Hi friends!

Here’s a garment that I made back in February – my second take on the Leonard coat.

Tracey, the lovely owner of the The Fine Cloth Company, reached out to work with me earlier in the year. As part of that exchange, I was gifted these fabrics to make this coat. Tracey persuaded me that I’d look fabulous in this coating fabric. Boy was I hesitant! I am not used to wearing this much bold colour. I am so glad she did! I’m now braver when it comes to wearing the brighter colours in my colour wheel.

The fabric is a double layer wool from The Fine Cloth Company (no longer available) which is lined with silk from their range. The buttons are vintage from Fabricabrac. These fabrics are glorious! I feel like a superstar wearing this coat. The Fine Cloth Company specialize in wool, linen and silk and ship throughout NZ and AUS.

With this fabric I decided to make a coat that was crisp and simple. I couldn’t think of a design more perfect than Leonard! It is ideal for Wellington winters. Lots of room to layer underneath, large deep pockets – no handbag required! I have previously written about the the pattern here. Please read that review if you are considering making this pattern. Now I’d probably turn to the Bella Loves Patterns Traveller Coat – I’ve heard great things about this pattern.

I decided to add welt pocket instead of the patch pockets that comes with the Leonard coat. The hardest part was deciding on placement. I googled instructions for sewing a welt pocket the whole process was pretty easy! I was able to line up the welt flaps using the check as a guide.

Being double layer wool it required a lot of trimming, understitching and pressing. To get the finish perfect on the outer edge of the garment I tacked all the seam down (as can be seen in the image below) and pressed the fabric a lot with steam, a press cloth and a clapper. I didn’t manage to get the press as flat as I wanted but I think it is the nature of this fabric to have a bouncier appearance.

This video on pressing by Made to Sew is excellent! Pressing is such an important part of the sewing process but is hardly spoken about.

I hope you like my coat! It has been getting lots of wear this winter and it will continue to for many years to come!