I finished off 2019 (and the decade!) with a monster sewing project, the Yates Coat pattern from Grainline Studio. And I’m really happy with it! I’ve been dreaming of a long coat like this for ages and I bought the pattern months ago. Making a coat is definitely an involved project as you need to make time to source the right materials and make adjustments, and of course cut out all the pieces.
Fabric: a tartan brushed wool from Passion Tissus in Saint-Gilles (such a good shop) – 5 euro a metre.
Lining: black satiny-viscose also from Passion Tissus – 5 euro a metre.
Changes I made to the pattern pieces: I lengthened the coat and the lining quite a bit as I knew I wanted a long coat to keep me warm and I redrafted the two-piece sleeve so the armhole is lower and did a bicep enlargement as I knew I wanted to have enough room for a big jumper under the coat. My redrafted sleeve cap is puffier than the original design – this wasn’t my intention but I like how it turned out!
I also just used a sew-on snap button – I do intend to give it proper bound button holes at some point but 1) I’m a bit scared to ruin it, and 2) the snap button is actually fine!
I finished this just before Christmas, it’s really cosy and I have worn it non-stop!
The thing that is really important when it comes to coat making is interfacing and underlining! I did quite a bit of research into this but in the end I just used calico toile to underline parts of the coat – when I mentioned this to the woman that works in the haberdashery near my house she looked horrified though. So for my next coat I need to make sure I use the ‘correct’ interfacing and underlining for the fabric I’m using. But while it might not be the perfect finish in terms of supporting the structure of the wool, I’m still really happy with this coat and how it turned out, and that’s the most important thing.
An in progress shot and a ‘time to bag the lining’ shot – the best part when it all comes together!
My previous adventures in sewing outerwear: in 2016 I had a go at making a raincoat using the free (at the time anyway) Rita pattern from Make my Lemonade, I loved how it turned out but the fabric I used is such poor quality and the armholes are so tight so I very rarely wear it; I previously made a coat in 2015 using a self-drafted pattern – I love that coat as it is very far from done properly but when I look at it I just see all the energy and enthusiasm I had to work out how to do it and it reminds me of that time in my life so I love it; and in 2014 I made the République du Chiffon Gérard coat which I still wear and love too. Now I’m really happy to add this Yates coat to the gang!
