While I was hard-core procrastinating on
my wedding dress, I received an email about pattern testing from Tasia at
Sewaholic Patterns. I have done pattern testing a few times and it is always super fun: knowing a secret before everyone else, being helpful, making something cute, a free pattern...etc. So I was like "aww yeah." In the past I did pattern testing for the
Minoru jacket,
Cambie dress, Alma blouse
one and
two, and
Thurlow shorts. Those were all fairly simple and came together quickly. It's important to note at this point: it was mid-January, about 5 weeks out from my wedding with the dress not started, and you don't know what the pattern is until you are chosen.
So I get my email and find out its for a trench coat. Hmm. I might be a procrastinator, but I am not a quitter, and thus I continued on. I made
Andrew that birthday trench a few year ago, so I fully understood the time commitment needed. (Note: that is the only thing I have ever made that made it to Burda's best of the month thing.)
Here is the sketch for the Robson coat:
So I proceed to make the coat, which is made from a cheetah print quilter's cotton and underlined with beige polka dot flannel. Since it is unlined, like any true trench, the seams are bound with beige binding, and then hot pink after I ran out. It is quite a coat... very flashy and yet neutral. I have yet to wear it out of the house and not have someone comment on it!
I think I am going to hem it a bit shorter, but other than that I really like it. Sewing it was exactly as predicted and I didn't really have many changes to suggest; her instructions keep it simple and are infinitely better than the Vogue one from Andrew's coat.
Back:
Cuff details:
It's double breasted and has rain flaps, not that you can see them.
Wearing it open feels a little too creepy-flasher:
However, I did have to flash you once to see the inside, which is the fuzzy flannel. The arms are the only part bound in hot pink. I bought three or four packages, but I should have got one more.
Belt loops, belt, inseam faux-welt pockets:
The back has the trench flat and a button and epaulet shoulder tabs.
Collar and front flaps. My buttons are beige and disappear magically.
It is not a difficult pattern. I think an advanced beginner could do it. It just takes more time. You just need to be able to do buttonholes, top-stitching and binding seams. If you can do those, then you're golden! I would say it cost about $60 because I underlined it, so that was twice as much fabric. It used about 4 yards. I finished it during pattern testing by making myself sit down and sew an hour each day. It probably took about 10 hours and then it took me a month to sit down and sew on all the buttons. OH hand sewing, so easy to procrastinate!
Overall, it was a fun coat to make and now I have another jacket to wear for the in-between-ness of Spring weather!
