Sew Along - Winter Coat Finished!!

I'm finished with my coat! I cannot believe I did it. There was such a feeling of excitement when I finished this coat I probably did a happy dance! After days of cutting, interfacing and marking, it only took me about two days to construct the coat from first stitch to sewing on the buttons.

I don't mean to sound like I know what I'm doing (because I really didn't!) but overall it was easier than I thought. Taking the time to cut the plaids out correctly, then checking and rechecking everything made the sewing process much easier. I was so lucky to have all the plaids fall into place.

The coat is fully lined, underlined with flannel for extra warmth and has three anchor buttons down the front. It does fit although I probably could have made it a little smaller in some areas. I fixed that by overlapping the front flaps more, making it more snug. I also included the belt so it would help make it fit better. I didn't have my dress-form while making it (it was in use somewhere else), so it was a little more challenging to construct, but overall I'm happy!

Another part I was nervous about was dropping the lining. I was surprised that all I had to do was pin the entire coat "right sides together" and sew, leaving a hole for turning the coat. To make sure the lining was evenly distributed throughout, I pinned the lining around all seams so that the lining would fall nicely. As you can see in the picture, I pressed the lining up, away from the bottom edge, so that the lining would fall sort of "away" from the coat. Then I pressed the lining down to create the drop. 

Whew are you exhausted yet? Have you made a coat and would like to share some tips? We are always looking for guest bloggers! Email fabricmartblog@gmail.com to submit an idea!