Cascade Duffle Coat // Sewing For Women

Cascade Duffle Coat // Sewing For Women

Thursday, May 21, 2020

This post contains *disclosed* affiliate links. All opinions expressed are honest and my own. If you make a purchase using the links, I make a small commission which helps support this blog. So, thank you!!

Hi friends! Welcome back to the on-going series of "back-logged projects waiting to be blogged"! 😀

I am BEYOND excited about today's project, however, so even though it's totally the wrong time of year here in the US to be blogging about a winter coat, I had to share because I can't wait another 6 months to post about this make!!

A coat has been on my sewing bucket list for ages. I even bought the Grainline Studio Cascade Duffle Coat pattern {aff link} quite a while back during a sale because I thought owning the pattern might give me incentive to sew it. Hmmm... Turns out some gifted fabric with a deadline attached was the motivation I needed, lol.

I bought the pattern here in the US from the now closed, Indie Sew, but it is still available in plenty of other shops, including straight from Grainline's site of course. I'll put that link HERE. You can choose from the pdf version (which is what I used), or the printed. 

The coating fabric was gifted from Minerva, and is this absolutely gorgeous Herringbone Tweed Coating in Bottle Green & Black. {aff link} I'll talk a lot more about this fabric in the post that will go live on the Minerva blog, soon. Stay tuned to Instagram as I'll let you know when that happens, there!

I decided to forego the traditional lining fabric, and opted instead for this super fun Telio Rayon Twill bee print fabric! I just couldn't get the image of how well these two fabrics would pair together, and I'm so happy I went for it! I purchased the Telio fabric from Amazon, but unfortunately it seems to be sold out everywhere that I've been able to find it.

I found the toggles at this Etsy shop, HERE. I absolutely love the quality of these! I thought the price was quite reasonable, and the shipping was really fast even coming from France! Just an FYI, if you are ordering these for this particular coat, you will only need to order *2*, a quantity of 1 is actually 2 sets of toggles. I found this out the hard way, haha. I should have just messaged the seller to be sure, but I ordered 3, and now I have enough to make another Cascade!

I'm having a hard time remembering where I sourced the zipper, but I believe I just went to Joann for that. 

Having never made a coat before, I was also a little unsure as to what interfacing to use, but I trusted Tiahna's experience with coat making, and sourced the interfacing she talked about in her post HERE. 

It was surprisingly difficult to find at a reasonable price, I thought, but I ended up ordering it from Walmart.com of all places (link HERE), because it was by far the best bang for my buck! I ordered a whole bolt of it, since it was actually the same price as ordering only a small amount from the other places that I was able to find it at. So, I guess you could say I definitely need to sew a few more coats with my extra supplies I now find myself with!

As for the sewing of the coat, I made a size 8, based on my bust measurement of 36.5". My height is 5'3", and I shortened the bodice 1" at the lower lengthen/shorten line, and shortened the sleeves 1/2".

I am SUPER happy with the length of the coat. I think it is perfect for me! Next time I wouldn't shorten the sleeves since I prefer my sleeves to be a little on the longer side, and these are the "perfect" length, but I wish they were a hair longer. 

I also did a swayback adjustment on the coat, the same way Tiahna did on hers. I'm so happy to have had her expertise go before me! 😁 I took out about 1/2" around the center point of the back. It really did improve the fit for me personally, a great deal! It was a super simple adjustment because all that was needed was a center back seam along the upper back bodice and could be adjusted after the main part of the coat was assembled.

All in all, the sewing went really smoothly while making the coat! I ran in to a few hiccups, but it was all 100% my fault and just not "feeling" the sewing process for part of time. I know all (or I *hope* it's all and not just me 😉) of us face this from time to time.

The main fabric I used has a nap, and I was well aware of this and was super careful to cut all of my pieces correctly. But when it came to sewing the zipper in place with the zipper shields, I got a bit ahead of myself and also forgot to pay attention to the direction of the nap. OOF. I ended up sewing, unpicking, sewing, unpicking, sewing, that bit in the front THREE separate times. THREE times, y'all! I could only laugh, because by the time I was on the third round of re-sewing, I was feeling a little loopy, lol.

Other than that tail-chasing experience, it all went pretty smoothly! My machines handled the bulk of the fabric well, I made sure to use the proper needles in my sewing machine, and my walking foot, and it handled it like a champ!

I did reference the sew-along on the Grainline Blog for a few parts, just to help clarify things, and I would recommend that if anything seems a bit fuzzy in the instructions. The only sewing advice I have in addition to the pattern instructions is tacking the hem facing up by hand. Since I used rayon for the lining, I knew there was a possibility that it might grow or sag a bit. But what happened was that the weight of the lining pulled the hem facing down, so that no amount of pressing and understitiching was going to hold it up.

To remedy that I hand-tacked almost the whole length of the hem facing using essentially a blind hem stitch. That did work really well.

I can honestly say that I love this coat far more than I expected to!! I am legit excited to be able to wear it once the weather turns cold again! I mean... It can stay away for 6 months, FOR SURE, but when it does arrive, I'll be ready with my absolutely amazing coat!!

Don't forget, you can read more about the fabric I used in my Minerva post that will be posted soon. 

Thanks so much for stopping by and reading about my "Labor of Love" this winter!

Happy sewing, friends!

~Heidi

LINKS:

Pattern: Cascade Duffle Coat - Grainline Studio (Minerva - aff link)

Fabric: Herringbone Tweed Coating in Bottle Green & Black - Minerva {aff link}

Toggles: Etsy 

Tiana's Post with swayback adjustment: Click here

Interfacing: Walmart

Zipper: Joann {aff link}

WEARING: 

Hey June Lane Raglan + Halifax Hoodie Kangaroo pocket {aff link}

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Updated Allegro Pattern // Sewing For Women

Updated Allegro Pattern // Sewing For Women

Friday, May 15, 2020

This post contains *disclosed* affiliate links. All opinions expressed are honest and my own. If you make a purchase using the links, I make a small commission which helps support this blog. So, thank you!!

Happy Friday, friends!!

Happy FEATURE FRIDAY, actually! Today the well-loved Allegro Pattern {aff link} by Love Notions has be re-released with a total face lift. And, it is on sale, today only, for $5! That, my friends, is a steal. After today it will go up to the release sale price of $9 through May 21st only.

The pattern includes loads of options. If you haven't figured it out yet, all of Love Notions patterns are real workhorses and include many views in one pattern!

This particular pattern includes shorts (my FAVE) in 5" or 9" inseam, with or without cuffs; pants in two lengths, PLUS a *Brand New* jogger option; and a skirt view in two lengths as well! That is real mileage in just one pattern!

During testing, I made 2 pairs of shorts, both with a 5" inseam and the cuff option. The cuffs underwent some changes during testing, so the first version (green) I made is a little different than the final, which you will see in the khaki pair.

The new pattern has been updated with the new ladies size block and includes numerical sizes 0-32. It also includes a projector file for a paper-free sewing experience!

The original Allegro pattern was quite a bit more relaxed than this new and improved version which has been slimmed down in the legs. The rise is also higher on the new version, which makes me all sorts of happy! And my mom-tummy is happy as well. 😉

That being said, since the pattern was slimmed down, and I fall into a range of sizes, this is a blend of size 8 overall, with size 6 hips. The first pair (green) I made I only graded up in the waist, but in the final pair I also graded back out to a size 8 in the thighs as well. This is 100% true to my measurements and the pattern measurements.

The greenish pair is made in a tencel denim that has been in "the stash" for a long time. I'm about 99% sure it is from Joann.

I should note that this green pair is about an inch longer in the inseam than the intended length. Because of the changes made to the cuffs, this pair turned out a little differently. Just wanted to let you know that it does not exactly reflect the final pattern! 💚

It made a really great pair of shorts! Tencel denim is pretty rigid, and even though it is very fluid, it doesn't have much, if any, give. The thigh area did relax a bit while I wore them, but overall, they held their shape and didn't bag out.

The khaki pair is 100% linen, actually cut from a dress that I thrifted, also, quite a while ago. Y'all. My stash is amazing. I love it. 😅

*Side note: I spent years building my stash, and it was amazingly fun. I've slowed down in my fabric purchasing quite a bit because space does become an issue at a certain point! But now I am enjoying the fruits of my stashing and couldn't be happier about it! 😄

Cutting a pair of shorts from an A-line maxi tank dress with both center front and back seams, was more challenging than I had anticipated! But it was doable, and it was very satisfying to use up every sizeable piece of fabric that I acquired from it.

I had even managed to cut out back pockets for this pair, but in the end chose to leave them off, because I really like the cleaner look in the back. The front pockets are quite roomy, and they hold my phone well.

One of my very favorite features of this pattern is the waistband. It is a two-piece waistband (the best), with 1 1/2" elastic inserted for a custom fit. You will then sew channels via topstitching, and then insert a drawstring through the center channel and two buttonholes in the center front. You could also opt to install grommets for the drawstring if you'd like. Or leave the drawstring off all together! I personally love a drawstring to customize the fit, especially since my waist can fluctuate a lot, even through the course of a single day.

100% linen will relax a lot more than tencel denim. This pair will just get better and better with wear and washing. The overall feel of these on my body is a lot more relaxed than the tencel version. But both are very comfortable!

I sewed up a quick Cadence Top to go with my new khaki shorts! I still had this pattern at the ready since I had just made my fancy Cadence Dress (see HERE), so I decided to use it whip up a quick tank!

Just an FYI, this is a size smaller than what I should have made since it was cut out for a different type of fabric. But I was curious about the fit and went for it. The coral fabric is a poly crepe with no give, and the dress fabric had loads of width-wise stretch.

The coral tank turned out okay, and I am able to wear it, but I wouldn't recommend sizing down unless your fabric will relax or has a bit of stretch. 😉 Consider this, sewists experimenting for sewists!

I have quite a bit of ideas swirling around in my head for more versions of the Allegro pattern, and I even ordered fabric for a specific version I have in mind. I'm hoping it will be here in the next few days so I can sew a little bit during the sew-along that is also happening this week!

Keep an eye out on Instagram to see if I can make that happen! 😉

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Happy Sewing!

LINKS:

Patterns:

• Allegro {aff link}
• Cadence Dress & Top {aff link}

Fabrics: 

• All stash fabrics that are sold out, so no links today!

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Cadence Dress // Sewing For Women

Cadence Dress // Sewing For Women

Friday, May 8, 2020

This post contains *disclosed* affiliate links. All opinions expressed are honest and my own. If you make a purchase using the links, I make a small commission which helps support this blog. So, thank you!!

Happy Friday!! I'm comin' at ya with yet another new make! I'm feeling the fire lately, and have been having SO MUCH FUN with sewing lately!

Today's make is a pattern I wanted to try from the Love Notions pattern collection. Which, by the way, Love Notions is running a Mother's Day Sale currently and all patterns are 40% off! That is a huge discount! The sale runs through Monday, May 11, you can check out all of their patterns HERE! {aff link} They have patterns for everyone in the family, not just women! I can't wait to give some of their kids' patterns a try. I'm on the lookout for a dress pattern for my daughter because I have a bit of this fabric left, and she wants us to match. :)

This pattern is the Cadence Dress & Top. {aff link} I chose the simplest possible view, in order to let my fabric shine. The pattern did exactly that, and the shape is super flattering as well as so comfortable!

The fabric is from Minerva. It's a stretch cotton jacquard, I can't find this exact one on the site, but there are lots of other similar options that I've linked to HERE. {aff link} I had never sewn with this type of fabric before and it was interesting! I was very pleased with the outcome. The stretch of the fabric runs parallel to the selvage rather than perpendicular. So I actually cut the fabric against the grain, so that the stretch would be width-wise across my body. It worked very well, and the dress is super comfortable!

Because my fabric had stretch, I sized down a whole size from where my measurements placed me. I made a straight size small, with no adjustments. I didn't make a muslin, but I made sure to hold the paper pattern up to myself before cutting anything to make sure things looked good. The dart appeared to be in the right place, and the waist and hip lines were hitting me in the right spot, so I went for it.

The fit is spectacular. The armhole coverage is so good, and the darts are in the right place. And YES, there are darts! :) I had that question asked already since it's such a simple shape, and it's hard to see them in this print. But yes, there are bust darts which helps get a great fit, especially for someone who is a bit more blessed in that area than I am. :)

Another great fitting feature is the center back seam. This makes it super easy to adjust fit in the back if necessary. I didn't do any adjustments there and I'm really pleased with the outcome. I do sometimes need to do a small swayback adjustment, but I was happy with the fit as is.

The only slight change I made to the fit was to hem it just a little higher than the hem allowance that was included. The pattern directs to hem 1", but I hemmed by about 1 3/4". I first folded up 1/2" then another generous 1". For reference, I am 5'3" tall.

The dress has no closures, it just slips on over your head, making for a really speedy sew! There really are only 5 seams to the main dress! The facing adds a little bit of time to the construction, but it's still a very fast sew.

I am very pleased with this pattern, it's a great simple shift to allow a special fabric to shine. I think it was the perfect pairing for this fun statement fabric! I will have another post on the Minerva blog soon talking all about the fabric, so stay tuned for that. I'll be sure to let you know on Instagram when that goes live!

If you need a great shift dress pattern, and one that includes many variations and sleeve options, be sure to check out the Cadence Dress & Top Pattern! It's a great staple to have!

Thanks so much for stopping by today!! Happy sewing!

LINKS:

Pattern: Cadence Dress & Top - Love Notions {aff link}

Fabric: Stretch Cotton Jacquard - Minerva {aff link}

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