Handmade winter coat

Two years ago I made the winter coat I have always wanted. Long and enveloping. 100% wool and silk. Structured enough to not look sloppy, but fluid enough to drape through the body.

Construction

The Muslin

I used the Angela Kane Shawl Collar Coat pattern. She has wonderful tutorials and the patterns are easy to modify.

First step was to make a muslin. (Also know has a toile. This is a 'mock up' to perfect fit.)

I knew I wanted this coat to be as couture-like as possible: lots of hand stitches and meticulous attention to detail.

The adjustments I had to make were exactly what I expected - the shoulders. I have very narrow shoulders and am accustomed to shoulder seams not sitting at the right point. This is part of the reason I wanted to make my own clothes to begin with. Shoulder seams drooping off the knuckles of the shoulder can destroy the appearance of even the loveliest garments, so this was important to fix.

I used my muslin to make these adjustments.

I anticipated needing to reduce the breadth of the coat, because I am small, but as it turned out, I liked the volume of it straight off the pattern so I left it as is. This coat is meant to go over many layers in winter, so making it too fitted wouldn't work. I added a back vent to my muslin but decided to stick to the pattern after all, which doesn't have one.

One thing didn't do on the pattern was add a button closure. This was actually due to inexperience with buttonholes and I was terrified of ruining my project, so I added a bar clasp instead. If I decide to add a button later, I can do so.

The other change I made was to the pockets. The pattern calls for welt pockets, which are lovely and classic on a winter coat, but I wanted to maintain a super simple, minimal design and I was also a bit overwhelmed by the welt pockets during construction of the muslin.

I decided to forego them and instead add hidden pockets to the side seams. Once I was happy with everything, it was time to move on to the final garment!

The interlining

As I wanted to make this by hand as much as I could, and have the stitches and construction be as invisible as possible, I chose to have an interlining. This provides additional structure but is also a way to anchor stitching without it showing through to the main fabric.

My interlining is 100% silk organza.

I transferred all my seam lines to my fabric pieces by hand basting, making sure everything was perfectly on grain.

The organza was attached to the wool exterior so they exist as one. Darts and seam allowances were anchored down to the organza, but not through to the wool. This stops them from shifting or creating lumps in the fabric.

Piece by piece, the construction starts to come together.

It's important not to rush the process.

The fashion fabric

Part of the reason I wanted to make my own wool coat is that there was no way I could afford one! Most winter coats are acrylic, or a blend of wool and acrylic. I wanted my coat to be 100% natural fabric, with the warmth and durability of wool. The wool twill I got was perfect.

The lining

Next was the lining. I chose a mulberry silk for the perfect slip and sheen. The coat is heavy, due to the weight of the wool twill, and this lining makes it slide on effortlessly. It looks and feels so luxurious.

The lining is constructed just like the main pieces, and then slipped inside to attach to the facings, sleeves and hem.

You can see my hand basting at the bottom for the hem.

The final product

Cost breakdown

It took me longer than a year to save up the money for the fabric.

Below are the approximate costs. (I had fabric leftover from each):

• $91.80 for the wool exterior

• $104.40 for the silk lining.

• $43.20 for the silk organza interlining

Total: $239.40

I had the wool exterior for about 6 months before I was able to get the silks. I already had the bar clasp and thread but you could add another $10 or so for those.

So could I buy a coat like this for $250? No. Not full length, and certainly not 100% wool and silk.

A blended fabric? Perhaps. But it certainly wouldn't be handmade, or made-to-measure.

I cannot tell you the sheer joy I feel at having achieved this task myself; and that this winter coat is exactly what I dreamed of.