Digs McCall's 5247 wearable muslin, aka Enchanting Edinburgh

Last weekend, with an incipient summer cold simmering inside me, I decided I need a quick warm cover up for when the AC turns the office into an arctic wasteland. What better than to try the tweaked coat pattern, I thought? Tweaks included moving the front & back side seams 1" toward centre, raising the waistline 1", lengthening skirt by 5 cm, dropping the back neckline down 1 cm & adjusting collar length a bit for it, dropping the front 1 cm, giving the sleeves a bias cut cuff that extended well inside the sleeve so I can wear the sleeve turned down or up to show off a bracelet, cutting the first 4 cm of the pockets as one with the relevant pattern piece, and then making both sides of the pocket out of lining fabric underlined with cotton sheeting to make it wear-tough.

I used a wool twill (Scott Black & White tartan) that I'd bought in Edinburgh last fall, and lined it with a silk jacquard print of green shamrocks on a black background, from Fabric Mart.

Note to self: do NOT pick a plaid if the objective is a quick to finish project. I ended up having to baste every seam so the plaid pattern stayed put across seamlines. This included ripping out a few originally pinned seams, yes even with a walking foot, and at least doubled the time I spent on it.

Other lessons learned: The size I muslined is too large: the skirt's voluminous, which is OK, but the shoulders are also too wide, which is not. Here's where photos of one's project are really invaluable: after seeing them, I narrowed the shoulder princess seams by 1 cm front & back, and took in the waistline by 3.5". I also went back and interfaced the vent edges and the hem for a crisper look. And I tacked the facings to the fronts with invisible prick stitching.

All in all, although still on the roomy side, this has turned out to be a perfectly wearable light cover-up.

Digs: McCall's 5247 muslin

Here's the muslin for my "little coral cashmere fall coat", McCall's 5247. Front, side, back.


I adjusted the seaming slightly to make it a little less like a sack of potatos: added 4 mm in the bust and hips at the front side seams and below the waist at the side seams, and decreased at the waistline at front side and back seams. It looks a little loose over a tee, but fills out well when I put on a long sweatshirt. The shoulder pads are placed at the sleeve seam line, and the neck folded down & pinned. The photos show me that I should've pressed the front side seams better (and that I need a new undergarment).

The muslin waistline falls about 1.5 cm below my own, so I'll pleat that up when cutting the fabric. I haven't quite decided on the final length, but I may cut it 5 cm longer to keep the length as shown here - I like coats to cover my knees, and I think the longer skirt will make it more feminine.

Should I deepen the back neck a little to allowthe coat to rotate forward?

My only issue with this pattern is that I believe the side front seams should fall closer to the bust point, and they are quite far to the side. I found this beautiful coat based on the same pattern, and it confirms the front & back side seam placement. So, I'd love some comments on "what if" I was to shift that seaming (both front & back, since they should match at the shoulder) towards the centre by about 1/2".

Digs' "Dream On" coat plans

Well, the title says it all - so many coats, so little time!

I have plans for three:

1. Fall coat: coral-coloured cashmere (from Michael's). This is my first-choice project: I love the fabric, and I'm willing to forgo all else to make it. I haven't quite yet settled on a pattern. I have just 3.3 yds (3.1 m) so it won't be a long or complicated coat. At the moment, the pattern possibilities are: Vogue 8438 view B; Vogue 7978 view D or E; or McCall's 5247 view C. Vogue 7979 is no longer available in our neighbourhood.... For underlining choices I have cotton batiste, cotton-silk batiste, and silk organza. Wow, they all seem so WIMPY: can they REALLY do the job???!!! I'd love it if someone could advise me as to which would be best. I'm not going to use fusibles. I'm also thinking, what about a fine worsted or gabardine wool as underlining? It would provide plenty of body and improve warmth. Warmth is very desirable here in Ottawa, the weather can change from summer to winter overnight! This coat's lining will be a silk charmeuse in a lovely red/orange-dominated colour mix. I think it's that brilliant Mandelbrot-wannabe orange "Maggy London" one from Fabric Club, but I bought it so long ago, I don't quite remember its origin. It's wild though, and I love it. The solid fashion fabric and jazzy lining work very well together.

2. Winter coat: black with grey pinstripe, wool-cashmere flannel. This one's from a fabric supplier on ebay, and I have 5 yds. I want this one to be a long "Russian soldier" type coat, and my pattern is Vogue 1266 view B: double breasted with a large collar. I have a black silk jacquard with gold zodiac prints for lining. I'm also thinking of using a Fabric Club freebie, a polyester knit fleece, as interlining for warmth. The fashion fabric feels sturdy enough not to need underlining, but I'm willing to be persuaded otherwise. Should I use some silk organza, just to keep it all together?

Here's a link to the fashion fabric and lining.


3. Rain coat: yup, I got 3.3 yds of that Burberry-style raincoating cotton from Michael's (and 2 yds of the turquoise to make a jacket for my DS). Well, having looked at this acquisition for a while now, it sure seems very-in-my-face red. I'm not sure if I wouldn't prefer my raincoat to be more neutral - like the tan that's currently available from Denver Fabrics (and yes, I just ordered 4.5 yds of it!). This one is not intended to be warm, and I have the matching lining. I want to do a shameless classic trench knockoff out of it. No pattern picked out yet, but it'll need to have the front & back yokes, the back vent tab, the belt, the sleeve tabs, and the epaulettes. I would LOVE it if I could fit a hidden hood under the collar, but this may be too much to ask (comments???). Pattern suggestions, anyone? I might adapt McCall's 5480 for a hooded above-the knee jacket, since I already have that one, and it has the raglan sleeve I'd like to try. I'm going to stall on this one, as our local pattern supplier is having a succession of weekly specials, so over the next couple of weeks I'm going to pick up some patterns that might be adaptable.

Most of all, I'd love to make at least one of these in a raglan sleeve pattern. Apart from the M5480, which is pretty unfitted, I haven't found THE appropriate raglan coat pattern yet. Would love to hear a hint as to where to find one!

Advice, comments & criticisms are ALL more than welcome!