The details of this coat have been both challenging and fun. All of the small parts are made first and then they get incorporated into the larger seams that actually turn it all into a coat. Here are the epaulettes and the right front storm flap. I've become a "baste-a-holic" after making the wedding jacket, [...]
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TC = { (a2 + b2 +(cde)} in other words a trench coat is equal to the sum of its details?
For me a trench coat is all about the details. There's just so much stuff going on! Epaulettes, storm flaps, belt loops here and there. Maybe one of the reasons I've delayed making the coat is all of these details, which are usually topstitched to the Nth degree. In my opinion if they're not [...]
Ix-nay on the longer trench
Although I would have like a longer coat, in the end it just wasn't possible. In fact, I struggled for hours to get the coat as drafted out of my limited amount of fabric. Above you can see how close I had to place the major pattern pieces. Thank God the fabric was 60" wide. [...]
The trench coat muslin and a question
The muslin for the trench coat is complete, so here I am with the first fitting. Overall I'm pleased with the fit. Why the sleeves are so long I haven't a clue. I can safely shorten them by at least 2". The extra 3/4" across each shoulder will allow me to wear this over heavier [...]
Getting back to my roots
Ok. Getting back on track here. I've decided to make the cover trench coat from the Japanese coat book. It's been while, and I have to admit that it's been easy to drift into pre-printed patterns. It's been a treat to open up an envelope and, VOILA.... a pattern and instructions in English. But I [...]
Lazy summer days and too much ETSY
I fear my blog is seriously derailed. I'm supposed to be working myself through the remaining 2 designs in the Japanese coat book (a pea coat and a trench), but I found myself totally sucked into ETSY the other day. Here are the damages! This pattern was a ridiculous $3, and the size Medium is [...]
The finished seersucker robe
Here I am lounging on my porch in my new summer bathrobe. Yay! This version features the plain shawl collar. I shortened the length by 3" which allowed me to cut the robe out of 4 yards. It was a pretty tight fit with hardly any scrap left over. I did manage to match the [...]
Before there was "one size fits most" — The 1958 Men’s Robe
I've been in need of a new summer bathrobe for years. The one I have is disgusting. A gray and tan seersucker (how depressing), hopelessly stained from a self tanning experiment gone terribly wrong. I found this great vintage pattern on Etsy. McCall's #4816 circa 1958 in size 38-40. I was totally sucked in by [...]
The finished coat and lobster rolls
Hard to believe, but the wedding has come and gone. I finished the coat with plenty of time to spare. Thanks to my daughter for helping with the photo shoot. The location is the lovely Juniper Hill Inn in Ogunquit, Maine. I truly enjoyed wearing this jacket. All the other men at the wedding [...]
Setting the sleeves
Before setting the sleeves a 3/4" strip of pocketing is pressed into a curve and then basted into the armscye to prevent stretching. I then gathered the top of the sleeve between the notches with a long machine basting stitch. Mr Cabrera doesn't do this. Instead he bastes the sleeve into the armscye stating "Do [...]
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