The Make-It-Up-As-I-Go Coat

Immediately after I made my wool jersey poncho, I started dreaming about a warmer one made in plaid wool.  This rust and teal 100% wool coating at FabricMart (sold out now) caught my eye, and I visited its web page every day until it finally went on sale.  I then bought 1.5 yards, having sketched out my poncho based on the last one that I made.

After it arrived, though, my plans changed.  I spent a lot of time draping it over myself, pinning here and there and redraping.   I didn't have enough yardage to make a full coat (even though Fabric Mart had actually sent me about 10 extra inches).   But I no longer wanted just a poncho.  So I pinned and draped a bit more, and then started cutting.  Essentially, I made this garment up as I went along.

I started by cutting my yardage in half crosswise.  Then I sewed the pieces back together where I had cut them, leaving an opening for my head.  Originally, I was going to sew up the sides to make sleeves, but I decided the plaid, which was no longer going to be on the bias as I had originally planned, needed to be broken up.  So I cut it down the front middle and made a button placket.  I put a dart in the back to make it fit my neck better.  Then I sewed up from the hem to make a side seam, pivoting toward the sides and sewing to the end to make sleeves.  

When I first tried it on, it was still a rectangle, and the sides flopped down in points.  That wasn't the look I was going for, so I decided to fold up the corners.

I cut the front piece where I had folded it, and then folded the back piece over to the front.  I sewed them down to create pockets.  The pockets aren't the most functional because they're placed in such a way that it's difficult to access them without reading across with the other hand.  But they are pockets and they're deep, so I can put keys and phone in them without worrying about losing them.

By the time I had done all that, our 50s and 60s had dropped into 40s, and I decided I needed this to be a warmer garment.  I found a large piece of bright red fleece in my stash to use as a lining.  I would have chosen a gray lining for this coat, but #stashbusting, so I went with the red.  Even worn open, the coat doesn't flop to the right side, so no one is ever going to see it.

Things were looking good at this point, but I wanted the sleeves a little longer.  I didn't have any more fabric, having used all but those triangle corners and the tiny bit I shaved off the front neckline. I found some heavy apparel flannel in my stash and made cuffs.  And I love them!  

For the placket, I went with the dark side of some 1" coconut shell buttons from the stash.  I didn't hem because I didn't want to lose any length.  

This coat isn't perfect by any means.  I didn't line it properly, so the fabric hangs a little funny.  And the sleeves are not fully lined due to fabric shortage.  But I am really happy with the way it looks and it is already my go-to jacket until we reach down-parka temperatures.  It did make me realize that I would like to make a proper coat sometime.  I love the collar on the Closet Case Files Clare Coat and want to try making it sometime in the future.

 Thanks for reading, and see you next time!

 

Long Blackwood

My husband and I went to New York City last month, alone, to celebrate our anniversary.  One of the highlights was, of course, a trip to Mood Fabrics.  I went in with a list, which helped keep my shopping focused.  But even sticking to two sections of the store (wool knits and cotton shirtings), we managed to spend two hours there, and I was quite overwhelmed.

One item on my list was a sweater knit in a neutral color to make a long Blackwood cardigan.  I found an olive green that was almost exactly what I was looking for, but my husband talked me into buying this wool jersey instead.  He says I wear too much gray and black and apparently the green I had chosen was too close to those shades.

The fabric is a very cozy, nice quality knit.  I can't figure out what color it is; in the store it looked like a magenta-ish purple, but since bringing it home I feel like it might be more of a dusty wine.  Doesn't really matter; it plays the neutral role well, and I've yet to find an item in my closet with which it doesn't pair nicely.

I've previously made two Blackwoods (one unblogged, but you can see a photo on this Me-Made May roundup), but both were the shorter view A with no pockets.  This time I did view B with the pockets.  I attached the pockets to the cardigan using Wash-A-Way Wonder Tape instead of pinning, which has the added bonus of stabilizing the fabric to avoid wavy seams.

Like the last two time I sewed this, I sewed a medium at the top.  Where last time I graded to an XL at the bust and used the XL sleeve, this time I graded out about 1/2" beyond the XL (so maybe an XXL, I'm not sure) at the bottom of the armscye and kept that width all the way down.  I used the size L front band to compensate for the shortened distance between bust and shoulder, and it fit my modified pattern perfectly.  I also widened the sleeves 1/2" on each side , tapering to nothing roughly at the elbow (where there was already a good amount of room), because I wanted to be able to layer the cardigan over a long-sleeved shirt. This provides enough room for my knit tees, but is still a little tight over my woven button-down shirts.

Oh, I also sewed the sleeves the length dictated by the pattern.  Last time I thought they were too long, so I shortened them.  For this warmer version, I wanted cozier sleeves.  As drafted, the sleeves dip about 1.5" into my palm, and I think that's the perfect length.  The only think I think I'd change for next time is to make the pockets about 1" wider.  I can easily fit my phone and keys in them, but I think they would be cozier for hands if they were a little bigger, plus I think it would look cool.

And there will definitely be a next time.  Even with the pocket stabilization, this pattern doesn't take long to cut out and, once cut, sews up very quickly.  And I clearly need another long version, as I've been wearing it several times a week since I made it.

As always, thanks for reading, and see you next time!

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