Today I’m sharing two pretty amazing projects with you. One is an oversized coat I made last Winter and didn’t get around to blog until now and the other one is hot off the sewing machine: my first pair of skinny jeans!
Coat pattern: Let’s have a look at the coat first. For this cosy wool coat I used Burdastyle pattern 09/2015 #117A. View B is belted and slightly shorter than View A. The pattern is pretty brilliant as long as you use the right fabric. They’re asking for double-sided wool because it comes without lining. Therefore, it’s a really quick, simple sew. No interfacing, no lining, no bindings. It’s pretty much just three pattern pieces: front, back and back sleeve (plus pockets). The sleeves are two pieces. The front one is cut as a kimono sleeve and part of the front bodice pattern.
Fabric & construction: I found this amazing double-sided wool fabric at stoffkontor.eu for a very good price. Unfortunately, they’ve run out of it since. It’s a lovely teal boiled wool on one side and a grey sweater knit on the other side. The pattern really requires a fabric with “two good sides”, so this one was perfect.
You might wonder about the contrast detail I did in the front. Well, this wasn’t planned I have to admit. I made a mistake I haven’t made in a long time: I forgot to mirror the front pieces. To my defense, I had to cut the coat with the fabric laid flat in one layer, because the pattern pieces are huge. I simply forgot to flip over the front pattern piece before cutting it out a second time. As I did not have enough fabric and couldn’t be bothered to order more, I decided to run with it.
Looking at it now, I think it looks pretty neat. The Mr thinks it’s the best feature of the coat, and he’s kind of right. Still, I sometimes catch myself thinking of it as a mistake, because I know it wasn’t planned.
The construction is very easy. So this is a great project for anyone who doesn’t feel ready yet to tackle a proper coat. As for finishing the raw edges, you simply fold over the edges and stitch them in place. So the only tricky bit is getting the mitred corners right and neat.
The coat closes as a wrap with two snap fastenings at the top.
Skinny jeans pattern & construction: Let’s talk about my first pair of Mia Jeans! When SEW OVER IT published their Capsule Wardrobe pattern ebook, I couldn’t wait to try the skinny jeans pattern. I love a good high-waisted, simple pair of trousers and I love skinny jeans.
I was a bit concerned that getting the fit right might be a bit of a struggle. Luckily I had some really stretchy denim fabric in my stash which I could use as a muslin. Turned out I didn’t really need a muslin, as the fit was great and I only had to make minor adjustments. The pattern comes with an extra wide seam allowance at the side seam which makes fitting very easy.
Sewing the pockets was so much fun. Next to sewing the front fly, getting the pockets right is probably taking longest. I basted them on by hand before stitching to get them perfect.
I had a lot of fun trying out decorative stitching with my new sewing machine. I did not use contrasting thread for all seams, just for the pockets. It’s a very minimalist pattern, so the pockets really are the eye-catcher.
Although I’ve sewn quite a few front flies before, I struggled a bit with this one. I accidentally sewed the front shut and overlocked the seam before realising I was missing the front fly. Stupid, I know. I had to cut off quite a bit of the seam allowance to remove the overlocked edge and there wasn’t much left to play around with. Which made constructing the front fly a bit difficult. That’s why the zip is showing a bit, which is somewhat annoying.
Lisa of SEW OVER IT made a wonderful video tutorial on sewing the front fly, which you can find on her youtube channel. There are photographed instructions in the ebook, but if you’ve never tackled a front fly before, I really recommend watching the video tutorial.
(Very casually sucking in that tummy and hiding the showing zip)
Both jeans and coat are amazingly comfy and therefore my new work uniform. I got a lot of compliments for the coat. Nobody mentioned the jeans, which, I think, means they don’t look handmade and that is a good thing. I made a pair of skinny jeans that looks store-bought, ha!
Will I be making more? I definitely won’t make the coat again, as you do not need an indefinite amount of coats, and I am planning on making a properly lined and interfaced one this winter. But I will be making tons of Mia Jeans! In fact, I have already made another pair and bought fabric for at least three more! It’s definitely my go-to jeans pattern now and plain enough to use as a base for some great pattern hacks.
What’s your favourite pattern at the moment?
xx
Charlie
Happy sewing!
♥
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