The Famous Blue Raincoat

I'm proud to present the second garment I've ever made from a Sewaholic pattern: The Robson coat! As soon as Tasia revealed her latest pattern I realised it was everything I was looking for. I had been wanting to make a trenchcoat for a while and was prepared to do some frankenpatterning to make it happen, but this one was just right!

(Please excuse the squinty face, it was BRIGHT outside)

I actually tried making a trenchcoat last year, from a vintage pattern, but found that I had been a bit too quick about the whole process. The pattern was ok but lacked a few details that would make it right (it didn't have belt loops, for instance) and the shape just wasn't all that for me (it was basically a tube you had to cinch to fit around the waist). All this combined with me wanting to finish as fast as possible made for a coat, but not a great coat. So this time I tried a different approach.

Love that back detail.

There's one thing I didn't do, and that was making a muslin. Gasp! But after my success with the Cambie dress I decided to go by the measurements on the envelope and fit the coat as I went. The fit turned out pretty great, actually the only thing I would do differently is the sleeve length (there a tiny bit too long on me) and the size of the pocket openings (I have big hands!). No complaints on the actual construction of the coat though. Tasia's patterns are very well drafted with attention to detail, and the whole thing went together like a dream. I liked all the tiny bits you had to do, they were easy to plan in as a break whilst working. There was a lot of topstitching involved but it was never super difficult, since most of it was just straight lines. The topstitching really helped the seams lie flat as well!

So what materials did I use? I found a navy poly-cotton mix for 6 euros a yard at a local fabric outlet and managed to squeeze the entire coat out of four yards. The fabric seems to contain more cotton than poly since it pressed relatively well, without that typical seventies smell. I used eight large gold-toned buttons on the front and five smaller ones on the sleeves, shoulders and back. I also made functional buttonholes everywhere, instead of just sewing the buttons on through all layers. I love touches like that in rtw so I try to incorporate it into my own sewing as well!

But wait, this coat has a little surprise! While I like the idea of an unlined coat, binding all the edges with bias binding seemed a little scary. Plus, I love me some contrast somewhere. So I drafted a lining pattern and used a cotton-silk blend for the inside, to give this otherwise surprisingly basic coat a little kick! The lining has been inserted by hand and feels really good against the skin.

All in all, I could really see myself making this again in a funkier fabric. This started as a wearable muslin that turned out really well, but maybe if I find the perfect shade of green...

But do you know what I like most about this coat? It kinda makes me feel like a badass. Or a spy. And that's definitely a plus!