Closet Core Sienna Maker Jacket

I resisted sewing any Closet Core patterns (previously Closet Case) for a long time because I took exception to a facetious remark that company founder Heather-Lou made about pattern cutting in an interview I listened to a few years back on the now-defunct Stitchers Brew podcast.

Obviously this approach harms no one except me and eventually I stopped sulking and relented because they had produced some really nice-looking patterns in the intervening years (and drafted by a professional pattern cutter…)!

I bought the Sienna Maker jacket because I was attracted to the variety of options it had including different lengths, quirky sleeve pockets and a button-up back vent on the short version plus the elements were all largely ‘mix-and-match’. This is something that’s always been quite normal with paper patterns from the traditional Big 4 (they aren’t 4 any more but you know what I mean) Indie patterns seem to often have a tendency for fewer versions in a single pattern and then you’re left to put your own spin on them, or they create add-on packs when they notice what others have been doing for themselves.

Anyhoo, in the autumn of 2022 I was going on a sewing retreat hosted by Sew Me Something in Stratford upon Avon so, using some printed needlecord from Barry’s in Birmingham, I cut out the short version of the Sienna Maker as one of my projects to sew while I was there.

The Sienna Maker is intended to be slightly oversized so I based my size choice on my bust measurement (39”) and went with a US14. I’m more than happy with the fit and there’s room for a layer or two in cooler weather (it isn’t lined though so this does make it a little trickier to get sweaters down the sleeves)

I found the instructions and diagrams really thorough, it’s rated as an advanced garment and I would agree with this because you’re dealing with some unusual or more tricky techniques, plus the fabric will probably be stiffer or thicker than most dressmaking fabrics. A good degree of accuracy is needed to create a sharp collar and lapel for example but I thought the diagrams and instructions for this area in particular were very good. It’s helpful to be clear which is your right and left because the two longer coat styles don’t have symmetrical details on the fronts so if you’re in any doubt (especially if the fabric is the same on both sides) put sticky labels onto the pieces until they are sewn together.

There is a lot of encouragement to create the garment you want by including various suggestions for seam finishes for example. I used a mixture of bias binding (Hong Kong finish) and simple overlocking but you could use flat fell seams for some of them if you wish. I’ve had a look and the Closet Core website has loads of tutorials for different techniques and methods so you might find something helpful there if you’re a bit stuck.

I made my own bias binding for both jackets, and for the short version I topstitched and made buttonholes in a contrast bright pink. I bought some fabulous metal buttons from the amazing selection at Textile Garden you’ll be spoilt for choice! You could also use heavy duty poppers instead.

I’ve had so much use from this short version since I finished it last October, I just find it really comfortable to wear, the pockets are really handy and surprisingly the unusual print seems to go with everything.

Fast forward to April 2023 and I was heading to a different retreat with my Sew Over 50 photo shoot pals to a wonderful place we’ve found in Derbyshire.

When I bought the pattern I had always intended to make a longer version too, I just hadn’t found the right fabric. Eventually I settled on the 12oz organic sanded twill cotton from Merchant and Mills in the Stanley Tan shade after seeing it made up as a jacket by a friend. I decided (and I hope I don’t live to regret this…) not to prewash it, my rationale being that there was quite a lot of fabric so it could end up streaky from the washing machine. Also, because it’s a coat, it won’t get laundered very often anyway and I could get it professionally cleaned when necessary.

I opted to make the longest version with the belt and D-rings so there are no fastenings this time, it has a deep front overlap which personally I feel crosses over to the wrong side, I would normally cross right over left so it feels a bit alien. As before, the instructions are excellent, there are a couple of areas where you really need to concentrate like making the opening on the front for the belt to pass through. My top tip would be to make sure you have transferred all the pattern markings carefully before you do any sewing because the two fronts each have different features, I used lots of tailor’s tacks!

Inside finish of the belt carrier

In spite of the distractions of sewing with my friends I took each part of the process slowly to make sure I had everything in order and a really nice quality finish. Once again I made bias binding from a blouse I no longer wore but liked the fabric, it has a new life inside the coat where I can see and enjoy it for far longer than as an unloved blouse.

psst, wanna buy a gold watch…? by the way, the shirt is a Holiday Shirt by The Maker’s Atelier which I squeaked out of just 1 metre of fabric

The coat has an attached belt which slots through D-rings on a tab to fasten (which I already had due to a major cock-up when ordering trims for a ruck sack pattern, but that’s a story for another day…) There are some very thick layers in few places but my Pfaff handled them superbly, I used a chunky jeans needle throughout.

The suggested finish is to topstitch all the facings and collar but I decided against this and I spent a quiet evening herringbone stitching them all in place. If you are going to machine topstitch I strongly suggest tacking (basting) the stitching line so that you have an accurate line to follow on the right side, this should hopefully reduce the need to redo areas where you may have wobbled off course.

I hope I will get as much use from the new longer Sienna Maker as I’ve had already from the short version, it will be too warm on sunny days but for our unreliable weather I’m sure it will be great. I didn’t want a heavy full-length coat and so just-above-the-knee suits me fine. Incidentally, there’s a large interior breast pocket and I didn’t include the back hem split. The fabric is beautifully soft but weighty, it has a suede-like finish, pricey but superb quality.

Delighted as I am with my new coat I can’t help feeling that there’s more than a hint of four candles and Arkwright’s stores about it but no matter, in my head perhaps I should rename it the Ronnie! [one for my British readers there…]

I’ve got a couple more Closet Core patterns in the pipeline over the summer, I made a Mile End sweatshirt last autumn and I’ve also bought the Nicks dress which I’ve got fabric lined up for already plus I’ve just invested in the Kalle shirt so I must be impressed with the quality of the patterns!

Until next time, happy sewing!

Sue

Dawson Coatigan by Thrifty Stitcher

I followed the progress of this pattern with interest on Instagram when it was originally released nearly two years, it was fascinating to see how Claire-Louise Hardie (the Thrifty Stitcher!) developed and finessed the various elements of it as she sampled it, up to the point that she was ready to release it for sale. It has attractive style lines with princess seams in the front which curve into hip pockets, the back also has princess seams and there’s a horizontal seam just below the natural waist. The collar curves up smoothly against the neck and the back collar has a ‘sunray’ of five darts spreading out towards the shoulder blades which I particularly like. The cuffs each have 3 similar darts, the details on this pattern has simple but so stylish.

My copy is a paper pattern but it’s now a PDF available from CL’s own website.

This post was originally published last year by Minerva who generously provided me with a nice firm Ponte Roma in a plain navy to make the Dawson in, it would also work very well in a boiled wool, felted wool, Melton, not a loose tweed though as they can start to fray and you’d lose the details too much in the weave. Anything fairly structured and stable would effectively show off the style lines. You could get some interesting effects with checks or stripes if you want a challenge! I’d wanted to make another version for a while because I’ve had really good use from the navy one, I hadn’t got around to finding any specific fabric for it but then I hit upon the idea of using a single old heavyweight cotton curtain that used to keep the drafts out by our front door. It had long been replaced for this task but I just had it folded up underneath the heat-reflective mat that I use on my cutting table. In order to maximise the fabric in the curtain I undid the deep hem and the sides, and removed the tabs at the top. I gave it a wash to clean it but also to, hopefully, stop it shrinking later on.

Areas like the pocket edges and the neck need stabilising with some iron-on tape or strips of interfacing as per the instructions, especially if you use a knit fabric like Ponte. I would recommend stabilising the shoulders with seam tape or scraps of ribbon to prevent stretching too. I used a specific needle for stretch fabrics and you could use the ‘lightening’ stitch to sew with if your machine has it, or a very straightened out zigzag. If you do use boiled wool the layers could be quite thick, use a straight stitch but you may need to lengthen it a little more than usual.

The pattern comes in eight sizes which are not numbered in the conventional way, CL opts for letters instead, so you work from your own body measurements to choose which size should fit you. I cut and sewed a size F originally which was quite generous, for the newer version I’ve cut the next size down. I misjudged how generous the ease is in the garment so I usually wear the Ponte version layered up over jumpers or sweaters on warmer cool days if that makes sense. At the end of the day it’s intended as a casual coat so don’t make it too small as you’ll always be pulling it closed across you. The sleeves are nice and roomy too, I’ve noticed some coat/jacket patterns can be a bit snug around the bicep for me which is a bit dispiriting, I’m hardly a muscle-bound hulk! Just check before cutting out if you’re happy with the sleeve length too, I probably could have added just 3-4cms because it feels the tiniest bit short on me.

The pattern goes together beautifully and all that tweaking in the sampling stage is borne out in the final version. I found the instructions pretty clear, they are mostly photographs and there are some really useful hints and tips which will come in very handy if you aren’t that experienced in your dressmaking yet. Make sure you transfer your markings for the pocket pivot point for example so that you get a crisp finish for the corners.

You could top stitch all the darts down, possibly in a contrast thread if you like, but because the Ponte had a slight stretch I didn’t do this on mine. I did top stitch down the front facings though and caught them down in a couple of places on the inside to stop them flapping. 

For the ochre version I topstitched more of the seams, I confess that I was incredibly slovenly and used up various threads in my collection so not all the stitching is the same colour…oops! Incidentally I didn’t use top stitch thread, instead I used the triple straight stitch which looks very similar although it is quite thread-hungry (hence the non-matching!)

This time however I didn’t top stitch the front facings down, I adopted a different approach. As it’s an unlined coat so all the innards are visible I used some ribbon to anchor the facing down in a couple of places. I chose to do this because I know from experience that when you’re sewing through several thick layers the triple stitch (which is a set length on my Pfaff and not adjustable) it can lead to puckering which doesn’t look so nice. Try a sample before you go ahead if you aren’t sure, that’s a LOT of slow unpicking if you don’t like it after all.

ribbon tabs between the facing and the pocket bag stop the facing from flapping about too much

You can see from this shot where I’ve placed the ribbon anchors.

I finished the hem by hand using a herringbone stitch rather than machining it for the same reason that I didn’t top stitch the front facings.

I think the Dawson is a well-drafted and executed pattern from an independent designer (and CL’s art work features herself so it squeaks into the #so50visible category!) The Minerva Ponte Roma works well for the soft tailoring, using my old curtain gives the slightly cocoon-shape a little more definition. It shouldn’t be too difficult to do an FBA if you need to either. I’m much happier with the fit of the ochre one, but I love the navy and will still wear it regularly too.

cheer up love!

Because the Dawson is a loose cocoon shape it would make a beautiful evening coat in a glamorous brocade, to go over the top of your evening outfit, denim would look great too (Have a look at my Simple Sew Cocoon jacket in denim here)

I guess this was also a useful exercise in upcycling, the curtain was years old and not being used for it’s original purpose so I thought why not give this a try. If I found I wasn’t mad about wearing the colour after all I know it’s 100% cotton so it would dye, I might come unstuck with the polyester sewing thread though which would take up the colour differently-it’s hardly Saville Row standard though! The Dawson took barely two metres of fabric (the front facing is helpfully cut in two parts which helps reduce the fabric usage, and of course you could always use a contrast fabric anyway) it doesn’t instruct you to use interfacing on any of the collar or facing parts but I did, just to stabilise the fabric a bit.

Until next time, Happy sewing

Sue

I made a coat!! Butterick 6423 to be precise…

Two years ago I did a 10 week tailoring course at Morley College, London but it’s taken me until now to actually make my own coat. I settled on Butterick 6423 partly because it’s a fairly similar silhouette to a RTW coat I already own and wear a lot, and then, ironically, it came free with Love Sewing magazine just before Christmas.

Added to this I had 3 metres of lovely turquoise-coloured wool in my stash that was gifted to me about a year ago by a friend who was clearing out her mother’s belongings and wanted the fabrics and patterns (LOTS of them) to go to an appreciative home. Not only that, I had just under 2 metres of almost psychedelic lining fabric which came from a different elderly lady ( I had no idea what to do with it at the time but, as is often the way, it goes really well with this wool)

Because I had plenty of fabric, which makes a change for me as I tend to underestimate, I could cut out the coat without having to watch every centimetre. I didn’t have quite enough lining though so I cut all the pieces which would be visible inside the main body and the sleeve linings I cut from plain lining, again from my stash.

Sleeve lining, with 4cms of the length folded out

Initially, before I cut the fabric, I pinned the tissue together to check it on my dress-stand. I chose to take 3cms out of the overall body length and 4cms out of the sleeves because they seemed terribly long. This proved to be sensible as you’ll see in the finished garment.

I used loads of good old-fashioned tailor’s tacks on all the balance marks, I’m not always this meticulous but it proved invaluable for this project.

coming together slowly…

I found the instructions very clear to follow and I don’t think at any time did I get in a muddle although I do think a common problem with the ‘big’ pattern companies is that the diagrams can be very small making it difficult to see exactly what you should be doing, particularly areas like clipping into important corners eg at the collar/shoulder seam.

Because I do a lot of alterations for people I’ve noticed various techniques employed in the construction of RTW garments. Cuffs, for example, are usually stabilised with iron-on interfacing of some kind so that’s what I did here.

By doing this it stops the cuff from stretching (my fabric is fairly loosely woven too) and gives it firmness and stability. I bought my iron-on interfacing in Goldhawk Rd, London so I can’t really give much detail about it except to say I was told it’s suitable for woollens and tailoring with a light jersey backing. I used it on the collar facing too and it seems to be absolutely fine. You could use a firmer one if you wish, that would make the collar firmer than mine.

There are a few places where you’re told to hand sew hand, attaching the sleeve lining to the inside of the cuffs for example, but if you’re not a fan of hand sewing  it is possible to do this by machine, you just need to get them pinned correctly (double-check you’ve got it right first by turning the sleeve right-side out before you sew it)

I sewed up the sleeve hems inside using herringbone stitch.

It’s also worth attaching a small amount of the sleeve-lining seam to the sleeve seam inside, this stops any chance of the lining sliding out of the end of the sleeve.

You can do this on the machine, or a few running stitches will do the job.

This is the inside of the back-neck collar seam. I’ve pinned them together and then stitched to keep the seam from shifting about.

Making the back pleat needs a bit of concentration partly because the lining gets stitched together with it-this makes sense because it reduces the bulk if you’d done them each separately. I opted to partly stitch the pleat together for about 10cms down from the top simply so that it didn’t have a chance to be to flappy in wear.

Once the pleat section is sewn on the instructions say to slip-stitch the lining down. Again, it’s possible to do this on the machine, you need to work your way into the right place by going in through the gap at the front between the facing and the coat front. 

I sewed the coat hem up using herringbone stitch because I think it holds a hem nice and firmly. You sew this stitch from left to right, looping each stitch backwards from the previous one, one above then one below.

Throughout the making process I pressed often and used plenty of steam, with a pressing cloth to prevent shine. If you’re using pure wool you can press and re-press because it’s very forgiving although be more careful if you’re using a fabric that isn’t well or is made with mixed fibres. As my tutor on the tailoring course often said, “steam is your friend” A tailor’s ham is a great boon too because it will enable you to press in tricky areas or under curves seams, for example.

The lining hem was just turned and machined. To neaten the bottom of the front facing I applied a little bit of self-made bias binding, it’s looks nice and it doesn’t add the bulk that turning the edge over could do.

I also added 2 small loops of fabric to hold the lining and the coat together at the side seams, again this stops it flapping about in wear.

I added a hanging loop at the neck which I should have sewn on by machine at an earlier stage but I forgot so I had to sew it on by hand at the end.

I sewed a few stitches through the CB neck seams to secure the collar facing and under-collar to each other.

The last thing to do is the single buttonhole. I had a rummage for a suitable button first and I came up with a single beautiful mother-of-pearl one which I’d bought a couple of years ago, simply because it’s lovely! I paid £1 for it and I’ve actually left the tiny price label on the back, just because…

I created a surround of tacking stitches to hold the area firm and stable before sewing the buttonhole. I did several trial ones first because my Pfaff is so new to me and I didn’t want to mess it up at this late stage. Unfortunately the thread I’d used for the whole garment was clearly too dark in such a prominent position so I had to go and buy a single reel of thread just for the buttonhole! When I sewed the button on I sewed another small button on behind it so that the fabric doesn’t have to take all the strain of a button being done up and undone constantly.

This is a coat with a slightly retro aesthetic, it’s a little bit 50’s, the back is a little bit 20’s. The result though is modern and wearable and I’m really happy with it.

I love the fun lining inside too. The wool fabric isn’t that thick though so I don’t think I’ll be wearing it when it’s very cold although there is room for a jumper underneath.

You can see where I’ve sewn up the pleat by about 10-12cms.

As you will have noticed it’s a difficult colour to photograph accurately, the outdoor ones are probably the closest to the real shade.

It’s been an enjoyable process, I took my time over it and I’m very happy with the result. It would be a good project to try if you’re becoming a bit more experienced with your sewing, nothing is terribly tricky, buy suitable but not too expensive fabric and take your time! I’m glad I took some of the length out of the body and sleeves as they would have been very long. I made the size medium and it was plenty big enough, I think the sizing is definitely on the generous-side though so don’t be tempted to go up a size, make a toile if you need to or tissue fit if you can. I didn’t bother neatening any of the seams inside because all of them were going to be enclosed but you could choose to leave the coat unlined and then bind all the seams (Hong Kong finish) which is practical and attractive.

…and the coat cost me barely anything at all!

Because it was the free pattern with Love Sewing I expect there will be lots of versions of this coat popping up over the winter so it will be fun to see how they all vary. Have you made this pattern, I’d love to know how you got on?

Happy Sewing

Sue