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Curvy Coatmaking: Pattern selection and modifications

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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

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

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

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:

  1. Cut the collar away from the front (leaving a .25” hinge)
  2. Cut up the center front line (leaving a hinge at the top seam allowance)
  3. Put tissue beneath the pattern and make a mark .5”, adding to the center front (away from the waist)
  4. Draw a line starting at the top of the neck edge seam allowance, through the .5” mark and to the hemline
  5. Tape the pattern back to the new CF line
  6. 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.

FabricAndLining

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

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!

Comments

  1. No, but after seeing some lovely white fake fur at Fabric Depot in Portland deceided to try V8346. Your post is most timely, will be following your progress. Thanks for the heads up on the importance of reading the description carefully, and analyzing the pattern for the amount of ease.

  2. I made a coat last year – I had a vision in my mind and could not find a pattern so found some close and altered. It was made from recycled denim so first i had to patchwork old denim. It is full length and lined with flannelette. It is very warm and I get many compliments on it. the hardest part was getting the lining to fit (as i hadn’t used a pattern but altered another and I struggled to get the linging and the jacket to fit together.

    • Yay for sewing what you want to wear and “finding something close” and altering it to fit your vision. I’ll write more about linings in a future post. Maybe that will be helpful for your next project.

  3. I tried to make a coat… Tried is the operative word. I am glad to hear you say sometimes it is the patterns fault. The only reason I haven’t tried again is due to the disasterous results from my first attempt. I will certainly try again this fall.

    • At times I’ve been on the edge of angry about my past experiences – blaming myself for something that wasn’t my fault. It can be so discouraging. But, there’s help out there! I hope you learn what you need to be successful.

  4. I’ve never made a coat before. I’m new to sewing and still trying to figure out how to grade patterns to fit my body properly. Taking baby steps to eventually make a coat! 😀

  5. I have sewn coats for children but never for myself. Seeing all the coat making going on on several blogs, it has really peaked my interest in making a coat for myself.

    • Yes! There are so many great sew-a-longs and coat making blog posts happening right now. I hope this short series adds value to the mix.

  6. I made one coat, just one, last winter. It was a Christmas present for my aunt. Like me, she is a petite but curvy lady, so I used a Lady Boutique pattern drafted to her measurements. It was also my first time using that magazine and the bunka slopper, and it was all a bit scary but I enjoyed the challenge! It went well because it was a very simple coat. I used a camel neoprene for the fashion fabric and quilted the lining to add some warmth. She wore it -proudly- the entire winter. This year I would love to sew a simplified tailored jacket (using the Zapp method) or a coat with princess seams. That wool gabardine would be perfect for it and I would happily contribute to the postage (to sunny Spain). I love green!

    • I think you’ve identified something that’s often important to me: simplicity. That often means that any flaw shows up, but it’s a risk I’m willing to take.

      • Indeed! And I do see all those flaws. But my aunt seems oblivious to them and, for the first time since my grandma passed (may she rest in peace, she was a great seamstress), the waist sits were it should and the sleeves are the right length. Plus, it was made with lots of love, no RTW can compete with that 🙂

        • You are absolutely right – made with love beats RTW every time. And those key fitting points make a big difference.

    • I think you have summarized why I don’t sew for other (and it has to look like…). You’re a better woman than I!

  8. I have never made a coat, but I may have to if I do not find a nice jacket when I go up to Dublin shopping next Spring, since my old jacket is getting worn out and is now my “play jacket”. 😀

    • Yep – I’m totally understanding “downgrading” items to the play realm when they are not longer fit for daily wear!

  9. I have never made a coat before, but I have been toying with the idea for over a year now! As you describe it’s the fact that it’s a big project involving a lot of fabric that scares me, I don’t want to mess up. And I really want a nice fit! 🙂

    • Good luck! I’m hoping you can get some help with the fit and make a muslin if you are not sure about how the pattern works for you.

  10. I have never sewn a coat. I rarely ever wear a coat 🙂 I did stitch my own wedding dress which was scary but turned out really pretty. I love the patterns you chose – very nice lines.

    • Thank you! I imagine you live in Florida or Hawaii or Thailand…My husband would love to live in that type of climate, but I like sewing for four seasons.

  11. I made a coat (my one and only) about 30 years ago. It was a beautiful tan wool with a brown velvet collar and gold satin lining. I loved it and wore it quite a bit until I rather outgrew it and the puppy chewed the lining. 🙂 The hardest part was all the tailoring in the shoulders. Of course, this was the 80’s and there were large shoulder pads to work with. I was amazed at the amount of lining and interlinings there were to give it shape. I liked that the sleeves were the right length for a change.

    • That was good practice, even if she was relatively easy to fit. I think I was a squirmy model when I was 8!

  13. I have sewn jackets, but no coats! I have collected supplies and have a pattern in hand, so maybe this is the year!

  14. I haven’t made a coat YET but I need to make one asap. I have a some wool scraps that were given to me that I’m planning to piece together, maybe dye/felt. So this is a very interesting topic!! Woo woo! Bated breath, as they say 😉

    • Great idea. Sneak peak- I changed my fabric choice & will be using two woolen fabrics for the final project.

  15. No, never made a coat before, but I’ve been thinking about it! I have my eye on Albion from Colette for awhile now, but I’m afraid of that big of an investment in material for something I’ve never sewn before. One day I’ll get up the nerve!

    • Yes, investment of time and materials makes this kind of project intimidating. That’s why so many people muslin their patterns.

  16. I’ve made jackets before but never progressed to a coat, not sure why I’ve never taken that leap lols. Looking at Burda 7169, I am definitely going to make this I love the style =)

    • See & sew can be challenging to fit since there aren’t many options for darts or adjusting seams. Good luck!

    • Great idea! Bad Mom has been writing about how much water cotton takes to grow, and it’s sobering. Recycling clothes is importent.

      • Wow! I’m impressed! Your current pattern is interesting since it has a nice high overlap with unique lapels.

    • PUL for raincoats is an inspired idea. I think my next raincoat will be waxed silk duipioni, a la Peter Lappin.

  22. I am getting ready to make a warm coat for this winter and the lake effect snow. This will be my first one so I am very glad I found your blog.

  23. I have been looking at coat patterns but have not picked out one yet. I want a dressier coat. I have suitable casual coats. I have even looked at some wools Will enjoy following your adventure first. Oh, and I love the green fabric.

    • 🙂 the good news is that there are lots of good patterns to chose from. It’s not the 80’s where you got to choose from padded football shoulders or drop sleeve football shoulders. Lol

  25. Haven’t ever done anything so challenging, I will look for this pattern and might attempt to sew along. Your post made me realize how clueless I am. ..

    • The newer patterns don’t include a lot of important details. I saw Marla again today, and she said her tailoring teacher (Bobby Carr) had students thread trace every seam allowance and then slip-baste seams before sewing with the hot he machine. She said she wouldn’t make me do that. Whew!

  26. It’s been forever since I’ve made a coat for myself and I’m heading down that path this winter. I make a lot of coats/jackets for my little girl though so I’ve definitely improved since the last time I made one for myself 🙂

  27. I have never sewn a coat, but I just started obsessing over the Lady Grey coat by Colette, and this green wool would be PERFECT!!! 🙂

    • Yes, I think wool gabardine would work well for the Lady Grey. Gertie had a sew along for that pattern a couple of years ago.

  28. I haven’t made a coat before but have a couple of patterns. I usually prefer a (car) jacket as I’m not often out and about in situations where a dressy coat is the way to go. I’d like to make a coat and a jacket; I have made a couple of jackets but not tailored. I don’t understand the off-graining description so am off to read about it.

    • Sometimes deciding on the style of what to make is a challenge for me- considering when will I wear something, etc.

  29. Making a coat for cold Canadian winters is on my to do list but first I have to hone my skills. You are very lucky to have access to Marla’s wisdom. Fitting is the bane of my life right now and if I can sort that out plus what works well with my body shape and personal style I will be off to the races. Your blog is very helpful and I hope to learn a lot from your coat making experience. Thank you for sharing!

    • Yes, Marla is a treasure. It took me a while to put fut, style, fabric choices & color all together. Good luck!

      • Thanks Brenda. I am now on the hunt for this pattern as I like the style lines..and even if I don’t have the skills yet it is something that I hope to make as soon as I feel I have the skills. Just found out it is discontinued…sigh…and I can’t find a pattern like it. I will keep trying. Thanks for the encouragement.

  30. I’m new to your website and love it!! I have been sewing since I was a little girl< almost 50 years now, and still find I have lots more to learn. Happy to have found you!!

  31. I’ve never made a coat (or a jacket, or even a poncho) but it is on my bucket list for 2016!

      • I purchased M6800 in May during a patter sale at Joann, but haven’t done anything other than periodically take it out of the pattern stash to admire the options.

        I do love the Cypress Cape, but worry that it would make me look even more boxy. Not sure how “flowing and drape-y” it will look over a full bust. Someone make it quick and post photos so I can see how it works on a curvy body!

  32. I’ve been researching sewing a coat since last year. I am in the process of grading a pattern…wish me luck.

  34. Many years ago I made a coat out of navy fleece. Learned an important lesson–choose a pattern with some shaping so that you don’t look like a blob. 😉

    • So true – a pattern needs to work for you if you’re going to get good wear from the garment.

  35. I sewed a coat by hand which I wore to get married in when I was 19, 45 years ago. I was fairly new to sewing at the time and it was rather an ambitious project as I also made a dress to wear with it. I was in a wool fabric. Looking back I can see all the errors I made but at the time I thought it was great, I have since made three coats, all vogue patterns . One was my first attempt at using couture techniques and was mainly hand sewn. Was very pleased with, though it no longer fits me sadly, though no way can I get rid of it.

      • Thank you, I do have such wonderful memories and am often struck by my bravery in both making a coat when I had so little knowledge , and no sewing machine I even put bound buttonholes on it. And my bravery in getting married at such a young age, I am pleased to say that I am still happily married to he same lovely man. I also still throw myself into challenges with gay abandon.

  36. I sewed my first coat last year. It went really well. I want to sew another this year, but in a lighter fabric for fall or mild winter days. 🙂

  37. I’ve sewn one coat a few years ago that I still wear all the time. It’s a hip length Vogue jacket pattern with princess seams made from a beautiful camel colored Australian wool blanketing, lined with crepe back satin. I added ease like you did to accomodate clothing underneath. Here in Wisconsin the winters are brutal and this coat is warm without being too bulky-perfect for the car.

  40. I sewed a coat I wore many years until the wool gave up. It was basic straight front and back panels with a collar, ending mid-calf. No short coats for me as I was commuting by train and bus in Chicago. I found coat fabric in a variable stripe. The lining was a flannel backed satin. I loved that coat and always received compliments when I wore it.

  42. I have not made a coat, but your story reminded me of the time I asked my mother to make me a coat. We used a camel hair wool (yummy) and a lighter wool plaid as the lining. I wish I could remember the pattern but it was a really long time ago (40 years ago?). I was going to a commuter jr. college on the plains in Illinois. The parking lot could be quite a hike, and I didn’t want the seams of the coat to match the seams in my clothes. The cold winter wind would cut me in two when it would be strong enough to go through the seams of my clothes and coat. It had a huge collar, a-line sleeves (am I saying that right) and was WARM WARM WARM. I loved it. I moved to Alabama and it was way to warm to wear here. I gave it away.

    • Wow – that’s some thoughtfulness to consider seams matching up. I Campbell imagine you don’t need a super warm coat in Alabama!

  44. In high school, I made a rain coat…well tried anyhow. 🙂 It was quite slippery and I remember using paper over the fabric to help the machine catch the fabric. Now that I have more experirnce sewing, I’d love to try making a coat!

  45. I have not made a coat. Your story has given me a new sense of bravery and i may actually try to tackle the project!!
    I absolutely love your color choices and am excited to see your finished coat!!
    Thank You

  46. Hi Brenda, great post! I’m prepping a coat project now and think I’ve decided on a vintage Simplicity pattern (Simplicity 8591). Since I’m still in the planning stage I’ve been ordering a lot of swatches so when I do decide on a pattern I can use the best type of wool for the style. I think taking my time choosing the pattern and fabric is going to make this project a much more fulfilling experience instead of scrambling around for this notion or that and stressing over it. I can’t wait to see your finished coat!

    • Good job ordering swatches. I tend to buy fabric first and ask questions later, which is not the best strategy!

  47. I have never sewn a coat, but since joining rhe Curvey Sewing Collective, I am no longer afraid to try. 🙂

    • I love the grey/hot pink combo. My challenge to you- spend 20 ,minutes getting started this weekend. ?

  49. I haven’t made a coat before. I am preparing to make my first using an old Simplicity pattern by Khalia Ali. It is a trench coat.

  50. I can’t wait to see the finished article! I have never made a coat before but it is something I’ve been contemplating over the summer for this winter. I should just bite the bullet and get it done. I have the pattern chosen – vogue V8465 version c. It is one of the first patterns I bought simply because I loved the lines and the collar and it has been sitting in my stash for 3 and a half years now!

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