The Treasure Hunt Coat

My first project of 2019, is one that was on my mind for the majority of 2018!  For me, sewing is as much about the hunt for the components of any project, as it is about the process of putting it all together.  I found this fabric last March, so I've been hunting for the rest of the components for several months before I cut into it.  I love searching through both old and new patterns, online fabric stores for new fabrics, thrift stores for old fabrics, and antique stores for notions.   When I have all of the components, then I will often go to consignment shops for the perfect purse, necklace or footwear to make the whole outfit.   I especially love it when I can find the components second hand because I know that there is a history behind them, and I imagine who the previous owner was and what they were thinking of making.

I found this blue wool plaid last March at our Idea Store- a reuse recycle store that I wrote about here.  It was a large piece, and I suspected that it was handwoven because at the end of the piece, it had some pink yarns.  We have a group of spinners and weavers in our community, and they make some amazingly beautiful pieces.  Then, when I was cutting it, I found a hand-written note, confirming my suspicions that it was made by a person, not a mill!  The note said "Coat Length", so I was glad to know that the original maker had intended it would end up being a coat.  I felt a bit humbled, and thought- "Whoa- this is an amazing piece of fabric, and I better not mess it up!" What an honor to make something from a piece of cloth that someone else had put a lot of time and undoubtedly love into creating it!  So, I did my best to do justice to the piece, taking my time to make it.

At some point, I also picked up this pattern, Butterick 3260 at the IDEA store, and decided it would be a good choice with the simple lines, making the plaids easy to match.  This said the copyright was 2001, so it had sufficiently aged.  I did a full bust adjustment so that the coat wouldn't hike up in the front.  And then I lengthened the body by 3" and also lengthened the pockets by 3", as I wanted them to be able to hold a lot!

Even though it was a super simple design, making this coat was a workout! This fabric is heavy, and just moving it around while sewing was no easy task.  I serged all of the edges, and left good sized seam allowances because I don't want this fabric to fray out at the seams.  I interfaced the pockets, front facing, and upper back to help them keep their shape.   I broke a few needles in the sewing process, and ended up using a denim needle which worked pretty good.

The most important thing to do with a fabric like this is to make sure that your plaids match, both up and down.  So, in placing the pocket, I ignored whatever markings were on the pattern, and placed the plaids to that they matched.  I also matched the plaids at the sleeve notches, so that when my arms are at rest, the plaids match all the way across the front and back.  You need some more fabric this way, as you need to move the pattern pieces to where the plaid works, but it's worth the effort and extra fabric.

The buttons are vintage buttons that were still on the cards and said "Made in Japan". It looks like they were hand painted because I could see bits of another color in a few places. The shanks are actual leather pieces.  I've never seen such a sturdy shank!  I hemmed and hawed about whether to make bound buttonholes, and in the end decided to not do it, as the thickness of so many layers of this already incredibly thick fabric would be difficult.  I could barely get certain sections underneath my presser foot as it was!  I did interface and use a stabilizer on the machine made buttonholes, as well as treated them with fray check, to try to minimize fraying in this loosely woven fabric. We will see how they hold up.  I probably won't button it most of the time anyway, unless it's really windy outside. 

I had cut both layers of the hood out of the wool fabric, but then decided that it would be just a little too thick to lay correctly.  So, I decided to use a lining fabric for the hood instead.   For the lining, I used a fleece backed knit that I got from Fabric Mart.  It was super light and a little sheer.  I really didn't have any idea of what to do with it when I originally got it, but I thought that the color was perfect for the this coat, so I went with it.  I'm glad I did, as it worked surprisingly well.  The Malden Mills outlet website describes it as odor resistant and made from recycled materials. 
I think I'm going to pick up some more of these fleeces for lining coats!

Here's a view of the back.  The sleeves are quite generous in width, which means that I can wear a jacket or sweater underneath.  That's one thing that drives me crazy about many coats available today- they don't have adequate sleeve ease for multiple layers in the winter. 

 The scarf and purse were my treats to complete the look!  I really wanted something bright that will brighten up bleak winter days, so I went with this vibrant purple neoprene crossbody bag. 

I finally got my photographer back from Madagascar- my daughter!  She won't be home for long, but we're enjoying having her home while we can.

I'm feeling pretty good about the start of 2019- one pretty successful project completed!  My treasure hunt was fruitful!  Wishing you a great 2019 and many successful treasure hunts of your own!

Happy Sewing!

Ann