Hi Everyone,
I am very excited to share my latest coat project with you today. You know I love making coats and jackets. It’s been a little while since I made a heavy duty winter coat. When I say heavy duty, I consider both of my previously interlined coats as heavy duty. See here and here. But with this wool, purchased local to me a couple of years ago, it is probably the heaviest wool I have ever worked with, and no interlining was required. This coat is seriously heavy and warm!
The pattern I used to make this coat was Butterick 6385 and it is a brilliant coat pattern, IMO. If you haven’t got this pattern in your stash, get it, before it goes OOP! Why? Sized for different cup sizes (I didn’t do an FBA on this!), princess seams for easy fitting alterations, two piece sleeve and fully lined with a separate lining piece for the back with a pleat. Also, I am loving that high funnel neck to keep the cold at bay, without needing to fuss with a scarf.
With a wool this heavy I decided to pull out the big guns and use horse hair canvas to interface. I interfaced the front, the side front (extending into the arm hole area), the collar, the yoke (again, extending into the arm hole area), the tops of the upper and under sleeve (extending to the edges) and I also cut bias strips for the hems. All the canvas interfacing was catch stitched to the wool so the stitching was not visible from the front. I also used fusible stretch interfacing on the pocket welts and included a back stay cut from a cotton remnant and a chest piece cut from the canvas. The bits of red fleece you can see peeking out at the tops of the sleeves are the sleeve heads.
The interfacing at the tops of the upper and under sleeves was cut on the bias and the bottom edges allowed to hang free.
I added a red piping made from scraps of satin left from my birthday dress between the lining and the wool and love the contrast. BTW, I would say that if you choose to make this coat from a wool, you should note that the back inner yoke is cut from self fabric. Combined with the high funnel neck (if you make this view), this might make this coat unsuitable for some people…or make it in not wool if you have problems wearing wool. I think this coat could work in so many different fabrics.
Overall, and in case you couldn’t tell, I am just so happy with how this one turned out. It was my project over my Christmas break and it was lovely to have an epic project to sink my teeth into. The one thing I could perhaps have done better was perhaps tackling bound buttonholes. But in the end my new Pfaff performed the buttonholes with absolutely no issues. Maybe next time, eh?
Pattern Review
Pattern Description:
Fitted coats have princess seams, back yoke with forward shoulder seams, two-piece sleeve, collar and pocket variations. A: Round collar. B: Pointed collar. C: Funnel neck.
Separate pattern pieces are included for cup sizes A, B, C, D.
I made view C.
Pattern Sizing:
Size 6 – 22.
I cut a size 18 through the shoulders, arms and bust, D cup (no FBA required) and graded out over the waist and hips.
Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it?
Yes.
Were the instructions easy to follow?
Yes, although I added lots of extra tailoring touches.
What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern?
I love the look of the finished garment. Love the high neck for extra wind protection, the princess seams for easy fitting, the multi-cup sizing, the two piece sleeves and the separate back lining piece with pleat. Nothing to dislike, but note there are no shoulder seams on this pattern so if that area is a fitting issue then be forewarned.
Fabric Used:
A very, very heavy wool coating.
Pattern alterations or any design changes you made:
- Added 1.5 inches to the length of the coat
- Added a 5/8ths inch wedge across the back and side back, tapering to nothing at the side seams by way of a full bum adjustment. Also added 3/8ths inch to the side back/ back vertical seams and 0.25 inches to the side seams and side back seams for 65 cm up from the hem.
- Shortened the sleeve by 1.5 inches
- Did a 1 inch full arm adjustment
- Made the side seams and sleeve seams up to 1 inch and did actually only use 5/8ths inch seam allowance. I just decided I might be glad of the extra layering room.
- Shortened the height of the collar by 0.25 inches
- Added horse hair canvas interfacing
- Bagged the lining out through the coat hem
- Doubled up on my regular Gutterman polyester thread for the topstitching
Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?
I don’t know if I will sew it again, but never say never. I could see this pattern working in other fabrics, so maybe. I definitely recommend. This is a brilliant pattern.
Conclusion:
Sleek, stylish and sophisticated. This is a gem of a pattern. You need this pattern in your stash right now.
