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".

Linda (Danville Girl) Fabric choice made and ordered

I will be making the McCall's coat but I will not be making the red view. I want to change things up so will be making View A, blue one. I will also be making it in blue, a royal blue. I just ordered my fabric from Gorgeous Fabrics, taking advantage of her sale price. Gosh, I feel like I am making progress. My McCall's pattern arrived today. Hopefully once the fabric arrives I will be able to find the right lining fabric and color.

Later.

My final decision

I have agonized over what pattern to use for this coat sew along. I narrowed it down to Vogue 7978, McCalls 5247, or drafting a coat pattern using PMB4. I got an email from BMV Club announcing a one day $5.99 McCalls pattern sale. I ordered the McCall's pattern.

I will probably make the red version, but giving serious thought to View A (blue). This would be different from what I always buy in RTW, red one is pretty much the style I always go for.

I am still undecided about fabric. I am leaning toward a more solid color but want to do something besides black. I have some coat fabric in stash but it is in the plaid family and have real concerns about using it for this first time full length coat.