Lindsay T: Finished my Chanel-style bouclé coat

I honestly never thought I'd see the day when this coat was finished!

I'm really pleased with how it turned out, and this sewalong was a great help. Thank you so much, Marji, for organizing and overseeing it. And many thanks to the experts who posted tutorials here—I relied heavily on your advice.

Stop by my blog for photos of me wearing my coat while shopping in Soho (NYC), my thoughts on the whole coat sewing process, and more detail photos of my coat. Here's my review on PatternReview.

Lindsay T: Progress made, plus a question

I made considerable progress on my coat this weekend. The body is all done, having been pad-stitched, catch-stitched and machine-stitched; the sleeves are assembled and ready to be attached. Marji, you'd be pleased to know I'm actually getting into making this coat.

I also spent some time thinking about what extra touches I want to incorporate, as the OOP Vogue pattern I'm using is basically a blank slate. I photocopied the pattern illustration and then sketched various pocket and trim ideas. For now I've added two flaps at the high waist and I like the definition it gives my rectangle figure. Fabulous buttons will be a must, of course. You can see one of my sketch ideas at left.

Question: The pattern calls for inseam side pockets. I tried this with my coat and then ripped them out because it made me look thicker through the middle, and I want this coat to have a slim fit. I like the idea, though, of pockets as a place to put my gloves when I'm not wearing my coat. Is a patch pocket inside on the lining a bad idea? Any thoughts?

Lindsay T: First Attempt at My Muslin

I'm making Vogue 7978, the view with the stand-up collar, out of bouclé.

My coat "vision": A lightweight, three-season coat that I can wear into the city and occasionally to work. Will be reminiscent of Chanel and will magically make me look 20 pounds thinner and 10 years younger. Or 10 pounds thinner and 20 years younger. I will probably wear it most often unbuttoned with jeans.

Here is my first draft muslin. It feels like the fit is where I want it to be, but I can't tell from these photos. The front looks a little baggy here but it doesn't feel baggy. You can see that I somehow cut the side panels a couple inches shorter than the other panels. I put on some shoulder pads (underneath the turtleneck) that aren't quite as thick as I'd like them to be, but that's all I had available. My DD gave me an unsolicited "looks good, Mom!" Experts, please weigh in with your opinions. Thanks!

Lindsay T: A Wool Boucle Coat

Here are my coat plans:

Pattern: I wanted to try the Hot Patterns Riviera coat but it looks like my pattern order (actually an exchange with another HP pattern) won't arrive on time, so yesterday I ordered an OOP Vogue, 7978. I am going to make the stand-up collar, double-breasted view.

Fabric: A wool boucle that I bought at Paron Fabrics in the city. This is a past season Missoni that I gravitated toward for its multicolored flecks of yarn. As many of you know, I live in jeans and I think this coat has the versatility to go with denim or fancier fabrics. This boucle is a little more tightly woven than most boucles, so hopefully it will wear longer. I purchased fusible weft interfacing to bind the boucle to so it has even a little more stability.

Lining: Black silk charmeuse from Mood Fabrics.

Interlining: Black cotton flannelette from Rosen & Chadick Fabrics

Trim: None purchased yet, but I'm thinking about some kind of black velvet trim. Black looks great with this boucle.

Question for Marji: Will I be treating this coat like a longer version of a Chanel jacket, meaning quilting the lining and omitting the facings? Or do you recommend I make it like a regular coat?