Sew Chaotically! - Lisette B6244 Blanket Coat

Here we go!!!  Click here for a great sew-along!  There's some pretty good info at the start, then just scroll down until you get to the section titled 'Join Us' and click the link "here".  This takes you to a page with various comments.  Below that is a nice step-by-step instruction guide!  I found this pattern review very helpful as well:  Girls in the Garden: Butterick 6244 coat 

Some basic stitching info:  This pattern uses flat felled seams which were a new skill for me...  After a napkin lesson from Ruthie and a peek around the internet... here's a good flat felled seam tutorial, I practiced on scraps of my fabric until I was comfortable with the process.  It's really not difficult and looks very neat and professional.  I did have to adjust my tension a little and moving the needle over one or two clicks and increasing stitch length did improve the look.  This coat also requires a folded hem, that needs to look really neat, given its exposure (back and front) around the entire circumference of the coat.  Lori's suggestion from her review on her blog, Girls in the Garden, (above) was very much worth it!!  "The Lisette sewalong, suggests for the hemming to baste a 5/8" line to help keep an accurate hem.  I did this on the front, hem and sleeve hem but also added a 1/4" stitch line.  I felt that made it even more accurate to turn under 1/4" and then again at that 5/8" mark." 

Beautiful burgundy double faced wool B found from Jo Ann's. Great note holder to keep my stitching recipe straight for my seams and hems, from my friend Connie, handily placed!  Bernie set!  Ipad with sew-a-long at the ready.  Liquid reinforcement. (Hey!  The tutorial even recommends a glass!) Practice complete. No more excuses!  Do have to tell you...that while the sew-a-long indicates folks will be worried about putting in a couple of darts at the start....  They are no problem.  However, the next step of attaching the "collar" made me a nervous wreck!!!  It works.  I managed it with no puckers or re-do's. (You can see it in the pic below to the left of the sleeve.) But, it was the most difficult part of the whole thing!

When folks review a pattern and say it's great but they added this and didn't do that....it tends to get on my nerves!!!  Did you actually make this pattern or didn't you?  So...here I go!!!  Telling you what I did differently!!!  Oh, well....  I did not stitch up my sleeves and the sides of the coat and THEN install the sleeves as the pattern directed.  The sew-a-long even mentioned that there was a lot of ease to deal with and some of the coats folks displayed on-line had a fair amount of unintended puckers in their sleeve caps.  I did NOT want puffed sleeves on an already voluminous blanket coat if I could help it!!!  So...despite my trepidation never having placed sleeves this way before....I installed my sleeves using a flat method.  I also used Ruthie's tip of ease stitching along almost all of the sleeve-cap rather than just in the little section of the cap indicated, so I had more room to maneuver.  The sleeve went in easy-peasy!! I also serged the long edges of my sleeves, so they would be neatly finished, before I even started.  (The pattern called for the long seam to be flat felled!  Lovely, if accomplished, to be sure.  But lots of sewists noted the understandable difficulty of this and I decided not to risk mucking up my fabric, my psyche, or my sleeve!!!)

After the sleeve was stitched in place, with edges trimmed and finished (I just used my machine's zig-zag since I have better control with that over my serger.) I stitched together side seams and sleeve in one long seam.

So incredibly pleased!!! Not one puffy pucker!!!

Nicely fitted behind!

Pretty draped front!

Why double faced fabric and neat hemming is important as the coat shows both!!!

Dressed up!

And down!

 

And, yes!  There was snow!

      On the photog, at least!!!  Thanks, B!  I just love my coat.  I am SEW proud of it!!  Sew Chaotically! - c