October is almost over!? Sorry, I had to start with that because I simply can’t believe it. Fall is always too short lived, especially in Northern Ontario, Canada, where we have already seen snow several times in the past week, and the leaves have all but abandoned the trees. I have officially promised myself that one day I am going to take an extended vacation in the fall, to some place that can provide a classic autumn atmosphere and fulfill my wildest foliage dreams. Alas, for now I am where I am, unable to travel, my thoughts already leaning to winter.

Lets start with the fabric. I found this black and rust colored, buffalo plaid printed wool in the summer, and wasn’t sure at the time what I was going to do with it, but knew I had to use it. Unfortunately, this fabric is no longer available from the site I purchased it from, but in my mind that only justifies my shopping for wool fabric in July. At this time of year these kinds of textiles sell out quickly, so I often shop for seasonal fabric in the off-season to make sure I have plenty of options to choose from.

It may be hard to tell in the photo, but this wool has a long-haired texture to it. When you run your hands with the grain, it feels soft and smooth, but against the grain, it feels a bit picky. It’s a heavy weight apparel fabric, and I knew as soon as I saw it in person that whatever item I made from it would be very warm, and perfect for winter. In my area of Canada, our winter months can be as cold as -35 degrees Celsius on a somewhat regular basis, which means that warm clothing is a must!

So what exactly did I have planned for this fabric? Enter the coatigan. This part coat, part cardigan, is a cozy number that has been popping up every where this year, in both slouchy and structured styles. If you haven’t see this kind of item yet, here are a few images to give you an idea of the style I’m talking about.

If you take a moment to analyze the shape of these, they are pretty basic. So I decided to use part of a pattern I already own to make this. From the pattern pictured below, I used only the back pattern piece, and sleeve pattern piece.

The reason I didn’t use the pattern piece for the front of the jacket, is because it is very uniquely shaped to accommodate a one piece hood that is attached. If you’re a beginner sewer you could easily mimic the shape of this back piece and sleeve with any pattern you have that is similar, or if you are experienced at pattern drafting then I have no doubt that you could whip up a similar pattern easily.

In my case, I used the pattern to cut out one version of the back piece as is (cut on the fold), one version of the back piece not cut on the fold (so that there are two separate sides that would serve as the front), and of course the sleeves.

Once I cut out those pieces, it took about twenty minutes to sew the front pieces to the back at the shoulders, sew on the sleeves, and then sew up the side seams. I haven’t shown those steps here because they were so simple, but for a visual you can reference my previous post where we attached sleeves to a shirt and then sewed up the side seams of the shirt in a similar manor.

When I completed these steps, I was left with the very basic, unimpressive item below. I was prepared for this though, and had already brainstormed some alterations and additions I could make that would make it more unique, and more coatigan-like.

I started with the neckline, using my tailor’s chalk to mark a possible V-neck shape.

Here is a close up of the neck, and how much I was thinking of removing. I tried this on several times with different tops underneath, to make sure this felt like the right depth and shape. Once I was confident with it, I cut it!

I also decided that in order to give this piece a more casual, less structured feel, I wanted the side seams to be slit up the side. After trying on the piece and deciding how high I wanted the slits to go, I ripped the seams open up to that point, and then created facing for these slits.

As you can see below, I used a very simple method to do this, where I cut a piece of fabric that outlined the exact size of the slit, pinned it to the right side of the fabric, and then stitched it in place. Once any extra fabric was cut away, I turned the facing to the wrong side of the fabric and sewed in a line of top stitching, creating a nice finish on these slits.

To continue the casual feel, and to provide some practicality, I had to add pockets. Many different styles of pockets would have suited this piece, but I kept it really simple and went with a rounded patch pocket.

I started this process by mapping out approximately where on the front I wanted these pockets to sit, making sure that it would be a comfortable height for me to put my hands in them. Planning the placement out ahead of time allowed me to make sure that the pocket I cut would match the plaid pattern as much as possible. Then I cut the basic pocket shape I was looking for, and made sure it was going to be the right size.

I folded the top edge down and top stitched it twice, about an inch apart, to create a nice finished edge for the top of the pocket. Then I folded in the straight edges of the sides and bottom, and stitched them in place, being sure to leave the corners free.

I then used a very simple method of creating a curved edge for the corners. In the last image above, you’ll see that I hand stitched a very loose, straight stitch around the edges of each curve. Then I pulled the thread taught, which gathered the fabric in that section. In this case, the fabric gathered in a curved shape. Once the thread was knotted to keep the gathers in place, the corner looked as pictured below.

With all of the pocket edges turned in, the pocket was then pinned to the garment in the location you’ve picked out, and sewn in place.

Finishing the front edges of this piece could have been done in many different ways, but I decided that I wanted to keep the lines of the front really clean, and forego buttons or any other closures. To create that clean finish, I made my own front facing by laying the garment front onto more of the same fabric, chalking the outline of what would be the finished edge, and then cutting this piece out at the desired width. Once I was satisfied that the facing was the right shape and size, I cut out an identical piece for the other side. Here is a photo of the front of the coatigan, beside the facing piece to match it.

I used the same process to create facing for the neck line on the back of the garment. That was one simple piece that followed the curve of the neck, and was about three inches in width.

To attach the facing, I first sewed the front facing pieces to the back neck facing piece, so that it formed once long facing piece. Then I pinned this to the garment, right sides of the fabric together, and sewed in place. The facing was then turned to the back, so that the wrong sides of the fabric were together, and then a line of top stitching was sewn around the entire facing piece.

You may notice that I have not mentioned a lining for this garment. I chose not to line this project for several reasons: 1) the fabric was quite heavy on its own, and didn’t need any additional structure, 2) I planned to layer this piece with other clothing items, and wear it indoors, so it didn’t need to be made any warmer, and 3) this type of wool fabric doesn’t fray easily, and I knew that if I pinked the raw edges on the inside they wouldn’t require further finishing. Without the addition of lining to this piece, all that was left at this point was to finish the sleeve cuffs and the bottom hem.

I wanted to finish these hems without any visible stitching lines breaking up the horizontal pattern of the fabric, so I decided to use some plain black twill tape to trim the edges, and then use that to hand stitch invisible seams on all the hems.

Twill tape is a very simple cotton trim that you can find at fabric supply stores, and sometimes even dollar stores, and is endlessly helpful in sewing tasks of all kinds. I always keep a few rolls in basic colors among my sewing supplies.

For this project, I sewed the twill tape to the front edge of the sleeve cuffs and bottom hem (as shown below), on the right side of the fabric. I made sure to leave plenty of the tape hanging off the edge of the fabric, because I was going to use this extra edge to fold the hems inward, and pin in place.

I hand-stitched the trim in place, using a very loose, angled stitch that is commonly used on hems. I was very careful to keep my stitches from going all the way through the fabric, so that they were secure but not visible on the outside of the garment. This takes some practice if you haven’t done this before, but it’s quite easy to master.

You could use this same method to hem pants or skirts, and in fact, if you take a close look at the inside hem of pants that you have purchased, there’s a very good chance you’ll see some version of this stitching.

Once that step was done, the project was finished! When you analyze the details, you can see that the completed project is more detailed and unique than the original pattern. The shape of the neckline, the style of the pockets, the side slits, and the slightly cropped sleeve length, all contributed to the personalization of this garment.

I plan to wear this cozy number with classic layering pieces like turtle necks and long sleeved t-shirts, leggings, and almost any style of pants - all in black of course. I’m also imagining this layered over an all-denim look! Either way it’s going to keep me warm and cozy in the coming months.

You could make so many different versions of this at home, with almost any medium-heavy weight fabric, using many different patterns. I hope this has given you some inspiration to think up a version of the coatigan that speaks to you and your style, but whatever look you choose, keep it cozy!

Thanks again for joining me, and until next time, happy sewing!

~ Amanda

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