I have been wearing the trench coat I recently made (here) for a while and, although it’s fine for Autumn, it isn’t warm enough for Winter. I usually wear my WW2 military greatcoat (a charity shop find) for winter but, as it’s probably a collector’s piece, I want to ensure its longevity! So here I thought, I have a trench coat pattern that was loosely based on a long coat pattern, surely it doesn’t take much to alter it back to a long coat pattern? Well, it doesn’t.
The pattern was quite easy to reproduce but what I was having a lot of problems with were the fabric choices. I wanted to use a heavyweight wool fabric. I initially chose a beautiful forest green wool but then realised that there wasn’t enough of it. All the fabrics I had in stock were not enough for this project, so I had to buy some. The funny thing is that it’s been a while since I last bought fabric and I realised that fabrics are more expensive now. After consulting my bank account and my heart, I eventually went for a British made navy wool fabric. It has a lovely sheen to it and the weight is perfect to create the draping shape of the long coat.
I’m usually quite impatient when starting a project, but this time I took my time in completing this long coat. I guess the telltale sign for me to slow down was when I kept making the same sewing mistakes over and over again. I would usually just continue (ending up with more mistakes) but this time, I packed everything away and told myself, ‘tomorrow is a better day!’ Slowly and surely the coat took shape over the few days I spent sewing and, after a week, it was completed.
I also inserted a big pleat at the back of the coat to give it more volume.
I wanted a very loose coat as sometimes I wear it draped over my shoulders.
I also wanted a coat with a plush fur collar as it looks elegant and (being winter) is warm!
For this, I decided to make the fur collar out of the remaining faux fur fabric that I bought for previous project. I also made the collar detachable.
I wore this coat out the other day and it looked very elegant with my high waisted trousers and brogues. I even managed to catch a few smiles and heard whispers about the coat. The next time I wear this coat out, I am planning to mix it with track pants. And maybe my ‘heart’ sweater too?
Stephen Yong 