chester coat Archives - Vivat Veritas

Hello! I wanted to show you my pink coat sewing progress. Last time I cut out the patterns and added the seam allowances to the patterns. I finally got to the actual sewing part! As I sew this coat, I am referencing a lot to Gertie’s Lady Gray Coat sew-along. Her tutorials are very helpful, although I am skipping certain tailoring steps this time, such as using hair canvas and pad stitching the lapel. I’m also not using the bound buttonhole technique since I will be using snaps.

The patterns I’m using is the BurdaStyle Wool Long Coat 08/2012#101B. I sewed the back to side, added the inseam pockets, and sewed the side and front pieces. I overlocked the seam allowances, pressed and catch stitched the seam allowances so they lay flat. Thankfully, this pink wool blend fabric I’m using is very easy to work with; it does not fray or leave marks when I press without pressing cloth. It is pretty thick so it’s easy to catch stitch the seam allowances without showing the stitches to the right side.

For the fusible interface, I used the one that was recommended at the fabric store in Nippori, called ZakZak. The store clerk gave me this black one with glue spots that are about 3mm apart from each other, so it almost looks like a polk-a-dot print. She said that way, the interface would not attach to the fabric completely, and will give the fabric room to move around and breath.

Here is the picture of the side pockets. I was deciding whether to use polyester lining (I always have a roll of white polyester lining at hand) or silk satin, which was a left over from making this dress. When I met with Inna last summer, she was talking about how silk fabric would retain your skin temperature so it is warm in the winter and cool in the summer. As I was deciding on polyester vs silk for lining, I remembered her comments and decided to go with the silk. I am so happy with my decision to go with the silk! I love the luxurious silky (obviously) feel to my skin! It would be hard to go back to polyester lining coats. I’m pinning many winter coat inspirations on my Fashion Inspiration board on Pinterest! The boxy shapes worn as a cape is so refreshing, especially with the oversized clutch.Sources: 1/2/3/4

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As I mentioned in my last coat post, I’m working on BurdaStyle 08/2012#101B pattern this winter. Making a coat involves a lot of different processes, so I try to tackle each step on different day. A few days ago, I worked on cutting out the patterns in my size. I chose the smallest size, size 36.

Pattern adjustments: I only shortened the coat length and did not make any other pattern adjustments. The instructions call for 4cm coat hem, but I did not add them. I am 165cm tall (5’5) and without adding the hem allowances, it seems to fall right above my knees.

Note on the patterns: One thing to note on Burda patterns is that they don’t have seam allowances included. It seems like some BurdaStyle patterns produced in NY have allowances included, but the ones from Germany don’t. I might be wrong with this assumption though. Not having seam allowances included in the patterns can be good if you are sewing a fitted dress, like a bombshell dress because it is easier to adjust the fit, but it can also be annoying since you have to add it on your own! Any suggestions on how to do that in the easiest and the quickest way? I used the tracing wheel shown in the picture above, set the width between two wheels to 1.5cm and traced the patterns. I did it without the Dressmaker’s tracing paper or anything, so it was hard to see. So I decided to take out this fabric stamp pad, called Fabrico, dipped the wheel in and marked the seam allowances. It is not a good idea. I ended up having the black ink all over the floor and the patterns.