New coat

the weather is getting a bit nippy, so I finally got round to/found the courage to cut my new coat from the expensive blanket I bought at the Yorkshire show.

I spent a while trying to figure out the best cut. In the end I went with a rather odd cut that involved only five pieces and is more like origami than sewing. The whole of the body is the width of the blanket, with the collar made from two projecting pieces. The other four pieces are two sleeves and two pockets. The only bits left  were trimmings from the collar as I put it together, I left cutting them until I’d sewn the shoulders and draped it.

Considering that there was a really minimal amount fo sewing involved in this, it was doubly annoying that after I’d carefully draped the collar I managed to sew it inside out. The collar was the bit I was really worried about because I realised it would have to be gathered to drape nicely with the fringe intact, but I think it just looks nice and toasty now it’s done.

Including the bits of handsewing to place the lining around the sleeves and shoulders, this took a grand total of two hours work if you don’t include the hours of procrastination before making four cuts in the fabric.

I did procrastinate a lot before cutting, because the blanket was more than £100, and I felt a bit guilty about the cost. Then I realised that this may sound expensive for a piece of fabric, but this is brocade, which is always expensive, and what’s more it’s wool brocade, which tends to run more expensive than silk ones. When I’ve bought wool brocades in the past they’ve been between £100-and £200 per metre, so if you put it into that perspective it was about the going rate. I doubt very much you could buy a plain coat in 100% wool for what I paid for materials on this.

It’s lined with a lightwieght mustard coloured wool for extra winter warmth. I just had a nap under it, it’s good and warm, and i think fit for purpose.

 

~ by opusanglicanum on November 15, 2018.