Marfy Coats

Seeing as I'm not willing to spring for a vintage coat pattern, but I want inspiration for a winter coat, here are some Marfys I like. After years, I have finally built the confidence to think I can sew well enough without directions.

Although there is the matter of the herringbone coat that's been in "idea gestation" phase for over a year now. All fabrics are ready and pre-shrunk. I even have several choices of buttons perfect for the project. I knit a scarf this summer to go with the coat. So when the heck do I plan to get started sewing the coat ...

Obsession for Vintage Patterns?

I've never caught the vintage bug. Even though the shapes from the 40s and 50s would look good on my hourglass shape. But I'm totally a "today's classics" gal.

I never caught the vintage bug ... until I found Modes Royale patterns! Good thing they cost more than I can justify paying right now (much cashflow going to a business start-up now, not as fun as sewing purchases). But all the power to those who do buy these patterns. I'm envious! Check out this jacket. I love the collar. I love that horizontal detail on the chest. On eBay, right now. And no I do not have a vested interest nor is this an endorsement of this seller, just an acknowledgement that this isn't my original photo. And if anyone wants this, here's how to get it!


There's even a glimpse of upper back/shoulder darts. I like the shaping those give. I recently bought a Talbots jacket with back shoulder darts. Love that detail.

I also must this weekend photograph the Burda WOF jacket posted about previously. How rude to post but not show it. And, sew a Vogue dress out of some very nice black Super 190 wool. Whoooo! But first, must finish two "work" things before sewing reward:
-- Prime and paint a few prominent peeled spots on the house while the temps are above 60 this weekend.
-- Write marketing materials about predictive analytics for sales. Helping the hubby. I may get a serger as compensation, how can you beat that!

Out of the Closet: Coats

It's time to wear a coat. I resist wearing a coat until I absolutely must. Thus far, no coat worn to work yet, and I got an extended warm weather reprieve with a business trip to Orlando. Now it's time to face reality. A luscious coppery corduroy is in the dryer right now, to cut into a jacket. I flipped through all my coat patterns today but they feel so utilitarian and boring. However, they will all do the job.

For more fun, what about this Modes Royale on eBay right now:

I've never gotten into vintage patterns. Maybe I should! Like I need another sewing-related spending habit ...

Sewing Project: Wool/Silk Herringbone Coat - Post 2

No doubt, I will play with the Butterick 5145 pattern to delete the back pleat:

Wearing ease should still be OK in the shorter version. With my 9" difference between waist and hip, the pleat may bring a very eye-catching but unflattering result. Plus if the folds don't lie flat when sitting, they get wrinkled and messy.

I want to achieve the clean back lines of Simplicity 4033:

However now that I visit Butterick to get the 5145 technical picture, I see this coat, Butterick 5295:

It fits much of my criteria: clean lines, not double-breasted, chest shaping, no belt, back detail that may work for hourglass shape with defined waist and swayback. I would delete the hip pockets -- don't need extra bulk there -- and instead do side seam set-in pockets. Unless there's something about those hip pockets that may actually make the hip look slimmer. I'd have to play with how it looks.

I love many of the Burda WOF patterns. But for my first go-around with a coat, I'd like more detail in the directions. Big 4 surely don't give everything, but I've learned enough to supplement them. Still need more guidance than Burda WOF may give.

Sewing Project: Wool/Silk Herringbone Coat

Nothing like seeing snowflakes to realize it's time to put scissors to fabric, iron to interfacing, and thread to it all, and sew the Wool/Silk Herringbone Coat. Here's the fabric, from EmmaOneSock a few years ago:

It's slightly lightweight for Chicago winters, so it will be lined with a satin-on-one-side, flannel-on-the-other lining in espresso color. The entire fashion fabric will be interfaced to stabilize it (Pro-Weft from Fashion Sewing Supply). I also plan to add contrast piping down the inside front facing with a red/beige/black/brown silk from Vogue Fabrics remnant room. Everything has been washed or steamed to pre-shrink it, even the silk remnant. It said dry clean only and washing definitely changed the hand of it, but just a sliver will peek out, and I'd rather have silk less soft than silk piping shrinking at the dry cleaner someday!

Decision time: Do I get hair canvas to practice stitches to roll the collar? Or just go with the fusible interfacing?

Future Decision: Buttons. I'll take a swatch over Thanksgiving holiday in Michigan to Habermans. Hopefully I'll score there!

Progress: A muslin was cut out today. I'm always afraid of cutting too small. So I wind up cutting a muslin many sizes too big and then trim, trim, trim down. What a great way to add time to a sewing project! Looking at the pieces laid out on the floor, even before I stitch the muslin together, I know I did it again! Ah well.

The muslin is cut out in Butterick 5145 view B, which I envisioned all along for this fabric. Clearly due to the very obvious example of view A fabric on the envelope:

However I have concerns about the wide pleat in the back. Even though the muslin is cut out, I'm still considering some princess seam coats with no back pleat. We'll see how this goes.

So Close

Took quick trip to a few upscale sites to find the elusive boot. Heart skipped a beat at first glance at this one at Neiman Marcus:

But without the wedge heel, it feels too literal a riding boot. I still like it, but at $595 it's not gonna happen even if it is 30% off right now.

And what do you know, EmmaOneSock today posted a new coating wool that would make a fab plaid coat. It would coordinate with more of the indoor clothes I'd wear underneath it too, because my wardrobe consists primarily of blacks, grays, browns and taupe with punches of red, green, blue, etc so it's not SO yawn-inducing. Yet this still feels like a safe choice. I do love the turquoise below. The EOS newsletter today included an invite to ask Linda if sold out fabrics can be special ordered. Do ya think? Should I tempt fate? After all, I have enough black and brown coats and jackets. Isn't it time for something more jazzy.

Meanwhile, here's the new option today:

The Coat+Boot fantasy lives on through the weekend ...

Sundance Obsession

So ... the latest distracting idea took hold when the Sundance catalog arrived and I saw these boots:

I can't get them out of my head. Thought about them while driving to work. Thought about them while cooking dinner. Thought about them while falling asleep. They creeped in my head during meetings at work. I think, I could be sitting here wearing those boots with a plaid skirt and warm bulky knit sweater in a few weeks! However. Not so fast thinking, Miss Bright Ideas. First they were on back-order. Now they are simply not available. Someone or someones at Sundance has been having some tough days. Tough for me too because these boots likely ain't ever gonna be mine.

But it was too late for my obsessed brain. The vision of these boots was already matched with fabric for a coat. My goal this autumn is to sew a first class winter coat, bump up my sewing skills a notch. So first candidate was this fabric from EmmaOneSock which I put in the shopping basket many times but just didn't hit the trigger:

But you know EOS. It's gone gone gone! Gotta hit that order button!

So more tough poopies for me. I try to forget the boots. Really try my best. But this blog ain't named "Visual Obsessions" for no good reason. Because last night I'm flipping through Burda WOF 11/08. And I see the fabric on the Burda Plus Fashion magazine ad. Wow. It would go with those boots! And thanks to Alfatex, if I can stomach the exchange rate and have enough confidence to start cutting (if you sew, I don't need to say more for you to know what I'm talking about), I can have it! Check it out:


In a longer coat, would look great with those boots, huh?

So today I log on to Sundance website to ogle the untouchable boots some more. I must like frustration or something. You can still get to the boots product page through Google cache. I needed to capture the jpg, to hold the vision slightly more permanently because the catalog will surely be recycled. At least I'll have the jpg until my hard drive crashes again. Because things are more serious now at Sundance ... the SKU is no longer on the Sundance website. So it's truly all over!!!

But I won't let go. Oh no no. Not that easy. Because Zappos has a lot of boots, right? Would they have the same boots or something very similar. If I knew the manufacturer, my search skills would be laser-targeted and I may very well score. All I know now is the picture, the description, they're from Italy, and there's a unique feature, sorta like an identifying mark, like a tattoo or mole or scar that's can help identify crime victims or criminals. And while these may be just boots, sometimes, I do suspect my obsession in pursuing these things is not quite so innocent. Anyway, the telling detail ... the cognac leather is also on the sole, on the bottom of the boot. Now that's a detail you don't find at Macy's or DSW, folks. Maybe not at Zappo's either. Maybe, now that I've developed a taste for Italian leather shoes and boots and gloves, our next trip to Italy must be timed with a better exchange rate and include shopping on the agenda.

Here's a few similar candidates at Zappo's after wading through 23 pages of boots with heels 2 3/4"+ (tenacious enough?). Let's play Boots Goldilocks:

Candidate #1:

The closest in style: the wedge, the wraparound strap and buckle. If it were not suede, it would be a score. Suede just looks crappy too fast, the way I plow through life in shoes. I could live with the dark brown color, but prefer the punch of cognac.

Candidate #2:

Closer on the color but still not quite there. This is a common color. Like the wraparound strap and buckle. The heel is definitely interesting, but for heavier winter fabrics on top, I think the wedge is more grounding. Plus I could see this heel being decimated in cracks in sidewalks, bricks and cobblestone.

Candidate #3:

Like: wraparound, buckle, stronger heel. Too wrong: the color, and may not be high enough.

Time to lose something here. Maybe we lose the wraparound and buckle. What do we get?

We get Candidate #4:

Like: color, height, dark heel, simplicity of design. A possibility. But boring without that wraparound detail.

Candidate #5:

Same comments as above.

Candidate #6:

Same comments as above.

Candidate #7:

Nearly same comments as above. Gorgeous, and they would do. However deal-breaker is that I prefer a heavier visual weight of the wedge heel or chunkier heels.

The visionary issue is, is it inspiring when there are so many others so similar? No. The inspiration of the Sundance boot was its uniqueness.

With that in mind, here's some uniqueness in a different way:

They lack the simplicity I'm drawn to, but they ARE eye-catching. I like. Would I buy? Would I wear? I don't know. Still stuck on Sundance.

For Parting Shot, another uniqueness, ***just for grins!***

Parting Comment: Despite the frivolous pandering over a pair of boots here, will I ultimately buy any of these? Do I take any of this seriously? It's just idle Saturday afternoon fun. Because there's a lot of people out there right now trying to keep their house, and their jobs. But is it not true that in times like these, it's fun to play and dream and escape a little.