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Made by a Fabricista: Over-sized Full Length Wool Coat

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It is no secret... coats, gloves, and the whole concept of laying is just-not-my THING.  Even though, I am originally from NY and now live in MD, somewhere along the way (living in FL) I began to deny winter until it was over.  In many ways, even today, the season I have the least amount of shoes, clothes, and outerwear is Winter.  Who likes winter anyway????

As a means to ramp up group activity and actually make an attempt to own a "functional" piece of outerwear, I began looking for inspiration for wool coats.  I found a great deal of short coats, but came across very few full length coats (light bulb moment).  I wanted something that would be stylish as well as functional for the cold temps.  

The fabric I used for this coat is from Fabric Mart's Melton Wool coating collection (HERE).  The colors I used are no longer available, and I am sure its because the of the awesome 60% off sale that was going on, but there are some great selections that are still left.

In my continued attempt disconnect from the pattern world by improving my draping and pattern making skills, I decided to drape this coat from scratch. 


I began with the front.  Knowing I wanted this coat to be over-sized to accommodate several layers of clothing, I went with a wide sleeve casing.  Because of the size of adjustable dress form, I had to manipulate the placement of the fabric in order to get size desired.  Once I completed the front, I duplicated the sleeve casing on the back and pinned the sides for fitting.  


I didn't cut a large enough piece for the back, so I made notes of how much fabric to add when cutting out the final fabric.  



Once this was completed, I trued up my pattern pieces and cleaned up the lines.  It was then I noticed that I did not have enough fabric to create this coat with the wool facing I wanted.  So I put everything aside and ordered more fabric.  Prior to this development, I had 4 yards of the orange Melton wool.  I decided to order an additional 3 yards of the black Melton wool in order to create a color block.  I decided to go in this direction because well... when have I even stuck to a plan?  

I started off with this....


and ended up with this!


I created notches and duplicated the diagonal separation from the back piece as well.  

Now.... Both front pieces are self lined with contrasting black wool, while the back and sleeves were lined with a double knit that had a lightweight sweater feel to it.  I also faced this lining with the orange wool and added my label :). 




Because I self drafted this coat, I constructed it in the most backwards way possible without ruining the garment as I finagled my way through the entire process.  I marked and adjusted my back pieces to account for a kick pleat and constructed the sleeves last.  








Overall, I am extremely pleased with this coat.  It is super functional and the perfect length for my high heels.  I will definitely be wearing this often (I wore this to work after taking the pics minus the boots).  The only thing I would change is the shoulder width.  I cut it a tad bit too thin, but got away with it because the coat is over-sized.  All I need now is a nice black wool scarf which I will be making from the remnants of this project
.  
Sources used: Kick Pleat Tutorial , Draft Sleeve Pattern
Pants: 7 for All Mankind Coated Jeans
Shirt: Generation Love half leather/ half Jersey Shirt
Shoes: YSL boots
Gloves: Isotoner Smart Touch 

Until next time, happy sewing!
Jenese
Needles and Fashion 

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