Last week I posted about my reversible 1940s coat. I mentioned that it was actually the trial run, to get all the kinks out of the pattern, for a fancier version in wool. This week I'm sharing the wool version with you.
I was amused at the idea of taking coat photos in the warm March weather we have been experiencing, but a sudden snowstorm - slated to be melted by the next day - was a more costume-suitable backdrop for my coat.
This was my first experience sewing with wool. The fabric had a loose weave and frayed a lot. I wanted to use our serger on it, but since it wasn't available, I ended up double-zigzagging all the edges, which made for a lot of stitching but seemed to take care of the problem. And with the lining added, I don't have any fear of fraying.
Since it has classic outlines, though it is from a 1940s pattern, I styled it more 1930s instead.
I lined it with some cheerful vintage heavy-duty cotton I had, which incidentally was the same fabric I had used for my Thanksgiving outfit last year - a matching 1950s jacket and skirt. So I had to wear the skirt today, despite the difference in decades, to show the matching lining!
It's actually quite warm, though at first I had expected it to be a lighter-weight coat. The sum of the two fabrics is greater than the parts, I guess.
The button is lucite and was picked up at an antique store. I only had one, so that was perfect.
And the lovely fur collar I had picked up months earlier at a thrift store for a few dollars. It was already lined and just waiting to be stitched to a project. I instantly mentally paired it with the waiting fabric, and now with it all put together I love it! The fur is so soft and really takes the coat up a step in my opinion.
Meanwhile the snow was making the pictures interesting! It was such a wet snow it was almost like taking photos in the rain, with all the elements of the unexpected.
And it called for frequent primping!
Other than adding a collar and lining the coat, the only other changes I made to the pattern were to deepen the pleats in the back so the expansion was at the shoulder blades instead of the waist...
...and to add a few hooks and eyes above the button to make the front less V and hold the ends of the collar together when worn. (I love how the collar peaks in the back!)
And I have to call attention to my latest Ebay find...Aerosoles boots that have lovely vintage styling. I've seen some 1940s women's boot ads similar to these. With all this snow they were the perfect footwear.
I do love my new coat! But now I feel like putting all the dark colors and wool away and working with floral cottons - lots of them. Easter dress time! (Once the snow is gone, anyway!)
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