New Coat, Old Pattern - from 1935!

It would have been much easier to come up with a 10 piece winter travel set if it didn't include outer wear. The set from 1953, which inspired me to do my winter 2011 version, included outer wear, so I couldn't cheat out of it either. The coat had an almost impossible list of requirements to meet:

• Well, logically, it has to work with absolutely all the other pieces
• I have to be able to wear my cold, cold weather faux fur vest or knit jacket underneath without the armholes tearing
• It had to be elegant enough for me to take it to the opera without leaving it self-conscious next to all the fur coats while waiting for me to come out
• While at the same time being sporty enough for a snowball fight

Well, look: this one actually does that all!

Click that tiny little "read more" button right underneath, if that's what you want to do...


With this travel set I concentrated more on the "putting-it-together" aspect than the actual designing. So I would call it styling, mainly, for lack of a better word. I am making my own patterns only for some of the pieces, while using patterns for others. I was mulling over a suitable pattern when I remembered that I actually had a coat on my wanting-to-do-list. It's from 1935 and was originally meant as a summer coat:

Deutsche Moden-Zeitung, Heft 14, 1935

This whole page enticed me so much, I made almost all the pieces. You can find them in my BurdaStyle studio. While sticking very close to the originals for those, I changed the coat a bit. Though actually less than you'd think.

• I added a zipper to the front
• Instead of just doing embellishment seams along the edges, I used black tape (would you call that cord?), and I also stitched it along most of the seams, because I loved those style lines so much.
• I underlined it - or interlined - because the shell fabric, which is a furniture textile, is quite  loosely woven, and I lined it, which the original wasn't.

I have learned most of my coat sewing skills from Gertie - she is AMAZING.
For the lining though I used this fabulous bagging technique from threads magazine.
Enough talk. Here are some more pictures (click on them to enlarge):

The regular foot worked best for this, and I used a zigzag stitch just wide enough to hold the band in place

Here I tried different options for attaching the interlining to the shell fabric...

When making coats/jackets with zippers, I love to add a band under it, so wool sweaters won't get caught in it when closing it up

This lining really makes me happy! It's hard to find interesting lining fabric in Vienna....

My "naked" paper dolls - set up with accessories for the different kinds of activities I want to be able to do with the travel set.

True - if you have been following my progress on the winter set, you know that the second doll doesn't  really have anything to wear underneath, yet...

So next up - and very soon so! - is the wool jacket, because spring is approaching fast in Vienna!
Do you think I forgot any important activities for a winter travel set? While the original summer set included walks in the park, a trip on a sailing boat, a concert, a city stroll, a day at the beach - I'm trying to find the winter equivalents for 2011... Any suggestions?