Oh my gosh, I love this new coat so much! I’ve been in the process of making this for quite a long time now. It’s been a sort of long term, high quality sort of a project, squeezing little bursts of sewing in between making raincoat toiles… so many raincoat toiles… and finessing the grading of a raglan sleeve. For a raincoat, natch. Making this coat has been “fun” simply because just simply following a pattern already written for me feels like a holiday by comparison.
I got this fabric from Minerva, and it’s GORGEOUS. So gorgeous in fact, that when it arrived I just kinda froze, creatively speaking. You know when you’re so terrified of ruining the fabric you can hardly bare to even take the scissors to it? I couldn’t settle upon a project for a while. Finally, I decided a coat was really the only worthy choice. I frolicked amongst the coat options in Le Pattern Stash, and finally settled upon this one I’d used before, Vogue 1537. My first version of this was for Tim and Kelly’s wedding! and I really really love that one too!
I even did the double welt buttonholes again too; they were just a tad more challenging in this thicker, felt-like fabric, but the challenge was actually quite enjoyable.
During the cutting out, I was initially going to go with the super strict, thou-absolutely-MUST pattern match or else thou shalt be cast out from the sewing community, never to darken that doorstep again, thing; which I personally have definitely been a part of, no judgement for that. However, at some point I just decided I didn’t want to do that this time. I wanted something more creative. So I re-assessed and cut the side panels on the bias, and the pocket flaps and under-sleeves, and recut the pockets.
Fortunately I had enough leftover that I could do this! and I was able to cut some of the smaller pieces from some of the old, bigger pieces to make this happen. In the final coat, nothing “matches” in the traditional sense, although everything IS symmetrical, at least!
I bought deep petrol blue lining from Fabulous Fabrics; which is not a colour that appears anywhere in the tartan but interestingly looks absolutely perfect with it, imo.
I also bought dark blue buttons from Fabulous Fabrics. They were a nice blue, and had a lovely surface design on them too, but I eventually decided they were completely the wrong blue. So I painted them with black enamel paint, which I’ve previously used to blacken shoe soles, etc. Now I think they look amazing!
These photos – in fact, this coat! – are kinda funny/bittersweet for me to think back on now, because this coat is the last thing, and these are the last blog photos I took in our old house… the one we’ve lived in for the past 17 years. A bit sad, but I love our new house so much and am really excited to make it our home! I’ve been re-homing LOTS of stuff so we can fit into it… our old house was a five bedroom, three bathroom family house, and out new one is a three bedroom, two bathroom. Quite a difference! and I’ve made the downsizing process much harder for myself, by filling up each of the children’s wardrobes with stuff as they’ve left home and vacated their rooms. I kinda had the attitude, well I have the storage space, so I may as well use it! Bad policy… because now I’ve had to be extremely ruthless in streamlining all our things.
Also weird because I lavished such a lot of care and attention on this coat and it was such a HUGE project for me time wise, I’ve run out of things to say about it… hmmm, strange! So I guess I should just stop rambling. In short though, I really really love it! I honestly think it could be the best coat I’ve ever made!
Details:
Coat; Vogue 1537, using this black stewart tartan wool coating
Dress; Vogue 1351, white crepe, details here
Sandals; akiel, from an op shop ages ago
It IS a beautiful coat no doubt about it. Superlative job as usual Carolyn.
The blue lining, is there not a small blue stripe in the plaid? I do think the lining is great, such an explosion of colour.
Bonus day, I woke with my two favorite Carolyn’s blog posts waiting for me. It is a rare snowy day here in the other Western WA (USA). So hunkered down with coffee and the internet. I have always loved matching stripes and plaid when sewing. It has always been kind of my thing. But I love what you have done with this coat.
All the best in your new home, dear Carolyn! Also lovely coat.
This coat is stunning I love it. You are such a talented designer. Your choices of how to cut and place the plaids on this pattern is really stellar.
Wow, what a beautiful coat! i truly admire your ability to see beyond a pattern, introduce changes here and there and make it your own and better than the original! I love everything about your new coat – the fit, the bias cut panels, the lining, the buttons and buttonholes! And all the best in your new house!
Your new coat looks stunning! What a great choice to alternate the ways of cutting it.
Good luck with the move and hope to hear again from you soon.
Anita from a sunny Basel where almost all the snow of the last seven days has now gone.
I like the tartan fabric play. It still looks balanced. You wear it well. Jo x
While I always admire your skill in matching patterns (especially as I never ever go near anything that needs to be matched because it never works for me), I love the way this one has turned out. I can only imagine though that you made sure that the patterns were exactly 90degrees to one another so in a way, that’s matching as well.
It’s a stunning coat, matched so well with the blue lining. Although I’m having trouble believing in winter in this warm summer weather, I know that it will come and this coat will bring a bit of cheer to those cold days.
Lovely work!
It looks smart, I like the colours.