Sometime in January I found myself browsing patterns and I was hypnotized by the cape patterns from New Look. I bought this one
and also this one
and will probably eventually buy this one!
I never thought I was a 'cape person'. I had also recently bought some really beautiful Tahari wool plum speckled coating from Califabrics.com
and for a lining I used Bemberg rayon in mustard from Mood.
I started with 6227 - no hood. I cut a size S, view C. The trick with this fabric that I did not foresee is the directional stripe - I managed to creatively lay it out and cut it so that it made a chevron at the center front and back.
Construction is simple, there are only a few pieces. The slits are basically like cutting a welt, if you've done that before, only larger. The only change I made was not to attach the lining at the bottom edge; I'd read a review where this seemed to cause the fabric not to lay right, which probably wouldn't have been a problem for me since the wool was quite heavy, but I decided to play it safe. So the lining hangs free and has a rolled hem. The only other addition was that I topstitched the neck edge, because the lining kept wanting to roll out ever so slightly.
Once I finished, NorCal decided winter was over and I've barely worn it, but I still love it, and can't wait for next year's "winter", all 3 weeks of it.
Pictures:
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Front view |
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Side view, with cat. |
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Back view - needs a press from being in my closet. The cat is still waiting to go for a walk outside the gate while I stand around taking photos. |
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Lining! Normally I don't like/wear yellow, but thought of all the 'specks' it was the most complementary color for a lining. |
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The arm openings are plenty big enough for comfortable movement. I cannot, however, wear my shoulder bag across my body! |
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Topstitching not noticeable, but does keep the lining on the inside. |
This was an easy pattern to sew, a great idea for coatings or fabrics that maybe you want to handle as little as possible, with as few seams as possible. I love it, and I never would have seen myself wearing a cape-style coat. You never know! Now I'll put it in the back of my closet until December.