THE COAT

Yes, this coat deserves an all caps title. This long project has finally come to an end. I no longer have to embarass Stef by wearing my work jacket. I can parade the streets with my head held high because I have a stylish, well-fitting, warm and unique coat! Let me talk no further, I'll show you the evidence.



After my last post in which I asked you for advice on fit issues, I've improved several areas:

1. Taking in 5 mm across the whole length of both back princess seams
2. Taking in 2 mm at the center back seam on the upper back
3. Taking in 3 mm at the front princess seams around the bust
4. Resetting sleeves at pucker area
5. Shaping and rounding off collar corners
6. Lowering right front of collar
7. Taking out excess fabric at the back neck

I've discussed number one through four with you, but when I looked closer there were some more areas that needed attention. Sometimes I just wanted to close it up, but every time a voice said: but what about this and this issue? And then I figured I had already spent so much time on it, I'd just as well fix every little issue. And I'm glad I did!





I took these pictures at the little town where my dad lives. It's a very old town, city rights date back to 1200 AD. It has been subject to many sieges and has been occupied by the Spanish (16th century), the French (18th century and the Germans (20th century). These bronze cannons are leftovers from the occupation by Napoleon's army and date back to 1778. Their bear the names (apparently cannons have names!) of L'intriguant (the schemer) and Le Partisan (the ally). The perfect place to show off my military coat, right?



I really love this deep, vibrant shade of green, most accurately pictured in the last two pics. This is my first coat, and maybe I could have picked an easier pattern. With all these seams there's also more room for errors. I could have know, the label saying 'advanced' and 'masterpiece'. But I learned so much, and the outcome is exactly what I wanted, so I don't really mind having spent all these hours on it! I'll do another post with some detail shots, there is lots more to tell. About welt pockets and why to cut flaps on the bias, about the extra zipper I added, and about the two different kinds of lining. You can find that post here!