I made a coat! But I'm not keeping it.

I’ve been wanting to make a coat for such a long time. Early this winter, I started pondering a coat and looked around a little online for some plaid wool coating. The fabrics I liked were more than I could spend, though, so I let it drop until the camel wool coating went on clearance at Hobby Lobby. It’s not wool, but a poly/rayon blend and feels nice. Even though it said dry clean only, I ignored that and washed AND dried it and it came out just fine, no shrinkage or pilling (why do fabrics say that when almost everything can be washed??)

Anyway, I grabbed McCall’s 7897 during a pattern sale and got to work. My muslin worked great, although I don’t include pockets when muslining, and in this case that backfired on me! I got the coat made, lining put in (a thrifted flannel) and I just did not like it on me at all! But I had spent so much time on it at this point (a lined coat is not a weekend project!) so I just kept plugging away, hoping it would get better.

Before I go on, in case you’re picturing something truly hideous, here is the coat in question:

What Went Wrong:

As you can see, this is a beautiful coat. The pattern and design are not the problem. The thing is, I knew pretty early on that I did not like it, but I just couldn’t bear to throw it away! I had some issues with the pressing of this coating, which I solved by top stitching and that did help with the bulk factor. I also made a mistake with the hem and had to problem solve, which is why the hem isn’t as attractive as I’d have liked. Nevertheless, I kept going with it so I could at least get it to a finished enough place to donate it. The fit and color just were not right for me and I knew I’d never wear it, even after all that work.

I poured my troubles out on Instastories and got some good advice (and commiseration) there. Isn’t the sewing community the best!? The best part, though, is that my dear friend saw the coat and fell in love, so I’m going to send it to her! I finished it completely, with buttons and button holes and I’m thrilled that someone who loves it will have it. I added a Hand Made tag just for fun. Becky and I have been swapping clothes since we were about 15, so it should have occurred to me to offer this coat to her.

What I Learned:

No project, success or failure, ends without lessons learned! Here’s what I learned this time:

First, I do not like in seam pockets! No matter the garment, the position of pockets inserted into the side seam widens my hips in a way that looks very bulky. I also find they’re usually in an unnatural place for my hands to search for pockets Lesson learned here, I will adapt garments to have other pocket styles instead. If I make this coat again, I’ll do patch pockets.

Second, I do not look good in camel. I sort of already knew this, but when this fabric went on clearance and they only had this color, I thought this was my only chance to make a coat on a budget, so I tried to believe whatever guru said that everyone can pull off camel. Not true, guru, I am living proof. My husband is the one who pointed out that the style of the coat does suit me, but the color does not. I think if it were charcoal or navy, I would have felt very differently about it.

If I make another coat, I’ll be willing to spend a little more to get fabric I really love, like this beautiful plaid wool option, this amazing large stripe, this salt and pepper tweed, or this fun option.

Third, I overlooked a needed adjustment when muslining and realized too late that there was too much fabric in the back bodice. I think this could have been resolved if I’d paid closer attention to the fit and just taken more time on the muslin in general. Speaking of adjustments, I finally own the famed fitting book, Fit For Real People and am hooked. Just flipping through it was like fitting issue puzzle pieces coming together! It appears that Pants for Real People also exists and since pants sewing is my goal this year, I may have to add that to my library too.

In the end, it would have been so hard to just throw the project away and I think that’s why I kept going with it, just to get it to a finished place and donate it. When my friend asked for it, I was happy to go ahead and finish it completely with the buttonholes and buttons and I’m so happy with the way the whole situation turned out.

What do you do about projects that just aren’t working out? Tell me in the comments!