Patrones spring coat
29 May 2009, 08:15By now, you should be fully familiar with Patrones #261-17, the spring duffle coat I’m making in turqouise basketweave wool…
After all, first it won the public vote, then you heard about how I bulk fused the tricky wool, then you saw all about my muslin and the resulting fit alterations, then you saw how I dealt with the tricky hood seam allowances and finally, last week you got a chance to see the bound buttonholes and the finished shell.
I’ve been concentrating on assembling the lining (and the lining pocket) all weekend, and finally finished all the handsewing at Monday night’s moorings crafty club!
The hood’s kinda silly (and definitely only going up when it’s raining!!) but it does indeed keep my glasses dry so for functionality it gets top marks.
In the comments I was asked whether I would “bag” the lining on this coat, and the answer is… kinda. I always find it difficult to get a nice folded up hem facing when I do the bag method, so this time around I pinned, basted, and handstitched the main hem and the sleeve hems so that folded part stays in place, and then I sewed the lining onto the shell facings by machine (including the hem but avoiding those tricky bottom corners) and flipped it out through a hole in the lining. So I think I got the best of both worlds here – I eliminated a good deal of handsewing, but I still got the nice hem finish I was looking for (though admittedly, looking at the photos here, it could do with a good, steamy pressing!).
In addition to the inseam pockets on the outside of the coat (which I enlarged, remember), I also added a rectangular zippered pocket on the inside of the coat, just for those things that you really don’t want to accidentally fall out! I realised on my fur coat that I use the left inner pocket much more than the one on the right, because I’m right handed and it’s easier to just reach across my body to get into the pocket than to awkwardly elbow myself in the face. So with this coat, I put the interior pocket on the left side, just inside the facing seam, and tacked its seam allowances at several points to the lining’s seam allowances to keep the pocket bag lying as flat as possible.
The only problem I had with this pattern (and I’m interested to see if Zoe and Houjke have it, too), is that the sleeve seams just did not match up to the coat’s princess seams, no matter how much I tugged and fretted. But that’s really a minor complain, and it’s also one I’m happy to just live with, all else aside!
The buttons were also a triumph, I think. I bought these horn buttons at MacCulloch & Wallis a few Saturdays ago when I was there with Johanna Lu and I made the mistake of not looking at the price until after I got home. It was quite a surprise to find they were £3.50 each, so the cost of the 5 buttons was more than the wool and the silk lining combined! But as soon as I attached the first button last night, I knew these were the perfect match for this coat, and I actually don’t regret the cost one bit after seeing the final coat.
I am utterly, utterly delighted with the final result here. The curve and fit of this coat is just beautiful, and I could easily see myself sewing this pattern again, and with a few design changes (replace the tabs with traditional buttonholes, ditch the hood for a two part collar, change the length, etc) it would look like a different coat entirely while still keeping the fantastic fit. We’ve still got a lot of chilly and drizzly evenings ahead of us here in London, and I think the colour is versatile enough to work equally well as a fall coat as it does for spring.
Tags: coat, patrones, silk, wool
It looks fantastic – well done!
— Laura VW May 29, 08:55 AM #
This is one of your best projects. The result is amazing.
I love all the details (the inner pocket is fabulous and the fact that it is make at the most efficient place, by your experience) and I like the whole shape of it (that it is quite fitted).
I don’t find the hood to be silly. It is great. I hate hoods that are so small, you get all the rain in your face.
Congrats on your new, brilliantly made coat!
— Marija May 29, 09:21 AM #
Beautiful coat – the style, the colour, the details – gorgeous!
— Shannon May 29, 12:41 PM #
That’s a terrific coat. Love the color. Nice work.
— gwen May 29, 01:44 PM #
Well done for getting the coat finished so quickly!
It looks terrific!
— Sue May 29, 02:07 PM #
I love that coat. The fabric is something I have been looking for myself. The purple lining is great!!!
— Rachel May 29, 02:19 PM #
The coat looks gorgeous! I love that color.
— Sara May 29, 02:28 PM #
It looks great and I agree with Marija, the hood doesn’t look silly. I’ve noticed that European style hoods look like that very often. If you make it again you could straighten out the point a little but it doesn’t look silly. In London a hood is necessary.
— Karen May 29, 02:31 PM #
The coat is awesome. I love it and you did an amazing job with it. Kudos!
— Elizabeth May 29, 03:16 PM #
This is just fabulous! I liked the pattern picture a lot, but it’s so much better in real life… Must be the color :-). And the tabs, the buttons, the pockets, ooooh! I hope you’re totally thrilled too.
But it’s 29o this afternoon just across the (small) pond, so I hope you get to wear it a bit.
About the hood though – I like the look well enough, it has an elf feel :-), but tell me, even while keeping the rain out of your glasses, can you cross the street safely?? That’s my main problem with hoods, I worry about peripheral vision..
— Marie-Christine May 29, 03:26 PM #
It looks fabulous. I love the color on you. Enjoy it.
— Nancy K May 29, 03:35 PM #
Congratulations on your nice new coat! I agree with the other that you made this well and quickly. I’ve got yet another tip on hemming things like this. On jackets and coats (which are not too wide at the hem, for wide hemlines, I prefer a free hanging lining) I usually ‘bag’ the lining and outer shell, turn the garment right side out and then force the facings in place with fusible double sided fabric glue-tape (try on a scrap first, there are different variaties for different fabric weights). to finish, I stitch in the ditches of all the vertical seams at the hemline, as a bit of extra security to keep those facings up.
— lauriana May 29, 04:02 PM #
This turned out so good. And now you have a great coat pattern you can return to, excellent!
— Christina May 29, 04:08 PM #
Oh, yay, it’s done! It came out gorgeous.
— The Slapdash Sewist May 29, 04:18 PM #
Glad to see quality buttons are just as expensive in the UK as they are here. I’ve done the same thing—spent more on my buttons than my fabric. But your coat turned out great!
— Lindsay T May 29, 04:58 PM #
Fabulous coat! And in typically British fashion the sun has just decided to visit. But don’t worry – there will be loads of time to wear it during the childrens school summer break as it’s usually cold and rainy!
— Kim Hood May 29, 08:01 PM #
Congratulations! You’ve got yourself the most beautiful coat I’ve ever seen… I’m looking forward to the time my sewing abilities are as good as to be able to sew one for myself. :-) Enjoy it! Enjoy the cheerful colours, above all! I love that. And the fit looks perfect, too!
— Hana - Marmota May 30, 08:14 AM #
What a lovely coat! You did a super job!
— Pam ~Off The Cuff ~ May 30, 01:50 PM #
You know, as someone who have seen the buttons IRL, I’d say that they were totally worth it. They look much more genuine than the run-of-the mill toggles that most RTW garments have. And the coat turned out just perfect, the shape, the length, and the style – I just love it. The hood is a bit of a novelty one for me though, but as another commenter noted it’s a pretty common shape here in Europe. Also your bias tape button holes idea was truly a stroke of genius, I will totally nick that idea someday!
— Johanna Lu May 31, 12:54 AM #
It’s a fabulous coat and features very nice and interesting details! Your button choice is perfect and I love the look of the front tabs! Well done!
— Tany May 31, 07:42 PM #
Thanks for blogging the progress of your beautiful turquoise coat! You’ve inspired me to try to make by own for this coming winter.
— TheLuxuriousVagabond Jun 4, 06:23 AM #
Catching up on some blog reading… your coat is fantastic! I especially love the colour and style… it really suits you. I have been looking online at a few of the Patrones magazines and noticed some are titled “Patrones Extra”. Do you happen to know if these are an extra supplement or designs for larger sizes? Thanks S
— Sandra Jun 21, 02:24 PM #