Saturday, June 21, 2008

Coat sew along - 2

pattern1 line drawing

Last month I posted two patterns from which I wanted to choose the coat for this sew along. The decision is/was on the Butterick pattern for a couple of reasons

  1. Its style will last longer than the Vogue coat
  2. The sew along is a great way for me to try to sew a good fitting coat with some advanced details (with help from the experts here)
  3. After this experience, I'm confident that I can sew the Vogue coat on my own.

So, I decided to make Butterick 4665, with the following alterations:

  • 2-piece sleeve
  • welt pocket (with or without flap, depending on a test later in the process)
  • bound buttonholes
Fabric  
Fabric

This is my fabric, a silk tweed from EmmaOneSock. In real life even more beautiful than in the picture. DH told me it was one of the most beautiful fabrics he'd ever seen.
It needs an interlining for a bit of warmth and stability, as it is a bit thin (correct word?) partially and you can see the light shining through. Fabric for that I still have to find. Any suggestions on what to use with such a fabric?

Sleeve

  
Sleeve pattern

For the sleeve I took the 2-piece sleeve pattern from a BWOF coat from the January 2003 issue (pattern no. 108). In the picture you can see that the length of the cap of the sleeve is almost  the same height as the Butterick pattern, only the total width of the sleeve is a bit less.

After measuring the circumference the BWOF sleeve is 56 cm, while the armscyce of the coat is 51 cm. The Butterick original sleeve has a longer circumference. According to Sandra Betzina in her book Power Sewing, 4-5 cm should be enough ease. So I made my muslin without altering the BWOF sleeve for a start.
Muslin    

Observations on the muslin:

  • It feels too small, but that could also be because of the corduroy I used for the muslin. I used the right side on the inside because you don't see the markings on the right side very well. But the right side of the corduroy just doesn't go easy over my linen jacket.
  • I lowered the waist by 4 cm, it's too low
  • Upper back is too wide
  • The sleeve could be a bit wider (the Butterick original sleeve is wider), sleeve length is OK, but because of the back being too wide, I can not see whether the sleeve will be allright.

General observations

  • I don't like the style on me as much as I thought, in the front picture I think that it adds weight to me which is not there. I do have wide hips, but this suggests more, also to the upper part of my body.
  • The collar is not as good on me as I hoped, perhaps I should go for a more classic style

What do you all think, should I find myself another pattern?

op

9 comments:

  1. Sew-4-FunJune 22, 2008 at 1:32 AM

    Sigrid, overall I like the style on you but I do think the collar overwhelms your smaller frame. On the muslin try cutting the collar narrower. I'd personally make it about half the width. I think it will make a big difference.

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  2. patsijeanJune 22, 2008 at 1:51 AM

    The fabric is beautiful!!

    I agree, the collar is overwhelming. The lines of the coat, excepting the collar, look good, so do try narrowing the collar and straightening the collar seamline to make the collar lie a bit flatter. Just slash the collar in 3 places from the collar edge up to the neckline seam after narrowing it, and overlap about 1/4" to make the neckline seam a bit straighter. See if that works. You have already done a lot of work on the muslin, so don't give up on this pattern yet.

    ReplyDelete
  3. DanaJune 22, 2008 at 3:25 AM

    Love the fabric. I'd probably look for a light-weight wool to use for underlining and flannel-back satin for the lining.

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  4. DawnJune 22, 2008 at 11:07 PM

    Can you put on a silky, long-sleeves top over your other top? It would be really hard to determine fit with all that really grippy material rubbing again each other. Just a thought. When I was trying my coat on, I put a tricot slip on up to my armpits. It really helped me see how it was fitting in the hip/butt region. Before that, it was climbing up my backside.

    ReplyDelete
  5. SummersetJune 23, 2008 at 2:40 AM

    I agree with the others on the collar - you have a lovely neck, but the collar just looks so large. The rest of the coat looks fine and I like the way the princess seams emphasize your small waist and curvy shape.

    ReplyDelete
  6. VickiJune 24, 2008 at 12:06 PM

    I am not keen on your slender neck in such a wide opening. Not so much the width of the collar as much as the width of the opening. Can you make the collar closer to your neck?

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  7. BCN - UNIQUE designer patternsJune 24, 2008 at 4:21 PM

    Sigrid .- if the fabric is really nice. you have solved the issue of interfacings and underlinings? I suppose so. I remain at your disposción. greetings, Paco

    ReplyDelete
  8. TanyJune 26, 2008 at 2:59 AM

    I like this model but I wouldn't use the boucle for this style (somehow I picture it in a solid wool fabric and a vibrant color); I'd pick the BWOF coat (on the next post) instead.

    ReplyDelete
  9. joyceJune 27, 2008 at 10:44 PM

    i like the overall look but i agree with others. the collar would look better on me (broad shoulders!) a small collar would suit you better. maybe the muslin could also turn into a coat. corduroy would make a nice weight coat. the blue fabric you have picked out looks great, too.

    ReplyDelete