Winter Coats

I know, Autumn has only just officially begun, but I thought if I start later I'll probably finish in Spring. I haven't bought a winter coat for 2 or 3 years now, and I want my next one to be perfect. Or at least close. I'm ready to tackle a big project like this! Here's what I want in a winter coat:

A big collar or hood
No matter how warm your coat is, if it leaves your neck bare you'll still get the chills when it's windy. Brrr I get chills just thinking about it. Yes you could use a big scarf, but I don't want that to be absolutely necessary.

A zipper
Buttons look pretty, but again, the wind will blow right through. Especially when you're cycling, and you know how cycling is part of our cultural genes. Even a zipper can be a weak spot in your warm cocoon. Preferably, I'd like a zipper with a facing behind it.

Some length
The coat I have right now is pretty cool, but it leaves an open spot right at my belly. This is the second most important place you'd want to keep warm, so the jacket has to at least fall below the belt. Even better would be mid thigh.

So what patterns would fulfill these criteria? To my surprise, I found nothing on BurdaStyle that came close. And then I spotted this magazine, Ottobre, that had not one but three candidates in it. Ottobre is a Finnish magazine translated in Dutch, German, English and Swedish. This is the autumn/winter issue, it only comes out twice a year. It has 19 patterns with a big size range, from 34 to 52 (6-24 in US sizes). As you can see they use models in al sizes and ages to show the patterns on. They have only a meagre website, but they also have a blog on which you can find more information about the patterns. They also sell fabric on Etsy.



This jacket attracted me mainly because of the colour. I has no real closing, except for an oversized safety pin. This doesn't make sense to me. What use is a winter coat if it has no proper closing? I do like the overall style though.



This one is a nice and simple jacket, with a cosy collar and raglan sleeves. It has no facing behind the zipper. I guess you could add one if you wanted.



Looking at the pattern, this seems to be the same pattern as the first one, only shorter and with a zipper. I like the asymmetrical zipper. This coat is simple and yet a bit different. I'd change the hood into a regular one though, pointy hoods are a bit too odd for me. Otherwise, I think this is my no. 1 choice! What is up with this fabric btw, isn't it hiddeous?

I find it pretty hard to decide on a pattern. It's different from anything else because you only make one. With dresses, you have plenty of choice and you can sew as many as you like. I guess you could sew more than one coat, but seeing that I've never made one before, let's just start with one. (Actually I did make one, about 6 years ago. It went reasonably well considering my skill level, but I couldn't figure out the lining so I had that part done by a professional seamstress.)

For those of you wondering about the other patterns, here's an overview. I like how they give their drawings some texture, it makes them look more alive. I haven't sewn anyhting from it so I don't know about the instructions. It's all text, no drawings.



Nothing too spectacular (except for that evening dress, which looks spectacularly awful), but those jeans look interesting. They look good in the pictures, although not one picture in the magazine shows them completely. They do have some up on the blog.

What about you, have you ever sewn from this magazine? And are you planning to sew a winter coat this year? Have you found a pattern yet? I'd love to hear!