#VintagePledge - Butterick 5716 finished!

Commissions have been completed, presents made (to be posted about once the recipient has actually received them!) and it was time to get back to finishing my swing coat.

The pattern . . .

. . .  and my completed version

When last seen, this coat was causing me all sorts of grief. I'd made a mistake cutting out the fronts, and the loose weave of the fabric meant that the coat lacked any sort of structure. In truth, I was quite glad that other calls on my time meant that I could abandon it for a while.

When I picked it up again, I decided that the underlining was definitely worth doing, so I cut out the front and back lining pieces from black voile, basted them into the coat, and stitched along the edges of each square of the fabric.

And stitched, and stitched. . . . . and stitched.

Interlining sewn into the front

Then I made up the sleeves, basted them into the coat, and - well, you can guess. The sleeves were a lot more awkward because I wasn't working on a flat piece, but finally it was all done. The coat now hangs much better, so it was worth the effort.

Then I decided that yes I did want the fronts as symmetrical as I could get them, pattern-wise, so trimmed down the right front so that its raw edge matched the left front. Of course, this meant that I had to alter the lining as well. I left the contrast collar section unchanged, and instead made the actual lining narrower.

Once the lining is sewn onto the main coat, the instructions just say to press the seam. However I wasn't entirely happy with the end result, so I understitched around the fronts and the neck, using a back stitch rather than a running stitch to make sure that the stitches went through all the layers.

The contrast cuffs form part of the inside of the sleeves, and can be folded back if desired. When I tried the coat on, I felt that the cuffs could do with being a bit longer, so I lengthened the sleeve linings. This meant that when I sewed the lining onto the edge of the cuff, the whole sleeve was longer.

A gust of wind shows just how full the coat is

After I'd taken the photos I needed to to some shopping, and couldn't be bothered to change. Yes I was a little overdressed for popping out to the corner shop, but it gave me a chance to try the coat out. It was surprisingly toasty; I think that the underlining really makes a difference, even though it's only a thin voile. Also, the coat doesn't flap open nearly as much as I feared; the collar and the pockets add a little weight to the front and hold it in place. So all in all, I'm really glad that I actually finished it!

Ready to hit the local Spar!

Me-Made-Mayhem

It's the month after April and before June, which means that So, Zo. . . What do you know is again hosting Me-Made-May; a chance to celebrate handmade clothing in all its glory.

Pretty much all of my work wardrobe is now me-made, so I considered what other areas of my life could benefit from a little me-made-ness, and decided to make a coat. Specifically, this coat.

I've had this pattern for so long that it's now out of print! I love it, but I suspect that the complete lack of fastening means that this is not the most practical garment for keeping you warm. Ideal then for late spring, or the chillier days of a British summer.

In my local fabric shop I found a red/black remnant in a large check, which seemed perfect for the 1950s look. Along one selvedge it had some large stitches in yellow thread, which I assumed were holding a tear together. However when I turned it over, I found that it was actually this.

Stitched information

I've no idea what it means, but it's fascinating!

The collar and cuffs are to be plain black - another remnant. I decided that for the lining I would really like something other than standard lining fabric, but wasn't sure what. Then on yet another visit to the fabric shop (it's the first shop I come to when I walk into town, I always walk when I go into town, and I rarely get past there without just 'popping in for a look'), I found this.

Both sides of my 'lining' fabric

I wasn't sure which way round to use it, but eventually decided that the darker side - at the bottom of the picture, and I think the wrong side - would look better.

So I cut everything out, and got started. I made up the main part of the coat, and I made up the lining and facing. Then I noticed a couple of things, and they were not good things.

Bad Thing number one:

I had carefully cut out all the coat pieces from a single layer of fabric, so that I could match the pattern. The centre back seam matched nicely, . . .

. . . one side seam matched nicely, . . .

. . . and one shoulder seam matched nicely.

Shoulder seam and sleeve head

What the heck I was thinking when I cut the fronts out, I have no idea! The pattern matches horizontally, but not vertically. Look at the the sleeve seams and the darts, and it's obvious.

???!**?

I have a plan of sorts. I'll cut a strip off the right front, tapering up to the neck. It means that one side will be slightly wider than the other, but because the coat is so full, I'm hoping it won't be obvious. That way the fronts will be symmetrical most of the way down, and hopefully the black facing will cover most of the mismatch at the top.

Bad Thing number two:

The check fabric is very loosely woven; so much so that in places the lining is visible through it, and the coat doesn't hold its shape at all well. I really should have noticed this before I started, and underlined the pieces. So now I'm considering whether retrospective flatlining is desirable/feasible/ going to drive me insane. However, as I've got a couple of commissions to do, and May's Historical Sew Monthly project, this consideration may go on for some time!