a little more on this or guide me to a resource (preferably not purchasing another book)? I know it sounds cheap but I just can’t explain why I need yet another book on sewing to my husband.
Thank you for any insight you can lend!
I have not made a coat, yet. It is on my bucket list. I love the patterns your picked because they have fit and are not just giant boxes. Thanks for the inspiration.
Congratulations to the winner of the fabric. I’m dreaming of making a light wool herringbone jacket with nutmeg silk for the interior. But I too need hand holding and will take a class on sewing a wool jacket, before I attempt it. I live on Vancouver Island so sweaters and jackets are perfect here. The material is waiting.
I keep buying patterns for coats, then I get scared and end up not sewing them. It’s an awful cycle.
I have never made a coat, but I sure would like to. And I love that green wool that you selected.
I’ve made 2 coats. One about 20-25 yrs ago. I remember it was a Burda pattern, wool coating and flannel backed satin for the lining. It was the warmest coat I’ve ever had. I made a wool coat last year. It was a Simplicity pattern. I used a wool blend and a heavier weight satin for the lining. To make it warmer I used flannel from the shoulders to the waist. (I live in Michigan where you need WARM clothes in the winter). Overall I’m happy with the latest coat. If I could change things, I would add a little more ease to the bottom 1/2 of the coat-from the waist down for my pear shape and I would add a smidge more length to the sleeves. Over the summer I picked up a soft pink wool coating at Salvation Army no less(!!) so I’ll make another coat one of these days. I look forward to reading about your coat making adventure.
I made a wool coat following the couture techniques. I got all done, but with all the layers and using a “jacket” pattern rather than a “coat” pattern I didn’t have enough ease to even button the thing up. I also used an underlining, but actually purchased an “interlining” which was really stiff. Great for the tailored elements like collars, but crap for moving. It felt like wearing an tight fitting cardboard box that hindered my movements. Heartbreaking considering how much time I committed to the project.
I’m actually making Butterick 5966 right now! We’re entering into Spring in my part of the world and I wanted a light coat I could wear over dresses – so with only one layer underneath. So far it’s going great. I do agree that the ease is less than expected though, but that works ok for me because I wasn’t planning on wearing a ton of layers under it anyway.
Great!
I have not made a coat before. I bought some fabric a few years ago with the intention of making a nice long swing coat, but I’ve never gotten around to attempting it. It feels very intimidating!
You’ll notice my project is going very slowly and I’m nervous about it. As Jenny of Cashmerette recently discussed in her interview on Seamwork radio, you haven’t done it until you do it. And that’s when the learning happens.
I have made 3 corduroy peacoats lined with flannel for my children and a suit jacket for my 3 year old. However, the few shirt patterns I have made for myself have been a lesson in futility because I have only heard of a full bust adjustment about 6 months ago and I am slowly working up my nerve to try one! I have been wanting to make a long wool coat for myself as I have to wear business attire and the coats are not sized to fit my bust or long enough!
I encourage you to work with one of the cup-sized shirt patterns because they really do help with fitting. Often all I have to do is move the apex (yes, usually down an inch) to make them work.
I have made a coat before during a class, the coat turned out nice with very nice top stitching and bound buttonholes. That green fabric is fabulous!
Bound button holes will be a part of this project and I’m trying to relax about it, but I’m very nervous underneath it all. I’m impressed with your project!
I made a fleece jacket for my daughter with binding on the edges. I stretched it out and ended up with the bottom sticking out at funny angles.
I wanted to make her a proper coat from red wool, with a mustard/gold lining this year. I bought the fabric but then found a beautiful red wool coat in a charity shop that was too good to pass up. Hopefully there will be enough fabric to make her a coat for winter in 2016!
It’s hard to be motivated to sew a coat when a terrific one nearly throws itself at you! If you are short on fabric next year, you can always make the facings or other parts in a contrasting fabric. I love that look.
I have never made one for myself, but I made many for my children while they were growing up. What went right? I can’t say. They usually turned out very nicely. I am, however, hoping to branch out and make one for me.
Great news that your children’s coats turned out nicely. I bet you have skills in your fingers that your brain doesn’t know how to express. : )
You are way too kind!
I made a coat from a kit once, a long time ago. It was a Sierra Designs shell, which was perfect for the weather in the SF Bay Area. With El Nino coming (we hope) I may have need for a coat for my current size.
That sounds familiar; maybe I’ve seen those kits in the distant past. Fingers crossed for El Nino!
I’ve never sewn a coat, but I’m going to be reading your posts. Perhaps they’ll give me the courage to do it.
This season there are several coat sew-a-longs on other blogs, too. They’ve got a lot of complimentary information.
I have made coats with various degrees of success. But because I’m short, the alterations (especially in the sleeves) always make for a better coat for me.
Yes! Did you notice that we *started* with a 2.5″ shortening of the sleeve? I think there will be more to come.
I’ve never made a full coat. I made a car coat years ago, the sort with toggle buttons, and wore it to pieces, The lining was a nightmare though. I think I cut it just a little bit off grain, it was always twisting and bunching. I didn’t have the experience then to realize what was causing the problem or how to fix it so I ripped half of it out, finished off the lower edge and kept right on wearing it.
That is some gutsy problem solving. I have fun reflecting on what I used to do (hello cotton jacquard for a summer shirt) and all that I’ve learned.
Where we live in the midwest, I’ve sewn many coats out of fleece/wool and then lined with a whimsy-printed flannel attached to fusible fleece…easily washable and warm as a comforter.
I love having a fun lining, too!
Plum and peacock, yum! I wear a lot of coats – the sort that you wear all day – more structured than a duster but lighter than one designed to over lots of clothes. My favourite actual coat make was from an Issey Miyake pattern I’ve never been able to find again – a gorgeous cocoon shaped affair. I made it in incredibly vivid abstract floral polar fleece lined with black rayon jacquard. I loved that coat to bits. Almost literally! This was circa 1997. 🙂
I have been considering making duster-style indoor jackets. That shape and style has been picking up in popularity recently. And the Queen Mum wears them all the time, so we’d be in good company. 😉
I am also from the pacific northwest! I have never made a coat but I have many coat-filled sewing dreams that will come true as soon as I finish mastering FBAs!
Sounds like a great plan!
I’m planning on making a coat with some Harris tweed I bought on the Isle of Harris last year. I’m going to try for this fall, but I’m giving myself an out to only make a muslin this year and sew it next year. It’s hard to find a pattern, and because it’s my first coat, I’d like to find a pattern as close to my size as possible. (I’m ~ a size 34)
I can see how you’d want to be careful to make sure it’s a pattern that you want to sew with this special fabric!
Sadly, I have not made a coat. Thanks for the tips on fitting a coat
Thanks for reading the blog!
I made a coat from a Burda pattern, designed without a lining. My fabric was wool, and I wanted a lining. I “made it work,” but not with any couture methods. I love it because it’s yellow.
Yay for clothes that we love. I’ll have another post with lining tips.
I made a wool coat for my daughter. It went together well but was thick to sew (1986)and my skills were still beginning. Nevertheless it ladted for three girls even though the sleeves were stiff and from your post I now understand why:not enough ease. My second coat was fleece but my 25 year old took it over so I don’t get to wear it anymore.
I’m very glad I don’t have a child who appropriates my clothing! 🙂
I haven’t… yet! I am not that far along in my sewing journey but it looks challenging and exciting.
We all started somewhere. There’s a blog called Mainely Dad who starts sewing by making a coat from a Japanese sewing book! I was amazed with his journey.
I’ve made one coat before but feel like it’s a “cheater” as it is unlined and quite unstructured. It’s made from a fuzzy wool knit and the edges are left raw (a cheater coat, I know;-). I actually got several proper coat patterns last winter but couldn’t find any good wool coating so put that project on hold…but if I were to win that gorgeous green fabric, let’s just say I would put it to good use:-)
All the best, Christina
Your “cheater’ coat sounds like it works for you, and that’s what really matters. 🙂
Yes, I have sewn several coats. The most loved was made of Ultra suede in a dark navy, and lined with kasha lining. Because it was very expensive, I used a very loved coat as a pattern, and made some changes. It never wore out! I just grew 🙁 out of it.
The coat that I am now wearing ( for our Canadian winter) is Deep Purple, and it is wool, with a kasha lining and shammy inter-lining across the shoulders. This coat is very heavy. It has a full princess line, and a shawl collar with set in sleeves. There are wind guards in the sleeves, The coat is very long, and full, and it keeps me wonderfully warm, even in a skirt.
I am planning a shorter coat for walking, and already have a mock shearling, royal blue suede, and black fur. The design is almost complete, but I am trying to create a comfy light weight WARM coat more suitable to shopping in slacks.
So interesting! I’m going to have to investigate sleeve wind guards. I’ve never heard of them. It sounds like I could learn a lot from you!
The windguards are either a rib cuff, or and elastic edged band of lining material that is attached inside the sleeve lining of a coat. It allows o wind to get into the sleeve, therefore no surprise chills.
Oh, yes. I have seen these but didn’t know what the name was.