A Coat for Jami

In our family we draw names with our adult kids for Christmas.  This year I got Jami's name.  After much discussion she decided that she wanted me to make her a coat.  She got online and found one that she liked.  Here are a couple of photos of the one I am attempting to make:

The front is a boxy, double breasted style. 

The back has a gray panel at the shoulders. 

Sewing I do well, pattern making - not so much (that will probably be the next classes I will take) so I needed to find a pattern that was similar to the coat she wants.  I found a vintage pattern (Vogue which are not my favorite) on ebay and ordered it.  

This is not double breasted, but I think I can modify the pattern to accomodate that.  I ordered black wool, with charcoal gray for the back.  Jami decided she wants the upper collar to be gray too - like the view in the middle of the pattern envelope.  Here is the fabric:

Melton coating wool.

Before I started cutting I had to get some measurements from Jami.  Jami, my dear daughter, currently lives in Paris, so I can't measure her for this coat.  For some projects, especially ones that use expensive fabrics, or will have fitting challenges making what is called a "muslin" is a good idea  Basically this is just a mock up of the garment made with inexpensive "muslin" fabric, hense the term "muslin".   But since Jami is out of the country it wouldn't help to make a muslin since she can't try it on.  So I got on facetime with her and she put on a coat on that she likes and measured (in centimenters since that is the only tape measures they have in France) around the coat with the fit that she wants.  Hopefully that will work.  If not - I will have to alter it this summer when she is home.   I then modified the pattern the best I knew how.  The pattern was too big, so I had to adjust for that too.  

Bringing in the shoulders and sides. 

This Vogue coat had a two piece sleeve with a seam down the middle.  I wanted a two piece sleeve that is a normal coat sleeve with the seam at the elbow area.  I found an old article in Threads magazine on how to make a one piece sleeve into a two piece sleeve.  Here is a link:  

http://coatsewalong.blogspot.com/2008/07/drafting-2-piece-sleeve-using-one-piece.html.

Gotta love the internet.  Pattern was drafted and I was on my way.  

I plan to use interfacing to give the wool more body, and Jami wants me to put Thinsulate in the lining - so this should be a VERY warm coat.    That is as far as I got today.  Sewing to come.....