Cidell: Raincoating/Pre-Treating

I posted about this on my blog and Stitcher's Guild, but Marji suggested I post here too on my experience with pre-treating the B*berry raincoating fabric.



Leslie from Loohoo Originals had great results in pre-treating her raincoating from Michael's. I recalled Kathryn testing fabric and it came up softer and easier to ease. So, I took the plunge and washed three pieces (one from Michael's and two from Denver).


Two washed up perfectly. The last piece fell apart in the wash. It separated into two different pieces of fabric. I would NOT recommend washing these at home. I think I just got very lucky with my other two pieces.


The fabric is actually two layers with a waterproof rubberized material sandwiched in between and bonded. Because the two outer layers are cotton, they are more likely to shrink. But, the waterproof stuff inside won't.


So, to be safe, I recommend you just save this one for the dry cleaners.

Trenchcoats

Making a trenchcoat is indeed a different process than making a winter coat.
Because my intention here was to write the guidelines for tailoring a classic winter coat, I'm going to sit back and watch the trenchcoats here as they are assembled, along with everyone else.
I have one or two in my stash and pattern collection to make - they just aren't on the agenda yet.

There are some notable trenchcoats that have been made in the last year or so and have been blogged about with great advice and directions on how to proceed. I know there are more out there, but these members of the Great Coat Sewalong are the ones I'm linking to.

Tany's trenchcoat with very complete instructions - it's a course in itself.

LauraLo's Trenchcoat review with a synopsis on her blog. Complete record of the process.


Summerset' Trenchcoat -This link takes you to the finished post. If you follow the tags for Trenchcoat the rest of the process is there.

If you don't already follow the blogs of these 3 accomplished sewists - well, be prepared to spend some time and sit back, enjoying the eye candy and the excellent advice and material.

Kathryn has also made some trenchcoats, and while the process isn't documented on a blog, the photos are available in her photo albums. Beware, her photo albums are a place to get lost for hours all by themselves. Kiwi Green Eyelet Short Trench , Her Chanel knockoff trench and the Burda Riboon Trenchcoat