Inspired by Salvatore Ferragamo - Simplicity 2812

                                                        Oops forgot to press the loops on the sleeves.  Easy fix.

Today I was able to wear my first made-by-me coat of 2011. Believe it or not, this coat was a UFO. I first thought of making it back in February 2010. The fabric was a gift from Marji.

Salvatore Ferragamo's collection is all about black and white houndstooth. His designs are featured in all the top fashion magazines and are also posted on the Style.com website. Both Carolyn's and Erika B.'s recent creations inspired me to finish this coat sooner rather than later. And I'm glad I did. I'm very pleased with the results and am eager to get some wear out of this coat before the Chicago winds become bitterly cold. The black and white pattern can be worn with some of my favorite colors: red and purple. And of course black.

I used Simplicity 2812 to design my coat. Although it's not a new pattern, it is still current and has a lot of nice design elements. This pattern has been reviewed about 18 times on PR. So, my use of the pattern may not give any new information about how the pattern comes together or how well the instructions are written. But I did want to share my experience on making this coat.

Pattern Description: Misses' lined coat in two lengths and jacket with collar and sleeve variations. (Simplicity's descriptions are so vague. Seeing the drawing gives you a better idea of what's available in this pattern.)

Pattern Sizing: 4 - 22; I used size 14 with modifications.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing with it? Yes. My finished coat was close to the cranberry (drawing) version on the envelope.


Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes. For the parts I read. At a glance, none of the instructions were vague or confusing. Typical construction of a princess seam coat.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? There are quite a few things I like about this pattern: the gathered collar, welt pocket, empire waist, princess seams for easy FBA, and the tabs on the sleeves. I have no dislikes.

Fabric Used: Woolen black and white houndstooth and for the contrast a black woolen. Lining - basic polyester lining from JoAnn's in white. Before cutting fabric I preshrunk it by pressing with a lot of steam.

Pattern alterations or any design changes you made: Many changes:

- I wanted to maximize the use of the fabrics. The houndstooth is a loose weave woolen. So I decided to make bound button holes in the contrasting black fabric (tighter weave). I made them using a combination of Summerset and Sherry's tutorials.

- I interfaced the entire coat except for the sleeves for more support and body.
- Sleeve heads were added.

- Contrast fabric tabs, loops, front facing, collar, buttonholes and pocket welts. The contrast makes the coat pop.
- My standard FBA
- Lengthen the sleeves about 1 1/2" and the coat about 2".
- Added about 1/2" to the center front of the coat. I like a little more overlap at the front closure of my coats.
- My standard prominent shoulder Blade and swayback adjustments

Challenges: Matching the pattern of the fabric across all seams with the given fabric yardage.

Learning: Making this particular coat, I noticed that my right hand is significantly larger than the left. (Got to exercise the left arm a little more.) And this is my first time making bound buttonholes. The tutorials made it easy.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? I may make another view of this pattern, and I do recommend it to others.

Conclusion: I love, love my new coat. This was the perfect time to make it. Pairing the simplicity pattern with the fabric was great foresight on my part. It's classic and just in time share in the Ferragamo fashion sewing sphere.

All pictures are here.