wardrobe essentials 2020 - the Clare coat

I made another coat (but of course you already know that). This is my second coat, I previously made a duffle coat, which I invite you to admire here. I like making coats/jackets but of course I don't need many coats, or more than one really. My first coat was a labour of love with lots of adjustments and toiles and it took weeks and weeks to finish it. This new coat also took weeks and weeks to be finished but for different reasons. My Paddington bear duffle coat was a relatively complex pattern and it was drafted for a woman with a masculine body with a B-cup. I am of course far from that, I am curvy with lumps in all the wrong places and needed to make multiple adjustments. My new coat was far simpler to make and much more forgiving due to the a-line shape. It took ages because time is a bit of a precious commodity these days. 

The coat is the Clare coat by Closet Core Patterns. To be honest, had I just seen this pattern on their website, I would never have chosen it. It looks a bit drab and like something that would linger in the back of a wardrobe. I am sure I mentioned the Guthrie & Ghani Sewing Society monthly kits before but if I haven't take a note. Very useful for people like me who find it difficult to choose fabric, patterns and even notions. The Clare coat was in the September kit I think. When I first sew glimpses of this new kit, I honestly did not recognise it as the Clare coat, it was just really beautiful. Here is an instagram post of the pink version. I was quite tempted by pink but I resisted because I know just how well stains show on a light fabric. I decided to buy the teal version, much more practical and a just a tad out of my comfort zone. 

The kit contained everything needed, from the Melton wool fabric to the needles. The pattern and instructions came as pdf but version B was printed out on sturdy A0 paper, ready to go. Version A has a side zipper, version B you can see here, although the original version has snap buttons buttons. I really love the square wood buttons included in the kit. A Liberty fabric fat quarter was included to add flat piping to the facings. I liked that, it makes the coat a little bit more special. I also added flat piping to the pocket facings but of course these are not visible. I know it is there and that's all that counts. The viscose lining fabric included is a bit boring but it is on the inside and it didn't bother me too much. 

As with previous kits, Lauren of G&G produced videos with tips and tricks, four for this coat. This was very useful because of the changes to the construction. Proper buttons need proper button holes and one of the videos, Lauren explained and showed how to make these. I had never made any before so that was useful. Another video contained little tips for neat finishing touches, for example attaching the lining to the coat at the underarm using a fine thread chain, or stitching the inner and outer collars together invisibly so that it wouldn't move. The actual pattern instructions are good but lack finishing details and a version with proper buttons. I guess you could make this up as you go along. 

With a coat, there is often a lot of interfacing to cut and iron on. I absolutely loathe doing that but I block fused the interfacing to the wool (also a tip from the videos). This must have saved me hours. The lining was a bit slippery but we made friends in the end and all came together easily. I made a practice bound button hole with some scraps to avoid ruining the coat. 

Construction was really rather simple, it is definitely a coat that a confident beginner could make. The coat features raglan sleeves, which is so much easier to make than set in sleeves. There is no tricky fitting needed because of the coats simple lines. I didn't make a toile, just checked my measurements against the finished measurement to make sure there wouldn't be any nasty surprises. I probably could have made a smaller size. 

My favourite part was using a wooden clapper. Wool is thick and when seams are pressed open, it tends to bounce back even when lots of steam is used. The wooden clapper is essentially a chunk of wood that is pressed onto the freshly pressed seams and held down for a few seconds. It sounds like nothing but it makes a huge difference and I think the crisp edges and neat seams give a professional finish. I also used it once the coat was finished and bagged before top-stitching around the edges.

I noticed a bit of puckering between the buttons, so next time I feel bored, I'll move the buttons by a couple of millimetres. But for now I am really happy with this coat, I love the colour and the style. None of the photographs does the colour justice, it is a more vibrant teal than you can see here. 

I was lucky enough to wear my coat twice this week. Yes, it was that dry. 

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