Another winter coat

I had to make another winter coat and this time in a trend...mustardy-yellow.  Can you blame me? This color is all over the place and I love it!  Instead of being a year or two late, I decided for once in my life to be (sort of) on time!

                     

When I viewed this lovely yellowish wool on Fabric Mart's site, I knew I needed to make another coat.  

 

Content	60% Wool/40% Polyester
Color(s)	Sun Yellow
Width	58"
Weight	Medium; Falls Away From The Body
Stretch	No Stretch
Use(s)	Coat, Jacket, Cloak.
Care	Dry Clean

I knew my coat needed to be warm but with so many wonderful patterns to choose from, it was going to be a tough decision.  After much consideration that took into account the warmth factor, trendiness, and also wearibility, I decided to make a duffle-type coat.

Here is the pattern a choose.  It is a uni-sex pattern.  I'd previously made it for my son and knew what I needed to do to make it fit me.  I didn't care if the coat had a 'tailored look' or not, meaning that if it was a little roomy, I could wear layers under it as it is pretty cold in the Northern Plains in the winter months.  The shoulders are slightly extended, and I am perfectly okay with that.  

I modified the pattern just a bit.  I left off the side seam pockets.  I asked my son about those and he said he preferred the patch pockets, so I went with just using those.  

The hood is nice and roomy, a purely functional feature.  I typically don't wear a hat so the option of a hood is welcome.  

I made my own shoulder pads of this coat and covered them with my lining fabric.  I love making my own clothing because you can add details such as that. 

Below you can see how I finished off all the seams on the right side of the fabric.  

 There was only one seam I was unable to do this treatment on and it was one of the sleeve seams.  I tried, I just couldn't manipulate all that fabric under the needle and get it to look right.  

Since the fabric doesn't ravel at all, to finish off the seams, I choose to topstitch 1/4" on each side of the seamline.  Also, since the fabric is a bit heavy, for the some of the details, such as the patch pocket flaps, I cut that as one piece, rather than two, and simply folded it over and stitched.  I had a much better result than trying to get a nice neat flap with two layers of fabric and interfacing.  Those corners just wouldn't behave as well as I would have liked!  The fabric looks a little orange here, but it really isn't.  

Next, I interlined the coat by fusing a batting to the lining fabric.  I love using a floral or unexpected fabric in my coat linings.  When you open it or leave it unzipped, others get a view they didn't expect.

I also decided to add a zipper to this coat as it doesn't call for one but thought the addition would give some added benefits of added warmth and overall comfort from the wind chill that is so prevalent in the northern plains of the United States.  Dang it gets unbelievably cold here when the wind blows!  If you have ever been on recess duty for 20 minutes you will know what I mean.  Typically there are no trees or other obstacles to stop or slow down the wind...

No winter coat isn't complete with a bit of fun and I decided the addition of a little faux fur at the collar would add the flair I was hoping for!  Sewing with faux fur isn't hard at all, just take a few minor precautions.

If the fur is 'tear-able' do so.
That is if you can make a snip at the selvage and rip to the other end, do it.

This is so much less messy that cutting with shears or a rotary cutter. 

If you must cut, use a rotary cutter.  This is far less messy than shears.  

Clean the blades of your scissors or rotary cutter before cutting another fabric

Be prepared for the mess of faux fur!
In other words, you will probably need to vacuum when you are finished cutting and sewing.

My toggles were purchased from JoAnn's along with the faux fur and zip.  Everything else I used for this coat was from my stash.

Wow do I love this coat and with winter officially starting not that long ago, I know I will face some cold weather with it during 2017 and years beyond!

Thanks so much for reading!

Sue