Baby It's Cold Outside {Butterick 5425}

Pattern:  Butterick 5425

Version: Version A, which is the shorter of the two options with a stand-up collar
Sizing: 12
Fabric: black and white herringbone wool blend (6 yds); white, heavy-weight flannel (6 yrds); black (approximately 2 yds) and white (3 yds) polyester lining
Notions:  2 yrds fusible lining medium/heavy weight; 1/2" shoulder pads; 7/8" self-covered buttons (12); 1 yd grosgrain ribbon; 2” hem tape (2 packs); 1/2" hem tape
Assembly time: 60 hrs (but don’t be alarmed)
Instructions: easy
Modification: added interlining
Recommend: highly recommend!   

Every once in a while something turns outs perfect with little effort…this is one of them. Although this coat took me a while to make. Ok…. a long while (about 60 hours) it was well worth all the effort. To be honest, though, the pattern sews up faster, I just wanted to add details that boosted the sewing quality---like taking my time to make sure the fabric design matched as best as possible, adding bound buttons, and putting in an extra layer for warmth. 

 

I find coats an easy thing to sew and preferable to purchasing since you can choose fabric that otherwise would not be available and thus have a matching ensemble. I once heard that prior to mass production, nearly every properly clothed person would have a matching coat and garment.  Well, as we all strive for perfection, why should I not be perfectly dress?   So, I selected this pattern to accompany my holiday cocktail dress loving the idea that I would have something long and full enough to wear with a circle skirt.  Personally, I find nothing worse than having a pretty dress outshone by an everyday parka that haphazardly crushes a skirt. It makes me feel grumpy having to downgrade all the hard work I put into making myself presentable. 

 

Speaking of presentable, the instructions for this pattern are amongst the best.  Nearly every time I attempt a new pattern, I browse the pictures and read all the instructions before beginning. For this coat, it was particularly useful because it made everything a breeze during assembly and referring back and forth between steps was not necessary. This coat is unbelievably easy to make. The shortest seems are made at the shoulder and the others are the length of the coat, except the sleeves which are no harder than any other sleeve to install.

 

Cutting the fabric took about five hours of which four was spent in mindless cutting and the other hour in deep concentration. The herringbone fabric repeat is very small and essentially forms horizontal lines.  It was not the most difficult repeat to match, but it did take some time since there are many pieces (eight to be exact) that are used to form the princess seams around the entire body.  I constructed the coat with an interlining, which basically means I cut all the pieces out 3 times; one for the lining out of polyester, one set of flannel to serve as the interlining, and one for the outer shell.  All this fabric makes this coat heavy, nearly six pounds total.   

 

The lining fabric was pieced from two different colors, black and white, because I was lazy and wanted to use what I had at hand. I also have made the decision that I am not going to be using nylon for lining from this point forward.  After making this coat, I decided that if I am going to spend the time to make something, I should also dedicate more resources to the quality of fabric. Well, unless I want something cheap and easy to get my hands on---you must know there are always exceptions like Halloween costumes.  Back to the sewing project at hand though, I used the waistline marking for determining where to split the color blocking and added a seam allowance. 

  

The fabric I selected is a loose weave wool blend.  While it makes an attractive shell, I was concerned that a small breeze would easily blow through and not serve as a shield from mother nature.  To help keep me warm, I elected to add an interlining.  An interlining sits between the shell and the lining.  Typically, an interlining would be basted to the shell with long stitches, but I thought this was unnecessary.  One, the seams of the bodice are quiet close.  Secondly, the stretch of the fabrics seemed equally stable; the interlining is a heavy flannel that was pre-washed and hung for a week to observe stretching. Thirdly, I want the skirt to be as movable as possible.  My thought was that having three independent skirts would allow for more body; which I am pleased at the result. 

 

 

The interlining serves as a wonderful reinforcement for all the seams.  As I said before, this coat is heavy and the bulk adds extra strain.  Should you complete your project without an interlining, I would recommend reinforcing the seams in the bodice at a minimal.  This coat is fitted and I could see it splitting rather easily if you were not cautious.  I would also recommend reinforcing the shoulder and sleeves.  Since the coat was interlined and would have a lining, I did not finish the seams.  Nothing is cut on the straight of grain so there is no obscene amount of unraveling.

 

One of the features I like best on this coat is the 1980s inspired sleeve gather.  I tried really hard to keep this feature; wool can be steamed in a way to mold the gathers away which was not what I wanted.  The flannel helped to maintain the gather and adds infrastructure for height.  The sleeves for this pattern were very easy to install and I found them perfectly sized for each other. 

 

I could not help but try my hand at making bound buttonholes.  This is one skill that I hope to master in the near future.   I know with every attempt I will get better.  (Hopefully?)  For this project, I used a contrasting fabric, actually fabric from the dress I planned on matching to the coat.  I love how the black highlights my handy work.  You can also see by this selection of pictures that I placed shoulder pads to add additional support to the shoulder.  The coat does look much better with them and I know most people dread the impending shoulder pad comeback, but really they are not the worst thing to happen to fashion. 

As with every proper review, it is essential to point out something that can be improved upon.  While I have little to complain about for this pattern, I would have to make a slight objection to the lining portion.  The lining for the back of the pattern is cut differently than shell.  During construction, I came up with about a two inch excess when I pinned the lining to the shell. I formed the difference into a pleat similar to what you would find on a ready to wear garment.  After wearing the coat, I feel there is too much excess overall for the bodice however.  I think I would have preferred to have a lining that is more snug; and therefore, if I make this coat again I will use the same pattern pieces as the shell for the lining.

One other comment I must make, and it is more a warning than a criticism, is that the coat length is long...even on the short version.  Knowing and accepting the fact that I am short, I selected version A for this pattern which is the shorter version.  Well, if you observe the portrait of me and study the pattern cover, you will surmise about an eight inch difference in length between the models.   The coat covers my knees while leaving knees exposed on the drawing. Suggestion, measure exactly how long you want your finished coat before you cut; it will save you a lot of fabric and you will not be as surprised as me. 

Much of the time I spent on this coat was in the small details.  Details that are not that complicated, but time consuming.  Buttonholes take time no matter what, hemming is just as time consuming.  Overall, I am extremely happy with this project and have received many a compliments on it while on holiday.  I leave you with a slide show and best wishes for when you make your own 5425.

Wait for it...it's a slide show!