Made by a Fabricista: A colorful trench to bring in Spring

Do you ever sew projects that are seasonally inappropriate? That's where I'm living today. There's literal snow on the ground, the winter winds are making our mild days icy and I reach for...linen?!

Seems crazy, but when I saw this linen/cotton print, I had visions of a happy trench coat snow be danged.

I'm quite a fan of making jackets in general (like my favorite silk jacket here), and trench coats have a special place in my heart. As I was planning this one, I went through my closet and realized this would be trench coat #5--all different styles, all widely different fabrics from a sheer embroidered organza to a linen appliqued trench coat to one made from crazy patchwork upcycled denim. But trench coat I can't quit you with all your lovely buttons and luxurious lining.

So trench #5 it would be for this project!

So much interfacing

Pattern

Tailoring the Classic Guide to Sewing the Perfect Jacket for getting through all the tricky bits.

Switching up the pockets

Cutting this coat was tight in the layout, and I knew there was no chance of being able to match the fabric for the kind of "where's the pockets" perfectly matched patch pockets I like to sew.

But coats without pockets are sad indeed. Instead, I opted for welt pockets with flaps. Inside the pockets I was even able to use up the last remnants of some cotton that I shibori dyed. I had so little of that fabric, that I faced the backside of the welt with a strip of the outer fabric. That bit of purple makes me happy even though nobody will ever see it! I'm even more happy that I got to use up literally every last scrap of that fabric. When you dye your own fabric, having put in the effort, it becomes more precious.

I'm still debating if I want to add buttons to the flaps. I have 4 of the smaller size of these fabulous vintage buttons I found on Etsy.

Shoulder pads and lining

Digging into my lining stash, I found 2 colors that I really liked: a lilac and an orange. Seeing as I like colorblocking, I decided to use both.

Between the front facing and the lining, I added in a little bit of piping with a poly cotton.

My favorite inside detail are the shoulder pads I made. Traditional shoulder pads don't work well for me. I have relatively square shoulders from my life as a violinist, so I can usually skip shoulder pads entirely. Yet, they do add a nice smoothness that is quite nice.

For a minimal but still there shoulder pad, I made my own shoulder pads from fusible fleece. I've been doing this for years with a free pattern that used to be available (alas no more) from Brian Sews.

Basically you stack up little half-ovals of fusible fleece of various sizes over a tailor's ham and press them into shape. You can either turn the bottom layer over so the fusible side is up, or you can fuse it straight to a piece of lining as I did here. Add a quick layer of lining over the top, and serge the edges, and you have some perfectly matched shoulder pads. Again it's a nobody will see it but I'm glad I know it's there kind of detail.

Though this was a chunk of a project, I'm so delighted with the final project. This is just the kind of coat I know I'm going to love during Sprinter--that weird season in Colorado that's ever moving between Spring and Winter where we might have mild temps with insane winds followed by snow the next day.

This is a bittersweet post for me as it will be my last. It's been a joy and an honor to be part of the Fabricista team, and I sincerely thank all of you who have stuck with me the past couple years. From my family to yours, I hope you have a very blessed and Merry Christmas, and here's to hoping that 2021 will bring some joy to all of us. Be sure to check out Elizabeth Made This for all that I'm up to in helping you get creative with your sewing.