Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Loes Hinse Classic Coat in Faux Suede




After many many months of pondering this pattern from Loes Hinse, I finally put scissors to cloth and sewed her beautiful unlined duster coat. 

The straight lines, small lapel, single button closure, and uncluttered neckline are so appealing. No darts or conflicts with collars. I find that by the time I put on my 'inner' clothing and any accessories, I really do not want a lot of fuss on the outside - I get kind of claustrophobic! and clothing conscious. This coat is perfect for my picky picky self :-)



I actually ordered two different fabrics for the coat. The first one was purple linen. I really had my heart set on a purple duster. But when I got the fabric and looked at it in the light and against the pattern, I was not convinced. Velvet is also one of the suggested fabrics - ding! I remembered reading about Alova velvet/suede cloth on JoAnns. And found this pretty sulphur Alova. Love it. It is a soft 100% polyester tricot knit, 60" wide, with no length-wise stretch, but about 10 - 15% stretch width-wise.

Here is a 2" square on the backside - very densely knitted! and tough as nails :-) I used a 70 ballpoint machine needle and my silk straight pins with this fabric. It does not ravel, being a true knit, and really sews very nicely.

Suggestion - use a walking foot! Alova is not just a knit, it is also napped, so a walking foot is a huge advantage in managing bias and long seams in this pattern. I found that I did fine with a 3.0 straight stitch, sewing a bit 'taut', i.e., keeping the seam flat under the needle by holding behind and in front with a little tension. 

Okay, I 'fess up now - I did make some changes to the pattern. It is so pretty structurally, but to my mind, suffers a bit from being a sea of fabric with no breaks. A little boring -  which was the main reason I took so long to sew it. I kept thinking of ways to add some visual elements.

Reveal!


What? you don't see it? LOL I basically split the front and back into upper and lower sections and added a tie front to replace the button closure. No pockets. I have this thing about pockets flapping around inside an unlined jacket or coat - I don't like it! 


The changes were really simple! 
  • I cut my tissue as shown below, just below the button closure. Then I added 5/8" seam allowances to the tissue for the new seams. 
  • The new upper back has a faux seam, which I accommodated by pinning the tissue 1/8" away from the fold of the fabric instead of on the fold.
  • After the fronts were seamed, I attached the new ties. They're sewn from 16 1/2" x 1 3/4" pieces (stitched wrong side together, turned, and topstitched) and placed where the button would have been.  

Speaking of seams. The pattern has 3/8" seam allowances, not my favorite. I marked all my tissue pattern pieces for 5/8" seams and used my own cutting lines. Just easier to manage - and I shudder to think of cutting linen with a 3/8" seam allowance! Noooo.


I had a good time choosing techniques for the project. The faux seam in the upper back is a simple add-on. (Ralph Chado Rucci uses this all the time in his tops!) It is sewn by folding the piece on the center back, wrong sides together, and stitching the fold with a minimal 1/8" seam. 

The bodice seams are sewn 'on', not together. The upper seam allowance was folded under 5/8" and placed on top of the lower seam allowance. Then I sewed the seam on the right side, close to the fold. A pretty finish for faux suede.


Because the duster is unlined, I wanted a pretty inside as well as a pretty outside, so I used Hong Kong seam finishes everywhere. Two exceptions: I trimmed and overlocked the armhole seam and the sleeve seam. The sleeve is fairly narrow, so I did not want to add tension in these two areas.


The bias seam binding is made with Kaffe Fassett's Asha print in lime.


I particularly like how the Asha print peeks out on the hem finish. Plain binding just would not have been any fun!



Such an enjoyable project! I'm in love with the weight and color and lines of my new duster. Perfect for our Florida winters.

Ciao! Coco

21 comments:

  1. your coat looks beautiful and I like the addition of the tie front. I agree with you about having pockets in an unlined coat.

    Lovely.

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  2. Very elegant! Thanks for posting all the construction details.

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    1. Thank you, Catherine! And I love your blog!

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  3. That's very nice, and looks great on you!

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    1. Thanks, Mary. Feels good too and very light weight - I'll get to wear it down here in gator land!

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  4. All your changes really kick up the style of this pattern. The coat is so striking on. Love the colors and the whole look.

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    1. Thank you, Terri! I love wearing it, the color is unusual for a coat :-) - lots of fun.

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  5. Oh, yeah!! I love your simple styling and the shape, it's understated and fabulous. Can I be you if I grow up?

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    1. If you grow up, we'll all be so disappointed! Thank you, Anne!

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  6. What a fabulous coat-your additions of the seaming and the ties really bring the style quotient up. The Hong Kong binding is so pretty inside.

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    1. Mary, thanks so much. I often think of your DOL class and Marcy Tilton (she transforms so beautifully). Really enjoyable sewing to move things around a bit!

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  7. That is a gorgeous coat. The color is fabulous. HongKong finish on the inside is a couture touch.

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    1. Thank you, Gwen. I had been wanting to do a little couture sewing, but I wear mostly very casual clothes. This was fun!

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  8. Oh that is staggeringly gorgeous! It so suits you. Fabulous make

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    1. Ruth, thank you so much. It does feel like me, don't you love it when this happens? It was so worth all the waiting and thinking.

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  9. Valerie, thanks so much! The trim was super fun, I love Kaffe Fassett prints, such color.

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  10. I have always loved the elegant simplicity of Lois Hinse pattern. I have some of them, but not this one. I like the changes you made and the color is wonderful. It looks great on you.

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    1. Thanks, Audrey. I like her patterns as well. This is the first I've made, and I really enjoyed it. The pattern and instructions were wonderful. Am looking forward to my next one. Do you have a favorite?

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I love it that you came by...and thank you for your comments! Coco