I’m so thrilled about the Grainger Coat, the latest pattern release from Leila and me through Muna and Broad! I’ve wanted to make myself a quilted coat for the longest time, but the popular patterns on the market weren’t available in my size.
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While the Northern Hemisphere is thinking about heading in to cooler weather, things are starting to heat up here (or they were, but then there was a blast from Antarctica that brought snow to the nearby mountains, but now we’re back to warm weather). We’re heading in to summer but Christchurch summer can mean quite chilly weather, so I’m pleased to have this denim layer because:
A) denim is a neutral, so I hope I’ll be able to pair it with lots of my wardrobe
B) it’s a touch cooler than my boiled wool Mallee Jacket, which has been my go-to outer layer over the last few months.
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I constructed this Grainger a little differently than the instructions called for because I was hoping to skip the binding on the outside. to keep the denim very neutral. With right-sides together, I sewed the lining pieces to the front of the body (all the way down the bottom hem), the neckline of the back body, the hem of the back body, and the cuffs of the sleeves. I then pressed and understitched the lining, before turning out and pressing again. I decided that I’d then sew the coat together as the instructions indicated and I’d bind the internal seams with bias tape.
Size Details: My current measurements are 47″ (119cm) Bust, 43″ (103cm) Waist and 55″ (140cm) Hip, which puts me in to the Size D bust size and Size F for hip size according to the Grainger Coat size range. Generally, I make the Muna and Broad sample size (Size F), which corresponds to my hip measurement but not my bust measurement.
One of the things that sewing has taught me (but which has been especially reinforced of late) is that I have quite narrow shoulders, and this often messes with the ‘look’ of garments.
Fabric Details: I used 12.5oz pre-quilted denim fabric from Miss Maude in NZ (currently sold out, but apparently she’ll be stocking it again in NZ Autumn), and I lined it with lightweight cotton chambray. I purchased 2.25 metres of this fabric well before the pattern was finished, and I could have got away with 1.7 metres EXCEPT that I then might not have had room to attempt quilt line matching on the two front pieces. I had actually purchased the red version of this Lady McElroy fabric for the lining, but decided just before cutting out that it would be better to have something closer to the denim in case anything peeked out!
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My next version: There will definitely be a next version! I think I will make a Size D or Size E next- Size D would match with my bust measurement, and the oversized fit will mean that there’ll still be room for my hips. I’m planning a ‘summer quilt’ version where instead of batting, the middle layer is flannel, and I’m also planning to start piecing together scraps from my extensive scrap fabric collection… Perhaps I’ll start with a Semi-Breve Bag and branch out from there to improv-piecing a whole coat.
