February 9, 2014

Birth Announcement: It’s a Coat!


Oh. My. Goodness. Me. I made a coat!

WHA?!

It’s true, ladies and gents, it’s a real thing! From its humble beginnings back in December, through  long hours of reading every blog post ever written on coat making, and it’s finally done. In the words of Nina “It looks like it’s from Banana Republic!”: I take that as high praise indeed.

I will share more details in future blogposts – for I certainly learned a lot on this one. Unusually for a first-time-attempt, I managed to keep it pretty much “perfect” until about 2 days ago when I suddenly realized that 1) the Thinsulate-attachment-zig zag stitch is visible on the lining and 2) I forgot to allow for seam allowance on the top buttonhole so it wouldn’t be functional. Oops. But I think I’ve yet to make a first-attempt garment that didn’t have some imperfections, and all in all I’m pretty thrilled.

I used the pattern Simplicity 1759, with a self-drafted collar based on a rub-off of an old coat. I adjusted the princess seams to fit my chest – and this is, indeed, the very first coat I have ever worn that doesn’t constrict my chest. Yay for breathing! Thanks for the button feedback – I decided to go big, but given it’s easy to change them, I may swap to smaller in the future…

To celebrate, I entertained myself in a warehouse and Courtney kindly took some pictures while Nina art directed:

Here’s the lining! Spot the stitching flaws? No, cos it’s a shot from far away 😀 I can however report that it’s warm enough to wear on a -6 celsius (20-ish something Farenheit?) day, which is most pleasing.

The collar, which consists of fashion fabric, fleece and horsehair canvas on the bias:

And then there was nothing left to do but to spin and be happy:

Yay!

21 thoughts on “Birth Announcement: It’s a Coat!

  1. Gail says:

    Absolutely gorgeous! You have every right to be a proud coat-mama!

    1. Jenny says:

      Thanks Gail! It was worth all that time 🙂

  2. Nina Blatter says:

    So when will you start taking orders please?

    1. Jenny says:

      Based on minimum wage and the time it took… About $2,000. Cool?! ;p

  3. Nessa says:

    It is totally fantastic!!!! Great work – you look suitably proud of yourself!

    1. Jenny says:

      Thanks Nessa! I am feeling moderately proud 🙂

  4. Happy birthday, fancy winter coat! Jenny, you did such a fabulous job. It looks amazing and so very RTW. The pairing of those buttons with your fabric is just too, too chic. Love it! Definitely deserving of celebratory twirls.

    1. Jenny says:

      *blows out candles* thanks Mary! And RTW is indeed the highest compliment. I’m now just totally paranoid I’m going to rip it on something!

  5. gMarie says:

    This is an amazing coat! I love it! The fabric is perfect against your complexion and the fit looks fantastic! I have loved following along on this make. Love the big buttons! g

    1. Jenny says:

      Thanks G! I worked hard on the fit so I’m glad it worked out. Thanks for all your support!

  6. Erica B. says:

    Your coat turned out amazingly fabulous! I can tell you love it, as you should!

    1. Jenny says:

      Thanks Erica! Yours looks great too! 😀

  7. Great work – I really want to put in an order for a wrap dress???!!!! I like the buttons as I think it fits well. But hey given your handiness with a needle and thread you can change them each season :-). Off to make me a PG tips!

    1. Jenny says:

      Hahha I need to take a bit of a sewing breather but later, you never know 🙂

  8. LLADYBIRD says:

    It’s beeeeeautiful! Love that dramatic collar and the big buttons. You should absolutely be proud – what an accomplishment 😀

  9. Jenny says:

    Thanks so much Lauren! I must have re-read your Vogue coat posts a thousand times while making it so you get a lot of credit 🙂

  10. Pam Erny says:

    Jenny…..what a wonderful coat…you did a fabulous job! (and I am proud that our interfacing is in it 🙂

    1. Jenny says:

      Thanks Pam! I LOVE your interfacing – makes a huge difference to the quality of the garment.

  11. Katy Laney says:

    Beautiful coat and pictures!

    1. Jenny says:

      Thanks Katy! I totally stole your location 😀

Let me know what you think!