If you read my post on my sewing ‘Misses’ for 2018, you know that I’ve sworn off wearing or buying fabric with beige and brown tones.  Yet, I’m here today with a beige/tan coat, LOL! Well, I had to ignore my new rule, because I had this lovely wool in my stash, and couldn’t pass up the chance to use it!

I found this wool at the Mill End Store here in Portland. Honestly, that store is amazing. They have the best assortment of coat quality wools I have ever seen. If you plan to visit our city (PR Weekend 2019?!), you must make time to shop there. It’s a large store, so plan a good hour to explore.

The pattern: If a coat has a ‘cocoon’ shape, I’m a big fan (here’s the Sapporo coat I made last summer). I love this version from Lisa Comfort of Sew Over It.

Unfortunately, it isn’t available as a standard PDF pattern, but is offered as part of an issue of Lisa’s magazine, so you have to download the magazine to get the instructions and pattern. It’s easy to do ( the same as downloading a pattern), but it’s a bit unusual.

 

Pressing is such a huge part of constructing a coat. This wool is really thick, so it was really hard to press, but the texture and yummy feel of the wool made it well worth the effort.  Thankfully, I have a gravity feed steam iron, so the task was made a bit easier. I can’t believe I struggled with the decision to buy one. It’s been such a great addition to my sewing room. This project would have been impossible without it.  If you’re considering purchasing one, I must recommend my Silver Star, but there are lots of other options on Amazon.

 

The construction of the coat was pretty straightforward. The pattern instructions are adequate, but not overly detailed, but in terms of a good first pattern for a coat, this would be a great place to start.  The cocoon style makes fitting pretty easy. I think I’d call the style oversized (even though it doesn’t really look like that in the pattern photos.) I cut the smallest size and I had plenty of room to spare.

The trickiest part for me, was laying this coat out on my patterned fabric. I did pretty well with the matching of the pattern, but when the coat is closed (It’s meant to be worn open, but honestly in Oregon, that is so impractical), the front diamond looks a little bit off. This is because I overlapped the front to get some closure. I like the overlap and the snaps so much, I’ll live with the pattern being a little off to gain some comfort on blustery days.

All in all, I give a big thumbs up to this pattern! I’m really in love with the shape, and can imagine it in a solid wool, or maybe even in linen.

 

Is there anything more satisfying than sewing a coat? In our climate, a coat gets alot of use, so I know this one will be reached for again and again. It took about 8 hours to make, but it was time well spent. And yes, I said ‘tans and brown tones’ were a no-no for me, but I feel pretty good in this coat…go figure. Maybe it’s because the tone has a bit of rust in it? Or maybe it’s because there’s a bit of contrast in the pattern that makes it work?

My first make of the new year!! I love this time of year as it’s a chance for a fresh start and a chance to plan the future. It’s so fun to see everyone’s posts on Instagram for the ‘make nine’ challenge. I’m working on my plans and pattern wish list for the year, and hope to share it soon.

Happy sewing and thanks for stopping by!