Winter Coat of Dreams
For quite a few years, I've been dreaming of a really nice, woollen, fit and flare coat with a hood but a combination of my low bank balance, short height, and very particular idea about what this coat should look like I've never found one. Then, about 3 months into my sewing journey, I came across McCall's M6800 pattern and I knew that I needed to make it.
View D features a single-breasted fit and flare design using princess seams for the shaping and features a detachable hood that's fastened with buttons. The coat is fully lined and can button all the way up which is quite important for those cold winter days, plus it has pockets! I lengthened the pattern by about 4" to hit below the knee as that was what I'd pictured for my perfect coat and I'm so glad I did because it keeps my legs really warm!
Supplies:
Pattern - M6800 view D
Outer fabric - black 100% wool fabric from Fabrics Galore
Lining fabric - champagne silk habutai from Dalston Mill Fabrics
Pockets and hood lining fabric - black cotton poplin from my local sewing shop
Buttons and thread from my local sewing shop
I made a mock up out of cotton canvas to try and immitate the structure of my wool but, as I was so new to sewing, neglected to realise that the thickness of the fabric wasn't considered with this. As a result, the adjustments I made to the pattern, and the discrepancy of thickness between my outer and lining fabrics, meant that the each seam in the lining needed to be taken in by almost 1/4" to fit the outer once constructed.
As it was my first time working with thick fabric, I didn't know to use a heavier needle (or a lighter needle for my silk lining) so I'm absolutely amazed that my machine coped with what I was putting it through.
As my lining fabric was incredibly light and prone to fraying, I decided to use a plain cotton for the pocket and hood linings as these were areas likely to take a fair amount of strain and getting damp frequently which silk isn't a fan of. I'm glad I made that decision having seen how the lining has aged - in fact, I think I'll need to take the lining out and replace it in the not-too-distant future due to seams fraying.
Despite my lack of general sewing experience, I somehow got the whole thing put together and looking exactly as I'd hoped in just a couple of weeks over Christmas 2019. I now wear this coat whenever it's cold enough to justify and I'm sure I'll keep it for years to come. This project really confirmed to me that the most important thing with sewing projects is that you're making something you really want to make because even something that seems more complex than you're current level will be achievable with enough passion (and internet tutorials!)