I ended 2017 by cutting out the Chloe coat pattern by Sew Over It. By this point I am sewing for 6ish years but I never made an outer garment before. I always thought I couldn’t get there by just trying, but I would need to first get a certain skill, attend a class or get a hold of a magic wand. But with time and with following other fellow sewists online I discovered you don’t need any of that, but you do need some experience and do what we all do best – try.
Entering 2018 I had my coat cut out, partially assembled, iron on stand by and one week into the new year I finished my first coat.
This pattern comes as part of the online class Intro to Sewing Coats: Chloe Coat. I wanted to make a coat for some time now but always struggled with the idea of doing it on my own with all the head scratching as part of the package. I also could not make it to local classes so online was the only way to go. And I love it! I bought the class, sat on it for few months (because that is what I do best) and at the end of December got around to it. It was time.
I like the ease of an online class because you can ‘attend’ it when ever you want and you can be in your pajamas if you like. So I first went through all classes in one go and then started doing it step by step replaying each video if necessary.
The fabric I used is some sort of wool blend I had in my stash for years, so do not really know the content. I am sure it has some percentage of poly in it, but since it did press well I still think it was not too much. All in all, perfect for a first coat project. The lining was a similar colored one since I thought that was about right for the first try and it was very affordable to get it from a local store (but as I do not have a picture of it you will just have to believe me).
The online class was very helpful and Lisa takes you through all the stages. There are few camera angles for you to get the best look at what she is doing in each video. I read some reviews of the class before making the coat and some mentioned they could not see some of the steps Lisa was doing as her hands got in the way. There is some of that, but I did not have a problem with it and I clearly understood what I need to do. That might be one negative about the online class, but I did not have a problem with it so cannot really say it bothered me.
The assembly of a coat is straightforward and manageable for all sewists with some experience. It is meant to be a class and a pattern for first time coat sewers and if you made few things before you will be fine with making this coat. The tricky part came when I needed to some final stitches since I had a big wool coat at that point and it took some time getting the seam under the needle with the space a sewing machine can offer.
I used Ice wool for the shoulders, bagged out the lining and these were a first timers for me (I do not know if that is a word but I think it fits so well). Getting your heard around bagging out the lining is a process but you do get to the end and with few extra finishing touches you have a coat! And that is exactly why I wanted to do the class because I tend to be impatient when I need to do things all on my own and having someone to hold your hand takes some of the stress away.
The coat has two options for closure – zip and poppers. At first I decided to go with press studs but when I got to having a coat but still having to do all the hand sewing I changed my mind (and how great is that for us sewists!). I decided to leave any closures out and use just the brown leather belt I already had. I will go with the zip next time, but for now I am really enjoying it this way. And if I ever change my mind I can always add the press studs later.
I am maybe done with coat making for this season, but you never know what February can bring. I do have some hacks in mind for this pattern though so when the time comes for a second coat I have all the hack ideas and fabrics ready and steady to go.
Did you make a coat yet and if yes, what was your first pattern to use?
Thanks for stopping by,
Ana
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