Vogue 1562--a new winter coat!

The minute I saw this red wool melton on Fabric Mart's site, I knew I had to make another winter coat.  It's only October, but with cold weather rapidly approaching, the sooner I started making this, the better.

Last year, I used a mustardy colored wool melton to make a duffle-type coat, and it was so wonderful to sew with that I went for the same type of fabric for this make.  There is still some of this candy-apple red wool available and some other colors as well on Fabric Mart's site if you are interested.

                     

Look at those details!  Three welt pockets, bound button holes, a felt under collar, fully lined, gorgeous collar and lapels.  Can you tell I love this?  It is a Lialia by Vogue.  Directions are for advanced sewers and I totally agree.  This pattern is for an experienced sewer.  If you are a newbie, practice before tackling this.

            

I was a tad bit worried: this coat has six bound button holes and with the thickness of this fabric, I wondered how they'd turn out.  I practiced several and found they worked perfectly with this fabric.  Just take your time and sew carefully and you'll get a good result.

              

What good is a winter coat with a boring lining?  I want to liven up my winter and choose this dark brown, polka-dot fabric by Maggy London.  It is sold out now, but I believe it was a silk blend.  It was really nice to cut out and sew together.

                  

Don't be afraid of using a heavier weight wool for your winter outerwear.  My Viking has zero issues sewing this.
   
               

I made my own shoulder pads, sewed the lining in by hand, hand hemmed the coat, so this truly was a labor of love.  I love how tailored it is compared to anything else I own.

            

There are a few things to be aware of when sewing this coat.
1.  Pay attention to the seam allowances listed on the pattern pieces.  The differences are not mentioned in the directions
2.  Not all the markings are present on the under collar
3.  Understitching the collar and lapel isn't mentioned but I did it as my fabric is rather thick and in all honesty, it is a step that shouldn't be skipped.
4.  Almost all pieces of the coat shell are interfaced with fusible interfacing.  If I make this again, and I might, I would use sew-in interfacing, probably hymo.
5.  I would add lower-hem facings instead of turning and hemming as I believe it would add to the lower hem lying nicer.
6.  I would pad-stitch the under collar to give it more shape.
7.   To give the shoulders and upper sleeve a bit more stability, I cut two pieces of hymo on the bias.  The shape followed the sleeve cap and continued from the shoulder seam to the notches for the front and back sleeve.
8.  I attached the lining by hand and am glad I did as it lays beautifully!
9.  I relied on an outside resource for my bound buttonholes.  The instructions are fine, I just wanted a few more details.  If you are experienced with these, you won't have any trouble.  Just make sure you measure your button hole width before you sew your garment.  My buttons are leather and quite a bit thicker than the pattern tissue indicates.

I typically make a FBA, sloping shoulder, and swayback adjustments.  I made all those but still needed to add shoulder pads.  I made those myself and covered them with the lining fabric before inserting into the shoulder area.   

Although I am not ready for winter, I am glad to know that I have a new coat hanging in my closet ready to tackle the cold weather!

Thanks for reading!

Sue from Ilove2sew!  A few parting shots of playing in the leaves!