Alabama Chanin car coat, experiments

I bought this pattern during my Alabama Chanin binge last year. I couldn't resist!

I will say - Alabama Chanin are not out to market their patterns. I get the impression that they grudgingly provide the patterns, but they aren't trying to compete on the indie pattern market. What I mean by this is that the layout of the pattern in A4 is quite wasteful. Every single piece, including the pockets, crosses multiple pages. There were at least 5 pages that could have been done away with.  Ok, anyway I survived. I would prefer an A0, which there *is* so that's for next time as obviously I threw away all the rest of the pattern other than the cropped coat and I hate A4 taping.

I've settled on S as my size for Alabama Chanin patterns, though on the size chart I would be M. Also, this coat is meant to be crazy oversized so I wasn't worried about it fitting.

For version 1, I used a poly/merino blend knit that's smooth faced and has nubbly bits on the other side. I think I used the same fabric for my Mabel miniskirt.  It's very stretchy and a bit heavy, and in fact halfway through I got worried that it was a bad choice, since it doesn't have the characteristics of interlock jersey.  1.5 m was totally sufficient for the cropped version with cropped sleeves. I lined with various merino scraps.  Yay, it's great! It's so cuddly, I didn't expect to love it. The lining sticks out all over the place and so I decided to go with my new theme and hand topstitch the whole thing together, which would have been great if I had black thread.  I would have used ANY black thread...but I had to wait a bit to get hold of some.  I waited to put on the pockets until after I'd gotten the lining nicely controlled. By then I lost the fabric so there are no pockets.

 

The pockets are (like the Papercut Stacker jacket!) oddly tall and not that wide, it does look nice but it's tricky to get hands into them, I noticed this and tried to make them a bit wider than the pattern piece for my pink version.

I immediately moved on to version 2, which is what I was excited about.
This is a single, narrow meter of wool that I bought when I lived in Switzerland. It has a lot of memories associated with it. I was supposed to make a miniskirt, but I didn't and then I convinced myself it shouldn't be a miniskirt after all, but what would possibly fit such a small piece of fabric?  I considered every coat, every top, every skirt...I kept coming out at a loss. (Now I think gosh, I should have just made that damn miniskirt! But anyway.)

 

It fit on my fabric perfectly and I even had enough left over to pattern match the pockets.  I matched the fronts and backs and then let the sleeves do their thing. The lining is stretch silk, chosen because it'll help give more structure to the loose wool.  I did a lot of hand topstitching here because I could.  I let this project drag out over about 3 days, though it's really about a 3-hour effort.  I totally panicked halfway through worrying that it would have too much body, but in the end I'm happy with it.  I do notice that the hem of both of these pulls up a bit, as it's not my strength to hand sew hems with the lengths matching properly. 

I loved both of these in theory and was happy with how they came out, but I really delayed getting snaps, so they sat around for quite awhile.  I wanted snaps from Alabama Chanin but couldn't handle the shipping cost, and then finally bought some locally and then I moved house and didn't have my stuff in any order for months...and then it was summer.  So only as I have started to clean up my winter plans did I sit down and apply the snaps and think about whether these will get worn...and well, a friend likes the pink one but I think the black one is off to go out of my sight.  I was at one of the local secondhand shops and the racks were nearly bare (seriously, only in Gizzy) so I pretty much feel like it's my duty to share the things I make and don't need!

 

I, nontheless, really want to do a long sleeved long version of this coat in 2 layers of interlock knit, in true Alabama Chanin style.  I think the short sleeves feel useless to me, the body of the pink version is too much, etc. Long and funereal, that's where it's at: it fulfills some dream of being a grunge princess that I didn't know I had.  This aesthetic of mine has been evolving in the past few months and it seems the rest of the world is with me, have docs come back into fashion? 

 

Burda Young 7020 coat review

 Not a lot to say about this project. It was one of those things that was at the periphery of my attention for a long time: I wanted to use bulky coating to make a coat, maybe a Sapporo?  But then Sapporo (which I think is now called Nova) had all these fit problems, and the pattern was revised, but I had the old version.  Lost the plot on that but I still thought I wanted a simple coat...this seemed to fit the bill.  I got the pattern from a secondhand shop. The drawing on the front led me to believe it had princess seams with the dart coming off the seam and therefore slightly forward side pockets.  In actuality there is only a side seam so the pockets are standard side seam pockets, and the dart comes off the seam.  

I made a size 10/36 which was the smallest in this pattern.

 What I learned is that I will not be satisfied with throwing together a very simple coat.  Other than the thing I already know - which is that when you make a project NOW that you wanted 18 months ago you will be Not Interested. 

 

I had the basics handy. The coating is from The Fabric Store, and is lovely.  The lining is flannel, and the sleeve lining is slippery rayon.  The coat came together quickly.  But in the end, it is too simple.  In seam pockets do not work.  They are too small, they gape, they are in the wrong spot.  I got pretty bored with this by the end, and didn't even try to iron it enough, because really I'd been thinking about it for 2 years and was probably bored when I started making it (when will I learn?)  Thus I hemmed the bottom which also doesn't work.  You really have to hand sew the hem on these things or it won't hang properly.  I didn't put buttons on and it sat for many months before I attached a clasp in order to at least get it off to the secondhand shop while it's still winter.  (Took these pictures before I added the clasp.  Needed this out of my life already!)

The fit is not bad. If you go into this project really planning to wangle a super complex bulky fur or quilted fabric into submission then you might be pleased. But I think if I'm going to make coats, I need to be willing to up my quality game and learn the tailoring techniques to make a really nice coat. 

Papercut Patterns Sapporo coat x 2

The construction of this jacket was a Sonia classic.  A pattern I thought was meh.  Fabric that I don't usually go for (from Spotlight - heavy knit jacquard with knit interlock lining.)  But this seemed very on trend and I was super curious what would happen if it made it in these heavy knits.

I didn't, however, really think I would want to wear it. I have a bad habit of jumping into sewing projects like this - the what-if projects: what will happen if I make this pattern in this fabric?  And then inevitably: who do I give it to afterwards?

I also didn't in any way make provisions for pattern matching and before I realised that I needed to, I'd cut pieces upside down to each other so I gave up.  The pieces can be a bit puzzling due to their unusual size so good notches and markings are key.  The instructions are great that way as they do show the pieces clearly.  I think I pinned things upside down a few times but always came to my senses and fixed them in time.

I cut the XS-S.  In this pattern there are only three sizes, I guess due to the oversized fit of the jacket.
I also didn't do much ironing, obviously.  I think the jacquard could have been ironed.  It's a rayon blend, not too much poly.  But I didn't.

The jacket is very straightforward to put together.
Like 95% of all jacket patterns, the finish of the bottom front corner where the hem of the jacket and lining come together is a bit confusing.  I think there's only one pattern I have ever made where that corner lined up properly and a beautiful finish was obtainable.  However in this case I definitely was working some bad odds as the jacquard is heavy and thick and the interlock lining started to curl up so my attention span for perfection, never high, was fading.  So it could be me rather than the instructions.

This jacket turned out massive.  I had already figured out who it would go to by then, and luckily not only does it fit my friend Kate really well, but she loves it.  I think that the heavy fabric pulled the jacket down a lot, making it much much larger than it would be in a woven.

Overall I think I lost a lot of the neat touches by using such a heavy shapeless fabric. The pattern comes together really easily and it does have a gentle stylishness to it which is super trendy right now.  Also matches my winter desire to cuddle up in warm things and the pockets are amazing. 

But my final thoughts were ready to be good riddance!!  Except that I realised I could make a surfing coat using this pattern, and my enthusiasm spiked all over again...

The fabric: rainwear fabric from The Fabric Store (I picked it up in Dunedin.)  It's extremely light nylon with no body at all.  The lining: terrycloth fabric for babies, from Spotlight.

This time around I had kind of a similar problem - because my fabric was so weightless, it didn't hold ANY shape.  The lining was much heavier than the outer fabric.  I tried to apply interfacing but it wouldn't stick so I just gave up and didn't use it at all which made things worse.

The result is a much smaller jacket, but yet again, the actual features of the jacket are basically invisible and it turns into a puddle when I'm not actually wearing it, which makes it really hard to get into while wearing a wetsuit.  So it was a much better idea in theory than in reality.

Considering how much effort I've put into a pattern that I initially said I wasn't sure I liked - maybe I will eventually cave in and make this jacket from the materials that were recommended? 

Plus, an update: this surf jacket was in a pile of my undifferentiated stuff when I was moving and a friend showed it to his 8 year old daughter...who loves it.  Apparently it works as a post surf layer for her just fine.  So it got put to use after all!

Waffle Caramel Coat

So why am I posting a wool coat in July, you ask?

The story started in January.  Actually in December, when I fell in love with this fabric.  Lizzy made a jacket from it.  I wanted to make a jacket from it.  And the Caramel Coat pattern called to me and insisted it would be the one.  But what followed was an endless repetition of: I am in the fabric store and my plaid swatch is NOT.  I was not happy with any lining material.  It was always the wrong colour.  I was supposed to buy some in LA, and failed.  (red? forest green? What was I thinking???!!) Then I got some blue in Berlin.  The wrong blue.  I now had six meters of jewel coloured charmeuse but still no lining.

I cut the fabric out in January, despite no lining, and it took all month. I cut a size 38 based on my measurements even though I sized down for the Dropje.  I'm afraid the moral of the plaid story is that I am not suited for the precision of cutting plaid.  I cut out one front piece, and then for about a month I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get the other front piece to plaid-match.  I mean, really.  I emailed for help (Juki was fast at replying!) Prepare for the final letdown...when you don't cut out the first piece straight, despite all the straight lines in the plaid, then the matching second piece also can't be straight.  Reeeaaallly?

Yeah man, I got it where it mattered.  This once. 

Instead of sewing everything I could without the lining, I let it languish.  Finally in Paris in April, I forced myself to finally settle for some matching Bemberg.  It is hard to return to a project that has been sitting in the corner for awhile- I think I skimped on some of the interfacing because I just wanted to get on with things.  Bringing the ideas and excitement out of the back of my mind was not so easy, they were dusty and vague, not to mention that it is a coat, and it has a coat amount of details, and I didn't mark my pattern pieces.  However, it is not a very difficult pattern to sew and the instructions are for the most part good at breaking it down into manageable pieces.

However, I found these instructions worse than for the Dropje jacket.  I ADORED the Dropje instructions.  I still like the layout in these.  However, for instance when creating a back pleat in the lining I was lost, because I haven't done this before and the one line drawing didn't make sense.  There were a few spots where the English translation was downright bad.  It was on minor things and didn't influence me much.  If you love this jacket, I still think the instructions are enough even if you haven't made something this complicated before.  I really have a hard time visualising jacket facings, and on this one I sewed it wrong twice before I got it right.  Even with EXACTLY matching the pictures.  (except, obviously, not quite.)  This felt like an intense effort.  But I think that's because I was determined to do it in three days, despite kind of forgetting it for months until now.  So, the fact that it's (almost) doable in three days does speak for something. I ended up hand sewing the lining down.  I am suspicious.  Was there a better way to do it?

Now have some photos.  Even too many.  Thank god this thing is finally done.  I vowed not to do ANYTHING for six months that required pattern matching and I have already broken my vow and the results are terrible.  So terrible.  

Yeah I matched the underside of the sleeve where no one cares.  Not, like, on the top, where you can see it.

Main beef: pocket location.  Bad.

Also my button holer on my sewing machine doesn't work.  All of a sudden all my projects need buttons and they are getting snaps instead.  I have tried, and I will try again, but for now there is no way to make a buttonhole, so I used these fake leather latches instead. I got them in Paris planning to use two of them and a few buttons, but seems like three of them work just as well.

Pattern complaint: I actually loved the kind of pseudo double welt pocket construction. So much easier than all the welt pockets I have ever done.  However, the pocket location is terrible.  Don't put it there.  Put it anywhere forward, but the pocket location marked on the pattern gives you an armpit pocket which is super inconvenient.  

Anyway very happily a friend of mine in the southern hemisphere just happens to need a jacket RIGHT NOW.  So the whole story has a happy ending.  She reports that she has already worn it and loves it! 

Here's proof in action: