I made a proper trench coat! Years ago I have tried making my first trench. While I liked it – I had made it out of pretty soft cotton twill, got too greedy making it more fitted, and the whole thing just really didnt work together after our initial honey period. (Do you have a honeymoon period with your handmade garment? I surely do!)
Anyways, I felt a need for a coat that is not too heavy and fussy – something made from cotton. I wanted one thats fitted on the shoulder so it doesnt overwhelm my frame, but loose around the bodice so it has a classic… “clinched” look. I also looked over Burberry’s pictures to see what details I would like to put in for my trench coat – and loved the way they top stitch the neck band, brassy closure on collar, topstitch and D-rings on their belt. I decided to re-made that the trench with almost 7 years of added sewing experience.
After many weeks of sourcing the right fabric, and then many many more weeks (6-8 weeks to be exact, started beginning of March) of sewing, and dealing with some sewing machine issues, the coat is finally done!!
First, I am proud to present the list of materials (because they took a while to find):
1. shell fabric – 100% cotton jacketing twill from fashionfabricclub, 4 yards, $22 (sold out, but similar weights
here)
5.
grommet for holes on belt – $15 Ā (end up not using them for now… might add later)
6. heavy duty threads for all those top stitching- around 3 or 4 spools – $5
I am quite proud of being able to find all that I wanted to add to the coat, but am myself a little taken back by how much they all are together (almost $100 and trust me, i had gone with cheaper options wherever i could)! I had wondered if it would be cheaper to buy a coat from fast fashion stores with similar details – and just strip its hardwareš Granted, I have some extra hardware left, but i dont think I will be attempting another trench for another few years! (Though I do have SO MANY IDEAS).
The pattern I used is from burda magazine, march 2009 – it has a whole section of trench coats in there. I added the back “wings” and added lining.
Those buttons were a bit of a pain to sew on – they kept popping off with my first round of tying knots. the last step was to cut open the button holes and that was nerve racking. I am considering handsewing button holes in the future.
This coat is 100% cotton – lining and shell both. This satin cotton from fashionfabricmart is just amazing – smooth, thin, comfortable and strong. I love this shade of gentle pink. Of course, I have to put my logo and handle on this coat!
Just the collar took about 2-3 sessions of sewing to complete. I wanted to embroider the logo onto the back of the collar (inspired by Burberry putting their signature fabric in the undercollar). All the rows of topstitching on the stand took quite a lot of effort as well, but I love how it makes the collar feel so beefy. I also inserted metal closure for the collar, even though I would never use it. Just becauseš
The belt was top stitched a few times to give it that beefy look, and also added D-rings for the classic trench coat details. (though i believe they wereĀ meant for grenades…) My strongest sewing machine (bought a new one!) couldnt even handle the leather+belt, thus there Ā were quite a few skipped stitches.
Leather buckle for both belts and sleeve belt (is this the right term?)
Ā the front has flaps, and Ā I wear it open most of the time:
Side view:
I will end with my favorite picture of the back, I look SO COOL.
