The Perfect Coat Quest
This will not come to you as a surprise – I am an absolute fan of fit-and-flare dresses, in particular for the cooler months of the year. And obviously the flarer (is this really a word?) the better! Circle skirts are my absolute favourite if they work with the fabric I am using.
However, circle skirts create a major issue when combined with outwear: very few coats work for them! I am the lucky owner of an extensive collection of cropped jackets, which are a perfect match. But sometime you really want to wear a coat (particularly in the London winter) – that’s why I got quite excited when I discovered M8048! Even more so because it has bust cup options, hurrah!!!
M8048, also called #JessaMcCalls, is actually more a jacket than a coat pattern. If like me you hate anything asymmetrical, you will be put off but the enveloppe picture, but you really you shouldn’t. Imagine the potential of view B lengthened to knee-height– this is exactly what I did.
First things first, I initially made a toile to check the fit. Given that the presentation pictures where in mid-season rather than full winter fabric, I decided that both my toile and final project needed to be mid-season. So for my toile:
- I chose a non-stretch mid-weight gabardine fabric I’ve had unused in my stash for ages – like most of my royal blue fabrics actually, very strange!
- I cut my usual size 10/ C cup in McCall/ Vogue, which usually fit like a glove;
- I lengthened the view B skirt pattern piece to 63cm.
The bodice looked so promising than instead of leaving it at that ( only one sleeve, unlined, not buttons, no skirt) and starting the real project, I decided to actually finish it as a wearable coat. And what a good idea it was – with the skirt added, it is actually very obvious it is far too big!!! Especially at the waist and the underarm level! And contrasting piping is definitely not a good idea!
Not so obvious from the back and with a good swirl, but that’s a bit limiting for everyday wear isn’t it?
With that in mind, I decided to go ahead with size 8/ C cup for my final coat. I used a waterproof raincoat fabric I bought for a bargain from Croftmill, in a vibrant wine colour I absolutely adore for Autumn! The fit is now perfect at the waist and the underarms…
but… the coat is now too tight around the bust! Bouhouhou…
There also seem to be an inherent issue with the circle skirt, which without buttons does not fall properly at the front.
Another issue I have with this pattern is that there is not much sophistication in the way the lining is constructed . It is largely based on the same pattern as the coat, which shouldn’t be the case. The first coat I ever made was Ernest by Republique du Chiffon and the inside finish was proper coat technique!
Going back to my coat, what are my options now? Either try and make the coat again with a different size for the bodice: should I go for a mix of size 8 and size 10? Or just size 8 with a D bust? Or continue my search for a different pattern? I am unsure so your advice is very welcome. The good news is that I purchased my fabric in bulk so I have another 3m left!
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