Michelle, ma belle... tres bien ensemble
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Michelle ma belle, sont des mots qui vont très bien ensemble,

Tres bien ensemble

Waterfalls.

11/19/2015

15 Comments

 
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This coat is the garment equivalent to walking around with a guitar; it makes you look instantly cool. Truth be told, I am not cool. I push against the mainstream. I'm a huge nerd. I'm extremely cautious. I get uptight pretty easily.  I'm the antithesis of spontaneity. You catch my drift?  Still, I feel like one of the cool kids in this coat. 
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The coat is none other than the Butterick Lisette waterfall coat: B6244. First, I really love that this pattern comes with pieces and instructions to sew both a dress and a coat. It's a nice modernization on a vintage concept, whether it's intentional or not. I love those 1950s/1960s patterns that assume the maker would sew a coordinating coat to cover her cocktail dress. I'm not fancy enough to have different jackets to wear with different dresses, but I like the idea of it.  
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The pattern for this coat is three pieces. It goes together relatively quickly. The most time consuming part of construction is flat felling all the seams. It's worth the effort, because the result is polished and professional. My only complaint with this pattern, which is really a matter of preference, is that the instructions don't go far enough with finishing techniques.
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It seems silly to put me through the trouble of flat felling my sleeve seams when there's no special technique for setting the sleeve.  And, why bother with beautiful seams if you're going to have me use narrow, machine stitched hems? If we're going to go, let's go all the way. Like I said, this is more an issue of preference. I opted to set my sleeves with French seams and hand-hemmed  both my cuffs and hem using a 1inch double fold hem, because I think a heftier hem on bottoms and outerwear looks higher end. 
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Regarding size, I NEVER use the pattern recommendations.  Instead, I measure the flat pattern and compare it to my body measurements. Because there is a lot of ease and drape in this style, I focused on the fit through the shoulder above all else. I cut the size 8 and made no modifications (except increasing the width of my hem). I typically make a narrow shoulder modification, but It wasn't necessary here.
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The fabric I used is a 100% wool fabric I bought at Sacre Coupon in Paris. I bought this fabric with the specific intention of making this coat. It's a light-medium weight fabric with a felt-like consistency and beautiful drape. It was a great match for this pattern!  I'm incredibly happy with this coat. If I can manage to work my way through the list of projects I've got queued currently, I'd like to sew a second. I've got an ecru colored wool from an estate sale that would make a great neutral top layer. This coat is perfect for the crisp fall weather we've been having, and it's light enough to wear in and out of buildings without overheating.  I've barely taken this off since I finished it. :-D 
15 Comments
Meg link
11/19/2015 05:54:24 am

You do look like a cool kid in this coat! It's gorgeous! I'm happy to see someone make this coat- I bought the pattern in the hopes that it would up my cool factor, too. ;-)

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Meg
11/19/2015 06:58:22 am

I love the details on this coat! The seams and hem are all divinely done - and the feel of that fabric is fantastic!

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Nicky Saggers link
11/19/2015 07:20:48 am

Beautiful sewing and great choice of fabric. I would like to try this and reading your tips has helped. I need to improve my size and fitting skills,as a recent attempt at a drape cardigan jacket ended in an oversized monstrosity! So thank you :).

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Sew little time link
11/19/2015 07:34:34 am

Its lovely. Yours is so much nicer than the pattern envelope version. Lovely dress with it too!

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Renee Anne link
11/19/2015 08:31:25 am

This is what I love about hand sewn items: you can make them to fit you. I bought a wool coat from a store once and while it fit around my boobs, it was HUGE in the shoulders and the sleeves weren't long enough. I wanted to love that coat and it just didn't work for me. I suppose if I were good at sewing (and owned a sewing machine), I could just make one myself. ::sigh::

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Alicia link
11/19/2015 09:14:54 am

That is one incredibly beautiful coat. Bravo!

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Mary Danielson link
11/19/2015 11:21:46 am

Beautiful! You absolutely look like a cool kid in this coat, Michelle. It's especially chic in the grey wool that you chose. Also, bonus points for adding French-seamed armscyes and hand-stitched hems. You're so right--it's details like that, which really elevate a sewn piece. Brava!

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Denise
11/19/2015 07:24:12 pm

Wow, amazing job!

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Sam link
11/20/2015 12:59:58 am

This is gorgeous and I think you look very cool in it.

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Christy link
11/20/2015 02:34:37 am

I love this. The colour is perfect and the fit looks fantastic. I hope it keeps you warm!

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Renee link
11/20/2015 09:03:44 am

AHHHHHH! I want to make this in a Burberry wool plaid coating I have. It looks so so good. Thank you for posting it and the details. And, super excited because I have a flat fell foot for my machine :-)

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The nerdy seamstress link
11/20/2015 02:16:49 pm

This is an amazing coat! It's so chic, I love it! I might consider making one myself!

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kristieinbc link
11/21/2015 07:23:36 am

That coat is amazing! And made even more so by the fact you used wool fabric that you bought in Paris. It looks stunning on you. I can see why you've barely taken it off!

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Heather link
11/23/2015 05:06:10 am

This is gorgeous Michelle! I can see why you would want to wear it everyday!

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katie metzroth link
11/30/2015 01:40:33 pm

I have no words. wow!

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