Of Dreams and Seams: The Diva Coat!

My Contribution to the BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook:

No really, I couldn't say that I often sit at home sulking about the fact that I can't go to a cool party. In fact, I often choose staying at home (and doing something creative) OVER being at a cool party. But today is different. Today is the official launch party for the BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook, to which all the contributors were invited. How I would LOVE to be there in New York! I've lived in New York for five years and often dream about going back - today more than ever.

*** HAVE FUN AT THE PARTY! ***

*sigh*

I'm definitely counting on you fellow bloggers and BurdaStyle to take pictures and blog about it sometime soon! Please?

We were asked to keep quiet about it for such a long time now that it actually feels strange to finally show and tell.

I will divide this story up into three or four posts, so that I can share a lot of photos and information about how this coat came to life. Today is just a first overview.

Below are the sketches everything started out with. Burda had asked what kind of a garment I would like to make, and my choices were either a dress (because I own very few dresses) or a coat (because I love coats). They then sent me the technical drawings of the dress and the coat patterns, and I got to fantasize about what my version would be. I was pressed for time, so the sketches really aren't that great. But Burda chose my coat version, which I was really thrilled about.

Who knows, once the BurdaStyle Sewing Handbook is in my mailbox, I might make the dress, too! (Click to enlarge)

I don't know about you, but I sometimes really wish patterns came with a "preparation time" just like recipes do. Just so I know how many hours I need to calculate in. I guess that is completely impossible, as every seamstress - especially self-taught ones - is different in precision and pace and every little detail will change the time you need. But just for my own curiosity, I have been keeping a bit of a time record lately, and I did for this coat, too.

From the day I started cutting out the paper pattern to the dead line, I only had two weeks, which is plenty for a dress, but not for a coat... It took me 12 days to make it. In case you are interested, this is how my progress went:

Day 1 (half day): Preparing the Paper Pattern
Day 2 (half day): Buying the Materials
Day 3 (whole day): Making the Muslin
Day 4 (half day): Making the Bodice
Day 5 (3/4 day): Making the Balloon Bottom
Day 6 (3/4 day): Collar, Zipper, Facing
Day 7 (half day): Finish facing, sew black band embellishment, re-cut sleeve cuffs, sewing sleeves
Day 8 (half day): Setting in the sleeves
Day 9 (half day): Making the lining bodice
Day 10 (whole day): Bottom part of lining and white band embellishment
Day 11: (half day): Finish embelishment, sew in lining
Day 12: (half day): Finishing!!! Belt, beltloops, handsew lining

Half days sometimes meant only two, but up to about four hours of work, 3/4 days up to six, whole days 8 up to even 10 hours. I think I am a rather slow seamstress. Oh, and by the way, I decided to always start the day with cutting out the pattern pieces I would need for the next step. Which meant about an hour of cutting in the beginning of each day - with all the interlining, fusible lining, lining and shell pieces I must have cut out hundreds of pattern pieces. But I just couldn't bring myself to cut everything out first at once... Ugh.

I will write about one post per week about the making of this coat, taking about 4 days per post with explanations and photos about the steps I took... This was at that time my most "professional" coat I ever made, and my best guide was Gertie's new blog for better sewing . She made a coat in her blogging beginnings and she started this wonderful series introducing the coat vlogs. ;-) It starts with THIS POST, and ends HERE. If you also take a look at Sherry's RTW Sewalong over at Pattern Scissors Cloth, which I got to know later, you will end up a real Coat/Jacket pro!