Bouclé Coat!

...a Bouclé Coat!

Hello lovely readers! Today's make has been a little while in the making, especially since I cut this pattern out in the middle of February..

Anyway! As soon as I saw the material I made this coat from, I knew immediately I wanted to make a coat from it! This would be my first time following a pattern, and while it may be a bit ambitious, something oversized gave me a bit of leeway in regards to mistakes, so it was actually pretty good for a first attempt. 

I used the Simplicity 8797 pattern, and made the coat B as I preferred the length (read: as I am quite short). It's the perfect coat for winter if you line it, I chose not to, in which case, it's perfect for autumn. Cutting out was interesting, as I don't have the luxury of a massive table like at the shop, or a sewing room, so the living room floor it was! I had a helper, not much of a help, but she's cute, so she's let off. 

Eventually, I got it cut out! This is where I hit pause for almost a month, and continued just this past Saturday. I decided to go off piste a little, and opted to not have a lining, so that saved me a bit of work and time. Following the pattern instructions was super easy, It gives you step by step instructions, and doesn't just leave you to it!

You can see the small work surface I have to work with at home, so sewing this big coat together wasn't easy, I had to rest it on top of the cat scratcher! So I managed to sew all the main pieces together quite easily; the back and front panels and the sleeves, next came the collar and the outer lapels. Cue me texting Sarah and asking for help! Luckily, we only live round the corner, so I jumped in the car and was there in a matter of minutes. 

After infiltrating Sarah's sewing room, which is much nice and bigger than my little sewing table in the corner, she helped me figure out the last couple of steps towards finishing the coat. A couple hours and one scrounged dinner later, and we were finished! Having made a few mistakes and learned better techniques along the way, I'd say it went quite well, and I'm really happy with the outcome!

I might have caught the pattern bug now, so keep an eye out for the next piece I make!