Hello! I’ve made a new raincoat! This is the Kelly anorak by Closet Case patterns, and I knew straight away I wanted to make it as a raincoat… why? well we’ve had officially the wettest winter and early spring on record, since they started keeping records, so like ever. EVER! It’s been hideous, I tell you! I’ve been wearing my old me-made raincoat all winter, but I’ve noticed that it’s not quite as effective as it used to be. I would classify it as shower-proof now, rather than waterproof *sob*. Well, it is a few years old now so possibly the fabric is becoming a little brittle with age, because I’m pretty sure it used to be lovely and watertight! Now, not so much! #sadface
So a new raincoat was needed… I really wanted a white-ish, cream or ivory one. I just love off-white and think ivory looks so chic and really smart in outerwear. Actually, I think it looks chic in anything!! #welldocumentedivoryfan I bought a plain white shower curtain from Spotlight, and gave it a little water test, posted here on my instagram account. I love how the water droplet looks like a wee little living thing, zipping about on the surface. Obviously the fabric passed with flying colours. Pretty cool, huh?
The fabric was quite see-through, and while I don’t mind a little bit of sheerness in a raincoat it really was TOO sheer, so I decided to underline fully with polyacetate lining fabric. I didn’t want white lining fabric, pure white is quite harsh for my colouring, so I chose this pale golden beige colour. I had this idea that it would tone down the pure white to a warm, off-white, oyster white, which I think my colouring needs. SO. Funny thing! To my mind, this lining fabric is a definite gold, or even brown, wouldn’t you agree? I would not call this colour “pink”… so I’m pretty surprised that the overall look of my raincoat reads pink! Don’t get me wrong, I love it! just that I did not expect this! In retrospect, I can see the colour does have a sorta peach-y look to it…but still! Golden brown under white; gives… pink?!?? Well alrighty then!!
In a raincoat, you need to seal the seams, and for my previous raincoat I used some stuff called Seam Grip, which has done a stellar job in that raincoat for years. So I was pretty sad that I couldn’t find it any more! BCF sold me some of this stuff… it’s a little different, far more liquid-y than the gel-like Seam Grip. It dries on the surface of the fabric forming a slightly hard, just slightly stiff, matte finish; similar to what you would expect if you painted clear matte nail polish on the seams. It does seem to do the trick, though only time will tell. The good thing about it is that it “disappears” on the fabric and you can hardly tell it’s there… unlike the Seam Grip which was a definite visible, shiny “smear” on the seams inside my old coat. Not that anyone ever looks on the inside of my raincoat, but you know what I mean! this new stuff is quite invisible which does look really neat and tidy. So that’s good.
Materials: my shower curtain, zip, eyelets, nylon cord, press studs and the “stops” for the cord; I bought everything at Spotlight. Seam sealer from BCF (boating camping and fishing) store. It’s intended for use on tents and sails! My shower curtain was just enough fabric for my pieces!! Just a few scant patches left enough for me to cut a few extra pocket flap pieces and after that? almost nothing leftover.
Pattern; the Kelly anorak, by Closet Case patterns, available here. Heather asked me to be a tester and I gleefully jumped right in. I really like Heather’s patterns, she has a modern young woman’s aesthetic, with clean lines and unfussy shapes. Basically, I’ve loved everything she’s designed! I made up the pattern just as is, grading out from a size 8 at the top to a size 10 at the hips, according to my measurements, and I reckon the fit is spot on, with just the right amount of ease. I believe Heather has shortened the sleeves, lengthened the body and widened the biceps a touch in the final version in response to tester feedback, however I’m happy with the fit I’ve got here!
Alterations: I just made some very minor alterations simply because it’s a raincoat:
The bellows pockets are designed to have a faux flap, so you can just shove your hands satisfyingly right in those pockets with absolute no impediment… however because mine is a raincoat and I thought functional pocket flaps would be a good idea, you know, to protect whatever is in the pockets from the rain! so I made and added extra pocket flaps on the outside. I LOVE the little double flap effect this gives! ok, maybe it looks a bit weird but I really like it!
I added press studs to the wrist cuffs but left them off the opening front zip placket; reason being that I think a raincoat doesn’t really need them and might actually be more of a nuisance than useful. You know; it starts raining, you want to just throw on your coat and just zip it up quick! bob’s your uncle. The drawstring is good enough for pulling it all in, for me.
In most cases, I overlocked all raw edges to prevent fraying then flat-felled all seams UP, which you always do in raincoats for waterproofing reasons. I remember I went into some detail on this in my previous raincoat post… it’s a little thing but I believe it does make a difference! The shadow of up-flatfelling can just be made out above on my sleeve seams and this front/front yoke seam, which is slightly curved to give some subtle bust shaping.
I hammered in two eyelets tucked up high under each arm to allow body heat to escape; this is an essential in a non-breathable, waterproof garment…
I also added eyelets and pull-cord to the hood opening because, well obviously. A raincoat hood is never merely decorative!
You know what? I’ve worn the raincoat several times, and it’s brilliant. I love it! And so far so good; it’s stood up to a a pretty heavy downpour and I’ve remained happily dry inside It is actually very warm too, which I guess is what you’d expect from a completely waterproof fabric. I’m happy!
Details:
Raincoat; the Kelly anorak, Closet Case patterns, made using a shower curtain with polyaceteate underlining.
Jeans; Morgan boyfriend jeans, Closet Case patterns, details here
Top; modified Nettie, ivory knit details here… hehe, I’ve just realised I’m wearing all Closet Case patterns, this was not planned, honest!
Shoes, designed and made by me, details here
This is fantastic! I’m hoping my current raincoat holds long enough for me to learn all the skills I need to make this.
And shower curtain fabric! GENIUS!
Thanks so much for sharing 🙂
thank you so much Giorgia! 🙂
You are just awesome! From the top of your handmade coat to the bottom of your handmade shoes 🙂 love it!
thanks so much Hari, that’s so nice of you to say! 🙂 xx
What a chic raincoat! I love the pink-ish colour and it looks very modern. To say the truth, much more stylish than your old raincoat, which I had admired a lot in time when sewn. Thank you for your good tips how to make the coat waterproof and to insert the ventilation eyelets. Even if your winter was colder than usual, your coat would be perfect for us even in summer when raining, I guess! Such a gorgeous handmade outfit with those shoes!
Okay, I was having a whole moment over the cost of expensive water-proof fabric, and then this!! You’re amazing!!
I love the color and the concept. Plus, grommet’s under the arm, excellent point. My favorite (and dying) raincoat has zip flaps under the arm so you can have it open or shut!
thanks Chris! I think shower curtains are an unappreciated natural resource as far as rainwear goes! as long as you can get one that “sews” nicely, some of them are quite plasticky and wouldn’t work so well. I guess you could use zips under the arms instead, that sounds very smart, in this case I was going for something quick and easy! )
What a brilliant idea, to use a shower curtain. And what a saving. As usual, your finished garment is wonderful, you take such care to make everything look so professional.
thank you so much Julie! that’s so nice of you to say 🙂
I will never look at a shower curtain quite the same way! Such a creative way to get waterproof fabric and the outcome is terrific. I never wish for rain but maybe with a great me-made jacket like yours I would. Maybe.
thank you so much Helene! xx:) I never wish for rain either, but a raincoat is just an essential, like it or not!
I love your whole Closet Case Files outfit! Thanks for sharing the details of your raincoats mod to the Kelly pattern. If I challenge myself to make a raincoat, this post will be my first stop 🙂 Brilliant idea — using a shower curtain!
This is brilliant! I love that you’ve used a shower curtain, what a good idea! Also thanks for the tips re sealing the seams. I’d love to have a go at making my son a raincoat.
This looks awesome!!! Good idea to use a showercurtain, but how about sweating? I have already had an eye on this pattern, but since I just finished the Tosti Utility Jacket I need a break before sewing something time-consuming like this again.
Thank you, Elke! Re sweating; that’s what those 2 eyelets under each arm are for. Some ventilation is essential in a waterproof garment in order to allow body heat to escape 🙂
Whaou ! so nice !!!! and very “perfect” sewing finish….
Thanks for posting this! I love this pattern and was also hoping to make it as a raincoat, but wasn’t sure what to do since I need a lining. I think I’ll use your suggestion of underlining!
One question–since waterproof fabric is not really able to be ironed, did you just skip the interfacing the pattern calls for? How did you do the flat-felled seams if you couldn’t iron the fabric? Any other tips? (Sorry for all the questions, but I’ve never made anything waterproof before!)
Thank you, Nicole! Yes, there is no interfacing in my raincoat. Re pressing seams and ️seam allowances for flat felling etc, I used a piece of linen as a pressing cloth and set my iron on a low heat, and found folds and creases could be formed quite successfully in my fabric long enough to stitch flat felled seams and hems etc:)
Also, all my tips for sewing waterproof garments are in my previous raincoat post, the link is above in this post. 🙂
Very nice! I would be interested to know how your seam sealer holds up after a year or so of wear. I gave up sewing technical clothing years and years ago because of poor seam sealing products. I’ve been thinking about it again lately as I’m sure those products have improved greatly. I’ll have to remember to ask you next year. Beautiful jacket!
After seeing that lovely little water droplet moving about on your IG photo, I’ve been waiting to see what goodness you were up to….. and this glorious raincoat so did not disappoint!! Brilliant idea to use a humble shower curtain to make such a fantastic chic waterproof coat. Enjoyed reading all your little tips and tricks to keep everything waterproof too. Always learn so much from what you share. 🙂
BRILLIANT! Your iteration of the Kelly Anorak sings! I’ll be following your tips to make a rain resistant one soon. British Columbia weather is famous for rain. And…I will be scoping out shower curtains in colourful prints, LOL.
PS…that very palest shade of blush is very pretty. The jacket looks white in some pics though too.
I loved this post Caroline! So HELPFUL! I don’t think I’ll tackle the challenge myself 🙂 but I absolutely love your coat – the colour and shape is so stylish!
thank you so much Kathleen! xx:)
so clever to use the shower curtain. and the color is lovely
That is so clever to use the shower curtain and it turned into an amazing jacket.
A white coat would last one morning in my house!! I love the zero waste ethics, you did well to get such a fabulous coat. I have a 1960’s wool coat brewing – lining, interfacing, and self covering buttons arrived in the post today – it is a slow burner but I am looking forward to a slow sew on this one. Jo
I love your raincoat. How clever to use a shower curtain as the fabric!
Genius in using a shower curtain! I would not have known to seal the seams either. I love your raincoat. It has such a clean and fresh look to it. Much prettier than darker colored raincoats I have seen.
What a great idea to use the shower curtain and thank you for such a great review. Now you have this jacket and the Tosti, what are the sleeve caps like e.g. still thinking on the best pattern for my 3ply gortex.
It’s a shame this pattern wasn’t released before I began my raincoat because I love it. I found seam grip online but don’t like the shine much and it shows through the fabric a bit. Your raincoat is epic!
You are so inspiring. I have never looked at a shower curtain and thought raincoat, but clearly my brain was not sufficiently developed. I really thought my sewing lobe was particularly well trained!
Your raincoat looks terrific.
Now I need this pattern. (But probably not until spring, as it really is time to start sewing winter coats.) It really does look like the perfect rain jacket! Your fabrication is genius.
Its gorgeous. I had always wondered about sewing with shower curtains for jackets – as I had used one once to make a cover for a bbq….. brilliant tips, I didnt know about the seam seal, thats fantastic as well as your tip re ventilation under arm – the eyelets are a lot quicker than fitting a zip vent…. its really lovely on you – and I would think especially perfect for spring. (although I imagine a lot of readers are now looking seeing their shower curtains as working stash)
So chic! The pocket flap is a gorgeous detail and elevates the whole coat. Heather should add it as a bonus pattern piece. I bet all the other shower curtains in Spotlight are heartbroken that they didn’t get to go home with you that day!
thank you Cathy! actually the pocket flap piece is already part of the pattern, I just cut a few extra to make those double flaps! 🙂
Simply brilliant! I love the extra pocket flap for functionality but also as a design detail – perfect!
I noticed the double flaps right away, and I love them! I’m kind of disappointed that they’re not actually on the Kelly pattern And how smart to use shower curtain fabric!
thanks so much Alli! The pocket flaps are totally part of the pattern! it’s just that I cut a few extra of the pocket facing pieces to make an extra flap 🙂
Nicely played! I don’t think Heather could ask for a better rain coat version of this than your ‘curtain’ coat. I was hoping to find a couple of sweet print shower curtains for this, and am still on the look out (because rain coat = happy in Seattle winter). And your make of this just sells the idea, from the pockets to the drawstring.
I have no idea how it gets to pink but I do think it is smashing in this color. Well done!
What a gorgeous rain coat Carolyn. You are so talented xx
thank you so much, my dear friend! xx 🙂
Wow, I am so glad to see this, your coat is amazing! The pattern looks so much like my existing Eddie Bauer raincoat which can you believe, is 14 years old and I’m still wearing it? It says great things about their workmanship but unfortunately, the red fabric doesn’t launder very well. This pattern would replicate it perfectly and all your conversion tips will make it possible!
Trust you to think of making a raincoat from a shower curtain. Pure genius. And what a great raincoat you made. I’ll have to keep this in mind next time I feel the urge to find myself a new raincoat. Thanks for sharing so many great tips.
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You used your shower curtain!!! Wow Carolyn – how do you come up with such ideas? I love all the details – this is absolutely gorgeous!
Very fancy raincoat…practical and stylish. Who would have thought this was made from a shower curtain. You are very good at thinking outside the box.
Shower curtain raincoat = brilliant!
Catching up on blog reading and had to comment on this treat of a raincoat. Love everything about it…including its origin as a shower curtain!
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