Sewing a winter coat

Carole · Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 8:43 pm Post subject:

My coat is slowly moving along. Today I put in the sleeves. As usual I had to take in about half an inch between the single and double notches around the top of the shoulder. This helps the coat sit more up on my shoulder. I found some large shoulder pads, tried them in the coat and marked the sleeve hems. Then I hemmed the sleeves by hand. For the bottom hem I turned back the front facings two inches sewed the hem in place there by machine. Then I pinned up the rest of the hem along the bottom for hand sewing. I'm still messing around with one of the welts on the pockets. I'm getting happier with it as I make tiny improvements.

Carole · Posted: Thu May 22, 2008 8:25 pm Post subject:

I redid all the hems on my coat, which was a lot of work. So much so that it sort of zapped my enthusiasm for finishing it any time soon. I've put it away until the end of summer or early fall.

Lois · Posted: Fri May 23, 2008 7:51 am Post subject:

Carole - Good for you to get those hems done before putting the coat away for the summer!!! Very smart! You will be so glad not to face those hems in the Fall when it's time to complete your project. Warm weather is around the corner. Do you have any new projects on your list? I'm working with knits and will start a new topic about those projects.

You reminded me of a lesson I learned a long time ago. I had a sewing teacher who emphasized good habits such as finishing particular (or "dreaded") tasks which might discourage me from picking up the project in the future. In other words, don't stop in the middle of a task, such as - set in both sleeves not one; hand stitch both cuffs, not one, complete the major tasks like hems before putting away the project for another time. By doing this, I don't have to re-think a task twice.....finish the task it to completion. I find this particularly helpful and think of her advice all the time.

Janee · Sawyer Brook Staff Joined: 05 Apr 2007 Posts: 76

Hi everyone -

I'm finally able to get back to sewing projects with the wedding over and done! I've started my coat muslin, before getting into the gorgeous cashmere blend. I've just read over all of Carole's posts, as I finalize my decisions on this project. While I get help from my friend and fitting buddy, Donna, I'm still thinking about the interfacing. My gut tells me to use hair canvas for long-time wear and durability, but I see you used a fusible, Carole. Which one did you choose, and how did you find it to work with on this fabric? I'm really concerned about overpressing and the edge of the fusible showing through. That's why I'm leaning toward the Kenneth King method of using the hair canvas. He cuts the interfacing pieces out of muslin, layers that over the canvas and stitches with a serpentine zigzag well inside the seamline - about 2" from the cut edge, then cuts the canvas away from the edge and the muslin away from the center. The result is a muslin frame around the canvas, so only the muslin is caught in the seam.

My Burda pattern calls from welt pockets, with flaps, as well - I'm going to have to do several practice ones, just as you did, Carole. I'm definitely doing bound buttonholes on this jacket, too.

Our chapter of ASDP is going on a sewing retreat next weekend - so my plan is to have this cut out and ready to sew for then. So nice to think about a full weekend, away from home, to sew for myself with some of my best friends!

Lois · Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 9:29 am Post subject:

Janee - I've made several coats and used both fusible interfacing and sew-in hair canvas. In my experience, for my heavier coatings the hair canvas worked best. Several of my wools had a pile or nap and I did not like the flattened look from the fusing. I would steam the fabric to regain the original look. But after construction and wear, my favorites were the coats with sew-in interfacing. I've used the Kenneth King method and for heavy woolens I think it's the way to go. Of course testing fusibles on your fabric is worth the time, to determine what would work best for you, and would save time if you like the results.

Lois

Janee · Sawyer Brook Staff Joined: 05 Apr 2007 Posts: 76

Lois,

That's my gut feeling as well - this fabric is so soft, plush and "cushy" as Carole described it when talking about her welt pockets, and I'd hate to lose that quality. I will test some of the fusible I have here, but I'm almost certain I'll go the hair canvas route. I'm excited to get started on this - I'd forgotten how beautiful the fabric, lining and buttons are!

BrendaJo · Joined: 20 Apr 2007 Posts: 41 Location: Cape Cod

I haven't been able to follow along with the Jennifer Stern video b/c for some unknown reason I am not getting any sound from my speakers. We have tried to figure it out but cannot so I guess we have to take the computer in to the fix-it shop. I want to watch the video since I have several knit pieces that I want to make up.
Janee, did you post a picture of Erin's gown on the Salon website? I have a problem viewing pictures on this website. Sometimes I get to them sometimes I don't and I can't figure out what I am doing or not doing to get to the pictures.
At any rate, the real reason I am writing is to reply to your description of the hair canvas interfacing. I understand that you sandwich the hair canvas between two layers of muslin and zigzag about two inches in from the edge. What happens next? When you are sewing does just the muslin get caught into the seam or does a little of the canvas get caught in also? I just don't have a picture of it in my mind.
The sewing weekend sounds like a lot of fun, I wish I could go. I will be out in Ohio babysitting for my 4 year old grandson that weekend and am hoping to get some sewing done while he is in school.

Brenda

Janee · Sawyer Brook Staff Joined: 05 Apr 2007 Posts: 76

BrendaJo,

You've pretty much got the idea, only the muslin is caught in the seam. But it's just one layer of muslin. When cutting out the interfacing, identical pieces are cut of muslin. Then one muslin is sewn to one interfacing, the excess is cut away, leaving a piece that is interfacing in the center with muslin around the edges like a frame. This gives the support of the canvas where it's needed, without the bulk in the seam.

Lois · Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 10:56 am Post subject:

Janee - Do you also tack the interfacing to the fashion fabric on the fronts and back? I do that - similar to traditional tailoring methods for hair canvas, I go in a diagonal direction using an invisible stitch; stitches are about 2 to 3" apart. I like the stability and causing the two layers to act as one. I don't recall if Kenneth King does this step, do you?

Lois

Janee · Sawyer Brook Staff Joined: 05 Apr 2007 Posts: 76

So today I made huge progress - my coat and lining are cut out! I plan to cut the interfacing and muslin pieces tomorrow morning, and possibly test some combinations including fusible for some areas before I have to pack to leave for my weekend sewing retreat. I've got about a 2 hour drive plus picking up Donna on the way, so I've only got til about 1:00 to finish up, and my DH will be hanging around here too, since it's his day off.

Lois, I don't remember if Kenneth had us do any of the stitching you mentioned - I'm thinking it's like pad-stitching? I just looked quickly through my notes from his seminar and didn't see any mention of it. I may want to do some though, especially since I'm a little concerned about using a double layer of the Acro (putting it both on the front and the front facing) so it will probably need a little help lying flat.

I'm so looking forward to working on this coat over the weekend! Such fun to be able to sew, with a dozen or more like-minded friends, for myself for a change! I'll let you know how it goes.

Janee · Sawyer Brook Staff Joined: 05 Apr 2007 Posts: 76

I spent the weekend of Nov. 7-9 at a retreat with 10 other women, sewing in the Berkshire mountains of Western MA. What a great escape! I've never done that before, there were 6 of us who are members of NE chapter ASDP, so we know each other well but have never sewn together before. 3 of us were working on coats - that was my plan, to make real progress on my Camel Luxe coat. By the end of the weekend, I had the coat shell assembled, ready for pockets and bound buttonholes, and the lining constructed except for sleeves. I decided on the layered Acro/muslin interfacing technique (Kenneth King method), and it took some time to get that all together. It also took 3 fittings to perfect the princess seams and side seams of the coat - and I developed some empathy for what my clients go through during fittings, as I had to stand in a wood-stove heated room with a heavy sweater on under the coat while 2 or 3 pros consulted to fit me! I found the softness of the fabric allowed the coat to stretch some, because it appeared to fit perfectly when I tried it on before attaching any interfacing to the front, but needed to be taken in quite a bit from the shoulder to the bust once I'd basted the front interfacing in place. Someone took a photo of me after one of the fittings, I'll see if I can get it to post.

Since I returned from the weekend I haven't had much time to work on the coat, just as I figured would happen. I've had alterations for clients, work at SB, and preparing my house for the holiday and my youngest son's return from college. This week I made my first attempt at a test welt pocket, and it failed. I found I need to use a layer of Acro behind the pocket, the coat fabric is that soft and flimsy once the window is cut. I also don't particularly like the instructions in my Burda pattern for the pocket with a flap and a single welt, so I'll be trying it again with my tried and true instructions from the Reader's Digest sewing book. It's so cold here in MA this week - I could be wearing this coat already!

Lois · Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 1:01 pm Post subject:

Janee - I really enjoyed reading about your retreat and the progress on your coat. I love involved tailoring projects although the trial and error process can be overwhelming and tedious at times, with all the testing and exact stitching required for welt pockets and buttonholes. Readers Digest Guide to Sewing is one of my favorite references too. When I need a refresher or need to investigate a technique it's the first book I pull out.

Reading about your coat reminded me of a "midi-length" coat I made 10 years ago with a very soft wool & cashmere coating; and I experienced the same stretching issues when sewing the collar, doing the bound buttonholes and topstitching. I was able to avoid stretching in the princess seam areas and garment body pieces and now in retrospect I wonder if it was due to the underlining. For underlining I used a fabric no longer available called Sibbone (sp?) which is a tightly woven fabric similar to batiste, but very drapey like a rayon. I then hand stitched the Acro to that and the coating. I know you're beyond this point to try underlining, but I'm just throwing this out there for consideration if someone else uses a soft wool coating.

I recently took a class with Cynthia Guffey who spoke at great length about stitching with the grain. I look back at my mis-shapen collar on my coat and wonder if I had stitched as she describes, if the collar would have come out symmetrical. She explained how the fabric stretches under the pressure foot and when we go against the grain the stretch is even more so. I plan to test this theory on my future projects and see if I find it worth the trouble to change direction several times when machine stitching.

Keep us posted on your coat construction. We'd love to see photos too.

Lois

Janee · Sawyer Brook Staff Joined: 05 Apr 2007 Posts: 76

I finally finished my winter coat! The last of it went very slowly, I only had short bursts of time to work on it from about the week after Thanksgiving, as I was kept busy with work at SB and clients' alterations. It was so close to done Christmas week, just hems on the sleeves and bottom, joining the lining to the back vent, and buttons, I was certain I could finish it to wear Christmas Eve. But as I started to work on the hem, I realized I needed to continue with techniques that leaned more towards full-on tailoring: I needed to interface the hems with wigan or bias-cut Acro, so that needed to be permanently hand-sewn in, and the whole thing needed meticulous attention - something I was simply not able to give on the morning of Dec. 24th. As it turned out, I wound up ripping and resewing the lining at both sides of the vent and one of the front facings, as it keeps pulling the hem upwards when the coat is hanging. But the end result is really worth it! The inside construction is a combination of tailoring techniques - Acro sew-in interfacing that is edged with muslin to cut down on bulk in the seams, an extra layer of Acro along the center front piece that curves over and crosses the princess seam into the armscye and shoulder, a flannel back panel, and hand-sewn twill tape on the roll line. But there's no pad-stitching at all, I really didn't see the need for it and the fabric is so soft I was afraid it would show or at least change the hand.

All the materials are no longer available, the fabric is from Aug. '07, Camel Luxe, lined with silk Irene from last winter, buttons are Ornament. Here's a photo:

Janee · Sawyer Brook Staff Joined: 05 Apr 2007 Posts: 76

Here's one more, to show the lining and buttons.

Lois · Posted: Mon Jan 05, 2009 10:22 am Post subject:

Oh Janee!! Breathtaking!!! Just gorgeous. I love it! It must be wonderful to wear.