Welcome! Whether you’re new or old to this blog, I’m thrilled that you have found yourself here. 

Today I’m talking about a handmade project that was inspired by some fabric I just had to have. If you have been following my blog for a while, you know that I’m often inspired by fabric first, and then find something to do with it. I am trying to do less of this now, because it often means a project can be less intentional than I would like. However, I gave into temptation on this one and it paid off!

The fabric is a deep green, herringbone printed, heavy-weight coating. It was love at first sight, and with no plan at all I ordered enough to suit most coat patterns. (This is the other downside of buying fabric without a plan – you often need to purchase more than you may actually need, because you don’t know what you’re using it for.)  

Thankfully, I did have a coat pattern in mind that I thought might work for this. Vogue #1563 is a now infamous, out-of-print pattern that I had heard about and had to look for online for several months. It’s one of those patterns that, sorry to say, has a cover that does not do the pattern justice.

The line drawing on the back gives you a peak at the potential though. In my mind it looked like a cozy, over-sized version of a classic menswear shape, and if you know me you know I LOVE menswear, so I knew I had to try this pattern out eventually.  

I can say now that the fabric and pattern paired really well together, as I do think this coat needs a fabric with a lot of body and structure to give it the best shape. This pattern was also a bit of a challenge for me because the precise pocket and collar details, but I’m very happy with how it turned out.  

I finished it off with some vintage buttons I found on Etsy, and I think they’re the icing on the cake for this piece. I don’t know if I’m just unreasonably picky when it comes to picking out buttons for my projects, but I always look at both new buttons in-store, and vintage buttons online, and I can’t tell you how many times the vintage options have won out! 

If you’re a sewer and can get your hands on this pattern, I highly recommend it. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. I’ve worn this coat with almost everything in my closet I can think of now, and it seems to instantly make an outfit of jeans, ankle boots and a simple t-shirt feel more polished and put together, and yet also adds a cool, relaxed feel to dressier outfits. Magic!

I can already tell you that this won’t be the last time I make this pattern. I’d love to hear what kind of fabric you visualize it in. Corduroy, velvet, denim, let’s think outside the box! 

Anyway, thanks again for coming by folks, I always appreciate it. Until next time, 

Amanda