Made by a Fabricista: Evergreen Coat

Can you believe 2019 is just three days away?! 2018 seemed both long and short to me. The saying "the days are long, but the years are short comes to mind".

During this time most of us look back over the year and the reassess the goals we set back in January. I always set new sewing goals every year. I never complete everything on my sewing list, but I'm glad I was able to squeeze this coat out before the new year rings in.

I've had Butterick 6385 in my stash for a few years and was too intimidated to sew it up. Thankfully, after sewing the Clare Coat last year (see it here) I now feel I can tackle any coat. I loved the navy melton wool I used for the Clare so I jumped at this emerald green melton wool when it was listed. I love the rich green color and and felt it would be the perfect pop of color for my winter wardrobe. Unfortunately this gorgeous shade of green sold out, but here is a similar wool blend in a grey. Fabric Mart also has a large selection of coatings, here.

This pattern is very straight forward. I hate winter as I dislike being cold, so I chose to sew view C because I the funnel collar will protect my neck from wind. I did prefer the plain pocket flaps on view B/C so I did use those. All views feature princess seams, pockets, a back yoke with forward shoulders, and lining.

The pattern calls for some topstitching at the front side, back side and yoke seams which I started to skip, but I'm glad I took the time to do. It's a very small detail but one I think makes it look more professional.

This melton wool sews up beautifully and presses easily. I love a colorful lining so I went with this purple bemberg that I received at a white elephant gift exchange.

If you follow me on Instagram (here) then you know I debated whether to use these buttons or gold buttons. Although ultimately gold won with 52% of the votes, the early lead was with the blue/green buttons and that's what I purchased. Truly, I think either would have worked, but I love the monochromatic look of this choice.

If you have been putting off sewing a coat, I highly recommend B6385 and this melton wool. This wool sews and presses wonderfully, it's great to work with.

See you in the new year!

Tiffany

TipStitched

Made By A Fabricista: Revisiting a Pattern After Five Years

Have you ever used a sewing pattern and then immediately vowed never to sew it again? Well, I have. It all began in the spring of 2020 at the start of the pandemic lockdown. I tackled sewing projects that were more challenging to help me grow as a seamstress. There was one pattern in particular that almost did me in, the Seamwork Penny shirt dress. The Penny dress pattern has a classic button-up dress shirt style bodice with a gathered skirt and pockets. It is a beautiful take on a shirt dress, and my sister and I loved it. The only downside is that it was recommended for intermediate-level sewists and I was only an adventurous beginner back then. I think I had only ever made one button-up shirt before attempting this Penny Dress and it didn’t even have a collar! Despite all of this, I thought “Why not try it, what’s the worst that can happen?” Thankfully the worst didn’t happen, and the dress turned out surprisingly wearable, but I had some intense frustration at the end. I...

Made By A Fabricista: A Simple Frock for Spring

Hello friends! I’m really into sewing and wearing tent dresses at the moment. A tent dress is basically a wide A-line style gown. For this month’s project, I’ve opted to try out The Assembly Line’s Square Neck Dress. This style is a little avant-garde in its enormity and shape, and boasts the squared neckline it’s named after, plus some cute hem side slits. All that volume is fun to move around in, plus there’s loads of air circulation which is cooling. This dress’s main feature–its wide and high squared neckline–really piqued my interest recently, and I added it to my Make Nine plans for 2025. I find it so satisfying to check off those boxes as I sew! This beautiful shirtweight linen is a color I simply adore; a muted medium blue. Stormy skies, worn-in denim, and ocean waves all come to mind, and that is exactly what I want to be all wrapped up in. While I think a wild or large print would be amazingly on display in this big canvas of a dress, I also thought that a subtle ...

Made By A Fabricista: Bold Aspen Dress for Spring

As I write this in mid-April, central New Jersey weather is showing small signs of spring. My neighbor’s daffodils are blooming and our magnolia tree is trying to unfold its vibrant magenta petals. I am in the midst of preparing my wardrobe for the warmer months, even if we are still huddling against windy 30 degree days. For me, warm weather means linen. I love breathable, floaty linen sundresses and drapey, loose linen wide-leg pants. My vision for a spring piece was something bold and bright, inspired by the natural colors of blooming flowers, but also something that could transition well between the warmer and cooler months. When I saw Fabric Godmother’s Apsen Dress, I knew that it had the sensible transitional opportunities I was looking for while also providing a blank canvas for fun prints, patterns and colors. With the pattern in mind, I then turned to the stunning linen collection that Fabric Mart always has on hand to see what colors or patterns would best suit my visio...

Fabric Mart Fabricistas

Search This Blog