Yates Coat

Guess what?! I made a coat! I’ve been wanting to make myself a wool coat for a couple of years now but it’s one of those things that took a while for me to get brave enough to actually start. This is the Yates Coat from Grainline Studio and it was the perfect place to start with coat making. 

This is the third lined jacket/coat that I’ve made. (The Cookie Blouson and Waver Jacket were my first and second.) It was my first time working with a thicker wool fabric and I was pleasantly surprised at how nice it was to sew. I got my wool from Mood fabrics (I think it might have been this coating but I’m not 100% sure.) I ordered a few different fabric swatches before settling on this navy fabric since coating wasn’t something I wanted to invest in sight unseen.

I made a muslin before I started cutting my coating and I’m really glad I did. I made my standard Grainline size 10 graded to a 14 in the hips. I was happy with the fit of the body but the sleeves run very slim on this coat. They are also drafted to be bracelet length but I wanted full length sleeves. I think I had to do a 1.75″ full biceps adjustment to get the sleeves wide enough that I can layer something more than a t-shirt under them. I would have been pretty sad to have made a winter coat and then only been able to wear a tank under it.

I think the biggest mental hurdle to coat making (at least for me) is ALL OF THE CUTTING. Cutting the coating, the interfacing, and the lining pieces took a fair chunk of time. Then came ALL OF THE FUSING. My back was really killing me after both of those steps! I was so excited when everything was prepped and I could start sewing.

When I finally got going with the sewing I wasn’t able to stop myself and I sped through the construction of the outer coat. It was so fun to construct the hidden pockets (I think this sort of pocket should be called the Grainline pocket since there’s a similar style/method of pocket on the Farrow dress and the Driftless cardigan.) There is a sewalong for the Yates coat on the Grainline blog and I referenced it quite a bit during my sewing.

I have bagged 2 linings before so that part of the process went smoothly for me, too. I chose a fuchsia rayon bemberg for my lining and I love, love, love having the bright color inside this coat. I’ll certainly be taking every available opportunity to open my coat and flash that fun lining.

This wool is pretty soft and feels so nice and snuggly. I didn’t underline the coat so it’s not going to be suitable for our frigid Chicago winter weather, but it will be great for the days when it’s not below-zero windchill temperatures. I’ve been wearing it every chance I get and it’s kept me warm in our cool, windy November weather.

I feel so very proud of this project and I put my sewist pin on the lapel as my way of letting the world know that I made my coat. (I know you can’t really see it in the photos but the pin is the cutest! I ordered it from Pink Coat Club. I want to get one of the Me Made necklaces next!) Making this coat has ignited a coat sewing fire in me but at this point I don’t really need another winter coat unless it’s a big puffer coat that works in sub-zero temperatures. Maybe next year I will try the Clare coat, which I’ve been wanting to make since it was released.

Thanks for reading!

~Teri