A coat! And it's still winter!
I'm so happy to have finished this while I can still wear it.
This is the Closet Core Phoebe Coat, a fully-lined double-breasted coat with a cocoon shape, notched collar, dropped shoulder, two-piece sleeve, and oversized fit.
I chose a size 1X, which worked great. Oversized as advertised, in the perfect way.
I sewed up the Phoebe in View B, the shorter view that ends at mid-thigh. I really wanted to make the longer version, but couldn't make it work with the fabric I wanted to use from my stash.
The fabric has been aging in my stash for years- I looked back through my emails to see I originally purchased it from Emma One Sock in 2017 (!!), probably when I moved from Bangkok to Vermont and was feeling cold. Of course the fabric is no longer available, but the receipt called it "Japanese speckled earth brushed melange woven."
It's a heavier weight wool coating with a beautiful texture. The main colors are black, grey and navy, with speckles of other colors throughout: red, gold, green, royal blue.
I just love it. Beautiful texture! A neutral without being boring.
The lining is also from Emma One Sock; this one still appears on the website. It's a "warm back" lining, apparently also called "kasha." It's a heavier weight lining with a shiny, smooth satin side and a backing that has a matte, brushed cotton feel, like flannel. Some folks say it acts like lining and interlining in one.
I enjoyed making this coat; cutting all the pieces and interfacing them took a while, but was quite meditative. The sewing went pretty swimmingly until I got to the part where the hem, facing and lining all come together. For some reason the instructions didn't click for me and I struggled with that bit! It turned out ok in the end.
My machine wasn't happy with the thickness of the coating and kasha lining! I broke a couple needles in the thick parts, and struggled to even get other parts under the presser foot. My older ('80s-era) Bernina doesn't have a presser foot lift feature, so sometimes I was really jamming it in there!
For that reason I opted not to do any of the optional topstitching on the coat- I could sense it would be tough and I wouldn't be happy with the results!
I also decided not to even try machine-made buttonholes. I did a couple samples on two different machines and they were not good. Ultimately, I hand-stitched the buttonholes. I'm sure they're not perfect, but they blend in so much in the busy fabric that you can barely see the stitches.
I'm pretty enamored with my coat. It's very cozy and I'm so happy to finally use up these stash fabrics for a very wearable and versatile piece! I think this coat will see a lot of action in Vermont's winters.
