A friend of mine commented recently that I haven't posted a photo of myself on the blog in many months so I put on my new coat, grabbed an unenthusiastic teenage male photographer on holiday break from school, and went outside for a photo shoot in seven degrees Fahrenheit.
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| Wool coating with wrong side of fabric used for contrast |
The construction/design details I want to discuss are the use of faux fur and polar fleece as underlining. All my friends from southern states will be disappointed in this article, but in Chicago we needs warm clothes. Bear with me; I will switch to spring fashions February or March at the latest!
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| the faux fur is dyed wine and black; very dimensional color |
The burgundy tweed wool coating is from Vogue Fabrics, and the faux fur is from Mood Fabrics. In early December Mood has a huge selection of faux fur in interesting colors and at fair prices. Last week I checked back and they appear to be almost sold out of faux fur. I used a somewhat heavy polyester stretch satin for the lining. I like heavy coat linings to add warmth. They also wrinkle less.
I even made a dress from the extra fabric! This close-up shows beads and self-fabric fringe decorating the neckline. Self-fabric fringe zig zags around the dress. I got the idea from a Chanel dress shown two summers ago. Note the contrast fabric on top of the shoulders. A small detail that creates nice visual interest. This is a good detail to add to jackets and coats also.
The coat has fabric belt loops. When the belt is tightened around the waist, the belt loops will sag away from the body if they are much longer than the belt width. I had to stitch the belt loops on twice to get them sitting nicely.
The coat front has single welt pockets which are nearly invisible. I could have used contrast fabric for the welts, but my thinking was that fur and hood should be the focal points.
The coat closes with size 4 snaps. I used interfaced coat lining (polyester charmeuse) to cover the snaps. This is the female side of the snap. Note the pocket of the snap has lining. The male side of the snap will not attach to the female side due to the thick lining fabric.
I cut away fabric from the pocket of the snap, and now the two sides hold firmly.
The male side of the snap.
Below is the back panel of the coat. The fashion fabric is interfacing with fusi-knit interfacing. Red polar fleece laid on top. The polar fleece is cut so it will not be caught in the seams; polar fleece is bulky and the side seams will not lay flat with fleece in them. I am just trying to add warmth to the upper back panel.
I loosely basted the fleece to the back panel with horizontal rows every three inches. The thread basting catches the interfacing and a thread of the fashion fabric. The basting won't show since the wool coating is thick.
The raw edges of the fleece are catch stitched to the interfacing to hold them flat.
The coat is a bit heavy to wear, but it is warm and unique.
I even made a dress from the extra fabric! This close-up shows beads and self-fabric fringe decorating the neckline. Self-fabric fringe zig zags around the dress. I got the idea from a Chanel dress shown two summers ago. Note the contrast fabric on top of the shoulders. A small detail that creates nice visual interest. This is a good detail to add to jackets and coats also.
The coat has fabric belt loops. When the belt is tightened around the waist, the belt loops will sag away from the body if they are much longer than the belt width. I had to stitch the belt loops on twice to get them sitting nicely.
The coat front has single welt pockets which are nearly invisible. I could have used contrast fabric for the welts, but my thinking was that fur and hood should be the focal points. 
The coat closes with size 4 snaps. I used interfaced coat lining (polyester charmeuse) to cover the snaps. This is the female side of the snap. Note the pocket of the snap has lining. The male side of the snap will not attach to the female side due to the thick lining fabric.
I cut away fabric from the pocket of the snap, and now the two sides hold firmly.
The male side of the snap.
Below is the back panel of the coat. The fashion fabric is interfacing with fusi-knit interfacing. Red polar fleece laid on top. The polar fleece is cut so it will not be caught in the seams; polar fleece is bulky and the side seams will not lay flat with fleece in them. I am just trying to add warmth to the upper back panel.
I loosely basted the fleece to the back panel with horizontal rows every three inches. The thread basting catches the interfacing and a thread of the fashion fabric. The basting won't show since the wool coating is thick.
The coat is a bit heavy to wear, but it is warm and unique. 
Elegant and lovely as always. And what a trooper your are to get out on these cold days for pictures!!
ReplyDeleteSuch lovely sewn creations! Thanks so much for taking the time for photos - annoying, but nothing compares for people on this side of the computer screen :) Your coat and dress are stunning! I absolutely adore the zig-zag trim on your dress - I was particularly fond of the collection you're talking about so I recognised the inspiration straight away. Gorgeous on the covered snaps too. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Ann,
ReplyDeleteJust checked in, and my comment has gone awol!
As ever, in awe of your beautiful work. Thank you so much for braving the cold! Happy New Year to you and yours. May 2014 bring you everything you wish for.