Sewing a lilac coat for Spring: Vintage V4001 pattern review
After a long absence from the blog and from my sewing room, I am back and it brings me a lot of joy! Here is my first make after a two-month break: a vintage lilac coat, perfectly warm and cozy for Spring in London.
A bit of context
While away, I received a few message kindly inquiring about how I was – and they really warmed my heart! The truth is that I have not been really well, slowly sinking into mild depression. Life has been too complicated recently and I am simply not managing very well: we got ourselves into two house construction/ renovation projects, had to move in a rush to a temporary rental house I hate, got our family home knocked down to leave place for the new… all this with four moody teenagers at home and the general world political situation around us…
The good news is that I am slowly working on my recovery with sports, yoga, low-dose antidepressants and… sewing of course. My sewing room was the last room I worked on in the new place (typical) but it is delightful: big, full of light and perfectly furnished, with a huge desk for my machines and even a cutting table!!! We had to buy all new but did not want to spend a fortune for a temporary solution, so IKEA was a saviour here.
But back to sewing! For an obscure reason, come Spring and I always feel the need for a new coat. This year is no exception and thankfully Vogue 4001 made my life very easy.
Pattern description
Vogue 4001 is an original (non re-edited) vintage pattern from 1959. It is described as “a straight coat with high, round collarless neckline (… ) and above or below elbow-length raglan sleeves“. There is a true 1950’s Dior feel to it and it was love at first sight when I saw MD Provost’s wonderful version. I was very lucky and immediately managed to find the pattern in my size and in very good condition from Etsy (already cut but perfectly folded and apparently never used).
Beware: there is no closure at the front and that’s how the coat is meant to be worn. So definitely not appropriate for high winter but perfect in my view for mid-season.
Pros: easy to make, easy to fit and incredibly stylish
This coat was a joy to sew, exactly what I needed! It is an extremely easy make, as there are only 10 pattern pieces and no front closure so no fiddly zip or buttonholes. The fit it quite accommodating as long as you get the shoulder size about right. And is it so stylish that I get compliments from random strangers each time I wear it – incredible given how streamlined the shape is.
Cons: too long, funny-positioned pockets and nightmarish lining
The easy-to-fix issue of this coat is that it is 15cm too long (for my 1.68m height). The envelope drawing is misleading here as if you follow the pattern, you will end-up with a mid-calf coat which looks like a bathrobe – I strongly advise to shorten it (as I did).
Another issue is that the pockets are sitting similarly too low but given how they are designed, once cut you can’t move them. I personally don’t feel the need for pockets but if you do just, move them at least 10cm up on the pattern pieces before cutting your fabric.
Lastly, the coat can be fully lined and the lining pieces are perfectly designed but the instructions on how to line the coat are very poor, advising to attach most of the lining to the coat by hand. My view is that attaching the lining with the sewing machine is much neater and I did that as much as I could – but I realised the problem a bit late so the finish is not as nice as I would have liked.
Sizing
The pattern I purchased was size 14 (bust 34, hip 36) and it fitted well my size 8 UK/ 36 FR/ 2 US. Maybe a little large at the shoulders but I am very narrow in this area. As I mentioned, the fit for this coat is quite accommodating due to its straight shape – which is lucky because I frankly had no clue of sizing with vintage patterns.
Fabric
If you have been reading this blog for a bit, you know my passion for all think lilac, violet and purple. So when I saw this lilac wool coating from The New Craft House advertised pre release on Instagram, I even messaged them to know whether I could get 3m immediately. The answer was no but I was super quick when it was released and got all I needed – the coat actually only required 2.5m.
This fabric is as gorgeous in real life as it looks in pictures: with a vivid lilac colour, thick but with drape, and super soft. I absolutely adore it.
Conclusion
This was definitely the right project to get my sewing mojo back! More coats soon… and maybe a few dresses of course!
I absolutely love this coat!! The fabric is beautiful in this gorgeous light lilac color. Another wonderful make for you.
Thank you so much! I was a bit worried of the “Queen Mother” look with this bright colourful coat, but I guess the secret is not wearing a matching hat!!
What a beautiful coat; it looks lovely on you. All the best with your health. I also suffer from depression and sewing is my therapy.
Thank you! Sewing is definitely good for health !