11.16.2018

Coat Season

I am really excited to share my progress with the Merchant and Mills patterns and oiled canvas....BUT....it will have to wait!


Santa (nudge nudge wink wink) can't give away any secrets just yet!

Suffice it to say that I will not need to do much weight training while I am working on these coats!!!  It is heavy duty stuff.  I work up a sweat and I don't even have my iron on!  (no ironing on oiled fabric!)

I was rolling right along and ready to dive into coat number two over the weekend, but...I went through my entire supply of heavy duty jeans needles and had to stop!  However, my sewing mojo was still cranking away.  Not wanting to lose that momentum I pulled out another project that has been hanging around for awhile.

I figured since I was in coat mode...
I have been looking for a pattern/style to go with a heavy coat weight wool jersey.  It is fairly dense stuff and I wanted to do something that I wouldn't have to put a lining in because I like the heavy sweater feel of the fabric.  The Casey Coat from Style Arc looked like just the ticket.  It is an unlined, cocoon shaped coat, and has some nice style lines.




I knew the dropped shoulder seam would need some changing to make it work for my broad shoulders.  It took some head scratching to get it figured out, but I got something that I like.  
The front of the coat has a facing and separating zipper.  There was no way my heavy knit was going to work for facings.  I found a lighter wool jersey that looked great and had the right weight to hold up to the coat weight fabric, but not add so much bulk.


I also decided that a half lining in the back would make it easier to get the coat on and off, and would help stabilize the neckline and armholes.  (My simple unlined sweater coat was getting a bit more involved!)

Not having the coat totally lined meant the finish on the seams was going to show.  I started sampling...

A simple flat felled seam looked rather blah...so I decided to incorporate some of the lighter weight jersey to add a bit of pizazz to the seams....

Once I had a seam finish that I liked I had to rethink the whole in-seam pocket thing...

Soooo...this was supposed to be a quick diversion until I could get to the store for more jeans needles!  Oh well, good thing I'm retired!


The whole thing took me several days, but it turned out really well.  The fit is great.  My shoulder engineering was just what I needed.  The back lining was also just enough to ease the coat on and off without hanging up on my clothes, and it did provided a little break from my oiled canvas workouts!

Oh...and somewhere in the midst of it all, I did get to the fabric store and load up on heavy duty jeans needles!

       






14 comments:

  1. Wow that's absolutely gorgeous. Enjoy your coat.

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    1. I have been wearing it a lot. It seems to be just the right weight for all but the really cold or raining days. The style is very comfortable as well.

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  2. Your work....or maybe art....is so beautiful

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    1. Thank you! I like that..."My art" I am really enjoying having the time to lavish on a few challenging projects, instead of trying to get lots of things made.

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  3. THAT is one fabulous coat! Wish I had your sewing skills (and sewing patience :) )

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    1. Much appreciated! I'm never sure which ones are going to need the patience. Sometimes it looks straight forward and everything goes sideways...and other times I am really worried and it comes together with no problems.

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  4. OMG. That is so gorgeous! The seam details are incredible.

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    1. Thank you! The seams were a bit of a puzzle because they went in both directions and had pockets!

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  5. Becky, the coat is so handsome...somehow "lovely" isn't appropriate for such a sturdy project. I am very impressed with the collar, the seams and all the customizing you did to make it the perfect Becky coat. Your work is always inspiring...thank you for sharing the details.

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    1. I do like the collar...it was a bit of a happy accident the way the trim folded around to the inside. I may have to do it on purpose at some point!

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  6. That's a great coat. I went past you a while back you picking up something on the side of the road on 14th. Street. Wanted to stop and chat but not the safest place to do that. Have a happy Thanksgiving.

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    1. Ahh...you caught me! I like to collect Osage Oranges to mix with my Ginko and Maple leaf flowers. I added a picture above in the post. I have a couple of spots that I always check out.

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  7. The coat looks great! I really like the collar and trim treatment. The way you sample different finishes is also a way of sewing that inspires the rest of us. Instead of wondering....you sample. Beautiful!

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    1. ...and sometimes I end up with a pile of samples and that's all the farther it goes! But that's fun too. ;)

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