If you read my last post, you saw that one of the goals for 2020 was to finish my pile of unfinished projects. This coat has been sitting in that pile for about a year and I finally finished it!
The reason it initially went to the unfinished pile because I wasn’t sure I’d like the giant hood/collar and I just wasn’t loving how it looked in general. A big part of that is because I made it in fleece as a test run before using other fabric. This was also my first attempt at a coat and lining so I didn’t want to use expensive fabric to start with. I finally decided to reduced the size of the hood by about 2 inches, hoping it would still look okay.
I was pleasantly surprise with the outcome of the coat! I like it a lot more than expected and the collar is just the right size for me. In fact, the original collar size probably would have been fine. It’s really not a functional hood either way, but I love the drama it adds to an otherwise simple design. I found the instruction fairly easy to follow and it was a good learning experience. I graded between sizes 6 and 10 and found the fit to be good, although it was a little bigger in the hips than expected.
There are a few small things I didn’t like about the pattern. Overall, I don’t love in fleece as it is fluffier looking than I wanted. I think the coat would look much nicer in a different fabric, as I couldn’t press the fleece to make nice crisp seams and hems. I should have used a faux flat fell for the seams or double topstitched to make the seams look nicer. Again, I knew fleece wasn’t the best choice going in but I was just using that I had. I also don’t really care for the pocket placement. I think I would prefer them on the side seam instead of the front, as that just feels more natural to me.
Overall, I am glad I finally finished the coat and I am happy with the outcome! If I find the right fabric, I’d like to try making it again.
