This Fall/Winter season, an important mantra to live by is "you're always well dressed, with a good coat." After all, as the chilly weather slowly makes its way into our everyday routines, we will essentially be living in that coat. While organizing my closet for this transitional east coast weather, I realized that I do not have a staple, neutral coat. To elaborate, this is comparable to the “little black dress” which should be in every young woman’s closet. So, what better opportunity do I have then now to start my next project: a modern and sleek staple fall/winter coat.
I first purchased a coat pattern, from BurdaStyle, that has a basic and simple silhouette, but could definitely be elevated with an interesting and bold fabric. So, I headed to Mood Fabric Store in search of the perfect double-faced wool. I decided on a dark navy/black playfully checkered print wool from designer, Rag & Bone. I did not want to create a typical black coat, so this printed added a little extra flair.
I was initially delighted with this decision, until I realized that it’s directional checkered print will require hours of pattern placement and cutting (5 hours to be exact) in order to ensure that the print is lined up accurately and matches on each side of the coat. Despite the extra work and an eventful Saturday night spent bonding with pins, scissors, and Pandora radio to keep me going, I am looking forward to piecing together this modern looking coat.
My progress as of now is a collection of cut pattern pieces and fabric, as shown below. In the second photo, you can see how the directional checkered print lines up on all of the main body panels, as well as the sleeves, which are laid out at the top.
Stay tuned for the stitching and final product!
To any sewers out there: what techniques do you use when using directional prints?
