Woooooooo chile. This coat right here.
I am no stranger to making coats. Prior to sewing this pattern, I made six coats - all of them lined and of various fabrics (wool, cotton, upholstery). None of them frustrated me more than this one.
Let's just get to the issues.
back lining
In the first printing of the pattern, the back lining piece was drafted with more flare than the back piece. I straightened the back seam by measuring in about 3/4" at the hem, tapering to nothing at the back notches. This is what others who made the coat did to fix the issue.
instructions for attaching the lining neckline to the coat neckline
The instructions for this part are useless. It's not clear if the front self-facing should be folded first before stitching the seam. I exchanged several emails with a representative from Simplicity in an attempt to understand what to do. The conversation ended with her sending me a PDF of the "new" instructions - which were identical to the old instructions.
I messaged everyone on PR who sewed the coat for help. PR member Grizabella said this:
"...if you held one neck edge point of the coat in each hand and extended
them, the facing should naturally fold where it should fold. Once
folded, (and the whole thing is still inside out at this point) the neck
edges of the lining and coat should now match up in length WITH THE
FACING FOLDED . THEN sew your neck edge from one side to the other.
The hood should be sandwiched inbetween [sic] the two layers at this point."
Her comment made sense and worked perfectly. Why isn't this clearly articulated in the instructions? Grr.
enormous hood
I don't know who this hood was designed to fit, but it's clearly not for humans. In the second picture above, the hood nearly spans the width of the coat. Who has a head this big? Oof.
pockets & photoshop
I'm a wee bit salty about the pockets. Despite steaming and pressing and steaming some more, they still sag noticeably. My wool was fairly thick and substantial, so I didn't think it needed interfacing; maybe it did.
Still. This got me thinking about how Simplicity (and probably all pattern companies) photoshops the pattern images. I remember first realizing this when Simplicity released 1016:
(from Simplicity's website/pattern envelope)
(from Mimi G's website)
Um...those sleeve wrinkles and tragic hem did not magically disappear in the same photo shoot. *eyeroll*
(Simplicity 8470 pattern envelope)
Where is her hand in that upper pocket?
So maybe the pockets really do sag in Simplicity's version, but were photoshopped for the illusion of perfection. Then again, interfacing the pockets could have helped. I don't know.
I was willing to accept my fault in this until I zipped up the finished coat...
front closure
What is going on? Sigh. Either this is what happens or the right front self-facing is not nearly wide enough to overlap the left front.
The image on the pattern envelope shows the model wearing the coat unzipped. That's not photoshop, but still kind of deceptive: it lacks crucial information. I'm not convinced everything will lie perfectly flat if the coat were zipped.
For reference, here's an image of the same area. It looks like my right front is even wider!
(area to the right of the zipper teeth is the zipper tape)
Despite basting the zipper along the pattern's marked line, it looks like the zipper tape should be closer to the lining seam. It's not possible to know that the right front might not be wide enough ahead of time because the zipper is attached before the lining. I think the zipper placement line on the pattern is wrong.
This is so not good. I'll steam it once more and then sew some snaps to keep the front closed. Otherwise the only way I'll wear it is unzipped and that's not practical in Michigan until May. And then who wears a heavy wool coat in Michigan in May? Absolutely no one.
other minor issues
The area where the hood, front self-facing, and lining meet is very thick. It's even more challenging to sew if you include fur. I suggest trimming as much fur out of that area as possible so that your machine doesn't hate you later.
The pattern calls for a 22" separating zipper. I thought it would be too short and opted for 24". I should have stuck with 22" because now my coat nearly zips all the way and there almost isn't enough room for walking.
I should have raised the whole pocket situation an inch or two. My pockets sit lower on me than on the model.
***
I've kvetched long enough about the issues. I do have some good things to say about the coat.
again with the pockets
While time consuming, they weren't that hard to construct. Oddly enough, the instructions were very clear and nicely illustrated.
You're supposed to cut four lining pieces - two for each upper (zippered) pocket. Since I used Kasha flannel-backed satin as my lining, that would have created too much bulk. So I cut one lining piece out of muslin and used that instead.
I wished I'd color-matched the zippers throughout the entire coat. The cream colored zipper isn't bad and compliments the interior lining. Still, I think it would have looked better if these zippers matched the front zipper.
light tailoring
I used hair canvas as interfacing for the front and back stay. My preferred method for attaching hair canvas is found in Kenneth D. King's book Cool Couture: Construction Secrets for Runway Style.
I fused interfacing to the back and sleeve hems for support. I also underlined the back with cotton flannel for extra warmth.
the zipper
Initially, I started with a cream colored zipper to match those on the pockets. Soon after installing it, I realized that it provided too much contrast given that the zipper isn't fully concealed.
Every time I walked into my sewing room, I hated the cream zipper a little more. I knew I wasn't going to be happy with the coat and I had spent too much time (and good fabric!) on it already.
The new zipper matches perfectly - despite it costing grumble-grumble dollars.
***
The verdict? Meh. It's not my favorite.
If you want to copy the J. Crew coat for which this pattern was inspired, choose a better base pattern (with or without hood) and take the pockets from this pattern. The hassle of fooling with 8470 isn't worth it.
L
