The Koos Coat - She is DONE! :)

Yes, it's done!

I left off last month (last year!) with the sleeves dangling on pins and basting stitches, not quite sure how I was going to attach them....and the poor thing's been hanging on Queenie ever since.  Once I'd had a delicious little snack (the LaFred pants) I was ready to go again, and decided to attach the sleeves per the pattern instructions - flat felled.   Ugh.  What I should have done (which required foresight) was to not stitch the construction seams all the way to the edge, especially the installation of the bias binding.  This way I could have neatly trimmed off the excess fabric while trying to get a nice, even stitch on the flat felling.    And, of course, I should have left 1" seam allowances for all of the ff'd seams.  I did trim the fabric as best I could, but given the different thicknesses of fabric, the risk of losing fabric I wanted through fraying (or [gasp] snipping through it....yes, I did that in one spot ::cry::)...well, can we just say that the next time I flat fell a seam it WILL be on even, not-too-thick fabric, and hopefully I will be much more successful, after all this practice!

Top of sleeve on outside - not too bad looking

Top of sleeve on inside - and the ugly truth....

Truth is, I will probably NEVER wear this jacket inside out.  I probably won't even bother posting a picture.   I mean, hey - I LOVE the outside, the inside is meh at best, so why even go there, right?

 A bunch of random pictures:

Collar rolled down

Construction Notes from this last phase:

1.  Attaching Sleeves:  See above regarding clipping out as much excess fabric as possible.  And I would HIGHLY recommend 1" SA's for all flat felled seams.   This I will remember in the future.  (Pounding this into brain as I type)

2.  The Welt & Pockets.   Vogue's welt instructions were a little odd to me, but then, this is a reversible jacket, and the pocket isn't attached to the welt at all, it's just sewn directly on to the inside of the jacket, so I followed their instructions. (mostly)   The first one left me mystified in several areas, but once I figured it out, the second one went very quickly.   The only part I didn't like at all is that there are a lot of raw edges left on the welt.   They're inside the pocket, but still - poor construction quality, imho.   Especially given the fray-proneness of one of my fabrics!   So I turned the raw edges under & topstitched them:

The edge I'm holding is left raw if you follow the Vogue instructions

I trimmed the inside fabric...

Folded the welt fabric over & topstitched
(this was welt #1 - #2 looked a bit better, but not much.
It was, once again, 8 layers of fabric in some areas....)

Sew the pockets on, hem the sleeves, clip the threads, press.....And that was it!   It took me over a month to get over the sleeve attachment hump, but really, it went relatively quickly once I did.    And, in spite of all the foibles & glitches, I'm thrilled with the results!

Some consolidated general tips (most of this is posted in more detail in my other 3 posts):

1.   Fabric Choice:  The ideal fabrics would all be similar weight and hand, with your bias trim being as lightweight as possible.  I think this coat would be fabulous in some drapey fabrics - a light-weight version that hangs in softer folds than a wool version.
2.  Pattern Instructions:  In general, the instructions are pretty thorough.   However, they do NOT follow the construction methods that Mr. Van den Akker used.  Janis at Grainlines and Biases attended a workshop teaching Koos' methods.  If I were to make this jacket again, I would utilize the methods she used!   In a nutshell, the fabric pieces of the outside are glued onto the inside fabric (the seams are NOT sewn together), and the bias strip is laid in place and then sewn through all the layers.   She also mentions a nifty way of attaching the sleeves, by using something like Hong Kong finishes on the SAs, so that the seams would stick up (on the inside of the coat).   I seriously considered doing this, but ended up flat felling.
   The labeling & numbering on the pattern pieces is just plain weird.  It makes no sense at all - I recommend cutting out your pattern pieces and laying them out, then RE-labeling them in a way that makes sense to you before you buy your fabric - that is, if you're the sort of person who wants to buy what you need, as opposed to one who always buys lots of extra.
   This is definitely an Advanced pattern, but if I could make my way through it, most of you out there in the sewing world can too!
3.  Pattern Sizing and Fit:  This is a seriously oversized jacket.  I muslined a Medium, & ended up making a Small, and it's still a fairly long jacket length on me.   The collar is TALL; unless you have a very long neck, it will end up making odd little folds on its own, or you'll need to fold it over for comfortable wearing.  (I trimmed mine down by about 1")
    And don't forget to add extra SA width to the seams that will be flat felled!
4.  The Collar:  Even though I trimmed it down so that my ears & chin aren't pushing on it, I'm discovering that the collar still has a tendency to want to fold down a bit.   If you want it to stand up,  you may want to add some stiff interfacing to your fabric (depending on your fabric choice, of course)

I may add a button to my jacket, but it will, of course, require the perfect button, which I didn't find in my stash (clearly I need more buttons!   hah.)

In the end, I have to highly recommend this pattern!   If you like a swing coat (I do!) this is a wonderful, modern take on it.  You can make a super easy version in a double sided fabric, without all of the piecing (see my first post for my fleece version - still unfinished because I do have some fun embellishments planned).   This is one of those patterns that really has a lot of room for creative fun!

ETA:  I've just discovered that there is another finished version of the coat in blogland - Noile has made a wonderful jacket using what she cleverly calls "Koos Lite".   She has a very detailed & informative post about her construction methods, including some helpful notes about the oddly labeled pattern pieces.

I think I'm starting to find a rhythm in what works for me regarding sewing projects.  I really thrive on the challenges - both in learning new techniques and in creativity, and I also love the instant gratification that a quick snack offers.   Alternating the two, and even sticking a snack in the middle of a long haul project, is what keeps me happily motivated.

How about you?  Do you like challenge after challenge?   Or would you rather have instant gratification most of the time?  Or do you need both?

The Koos Coat - What I've Learned So Far

Oh, how I wish there were days when I had nothing to do but sew!!!  I am making progress, but it seems rather slow...especially when I think I'll be done with a certain stage in a couple of hours, and a day later, I'm only halfway there!  But crises have been averted, and I am, once again, really happy with how it's looking :) 

I do have a few notes to make, however.

Pattern Rating    

ADVANCED  Vogue's Definition: The finest patterns featuring the best of European and American Couture. Perfect for those who like the sewing challenge of professional tailoring and fine couture techniques. Expect intricate fashion shaping, hidden construction details, couture inner construction, fine touches of hand sewing and bias draping.

I don't know about the "couture" bit, and Koos isn't known for a love of tailoring, but in my somewhat limited experience, I have to at least partially agree with the rating.  I would just rate it "Not for the faint of (sewing) heart".  I do not, by any stretch, consider myself an "Advanced" sewist, so if I can do it (and I CAN!)....well, chances are, you can too :)

Fabric Choice

This is a lesson called "Do what I say, not what I did".   

I love all of my fabrics, really, I do.   But...... (biggify for the words)

I HIGHLY recommend choosing stable fabrics, all with similar weight and hand.   For construction ease, this can really save you some angst.   Of course, if you're like me, you're going to go for the colors, textures, and variety that speak to you, and just deal with the angst anyway.   Just don't say I didn't warn you!  

Also, I recommend a relatively thin fabric for the bias strip (mine was a bit thick....of course). :::rolleyes:::  Bear in mind that, once you start flat felling the sleeves onto the coat, you'll be going over multiple layers of fabric, especially when you start crossing the bias strips!

(Note that I didn't even mention the inside fabric in the above pic, which caused most of my angst......if you saw my previous post, you already know about that....)

Sizing and Alterations

It runs large.  I started with a Medium muslin, & ended up making a Small.

I only made 2 alterations.  One was on the Sleeve length, which I shortened at the wrist end, like so:

It's an odd-shaped sleeve;
I marked the shortening line to run perpendicular to the grain line,
& then trimmed the edges to smooth them out.  

After I had the body of the coat put together, one of those niggly little back-of-the-mind voices that had been whispering to me finally made itself be heard.   Loudly.  Notice the height of the collar on this model (who almost certainly has a neck that is twice as long as mine to start with).

I was drowning beneath this collar!   It either had to be folded over, or it would create its own fold all around the center of the collar.  Not a good look!  Luckily, I was still at a stage where I could unpick the stitching & cut down the height (by over 1")...I made an 'after the fact' notation on the pattern piece:

The overall length is closer to coat than jacket (at least on my 5'4" [almost] frame), much longer at the back than at the front, but I'm fine with the length as is.   You could just trim the bottom of it off if you wanted it shorter.   Which I would probably wait to do until after you had all of the piecing done....it could be a little tricky figuring out just how it falls until you have it to a point where you can at least pin the body of it together.

Flat-Felled Seams

I remember doing these early on in my former sewing life.

Not much though, because mostly I remember hating doing them.  

Clearly, though, it was time to change my attitude, since all of the remaining seams in this jacket need to be flat-felled.   The problem (for me) was how to deal with 4 thicknesses of wool fabric being sewn & folded (making 6 thicknesses for the topstitching...even more when you start sewing over the bias strips!)

After trimming the inside SA to a scant 1/4", I decided to trim the inside fabric of the outer SA as close as possible to the seam line.   This means I would only be folding over one thickness, instead of two (Did that make sense?)

SA on the upper side of the pic is a full 5/8"
The next layer of fabric is trimmed right next to the seam
The two fabrics on the other side of the SA are trimmed to a scant 1/4"

 For the pressing portion of the seams, I decided to use a technique I learned when working with slippery silk charmeuse.  I folded the wide seam over & pinned it in place directly on to the ironing board, using glass head pins, & poking them in at a sharp angle.

Steam & Press it into submission, then let it rest until it's cool:

The finished, top-stitched result - I'm happy with it!  

I'll leave you with a shot of the ugly truth of the scene on the inside, soon to be hidden (hopefully!) beneath the pocket.  (But don't show this picture to anyone else, OK?)

Next up:  sewing the sleeves on to the jacket, making the pocket welts, installing the pockets, and ... dare I say it ... completion!!!!

The Koos Coat - The Good News/Bad News Post

The Bad News:  In spite of laying the two sides (inside/outside) together & matching them up perfectly, (which involved only a tiny bit a trimming, once I started basting them together they somehow no longer matched up.  At all.   WTF?   :(  In fact, I had a chunk of excess fabric on the reverse side that I could have made a sleeve out of.

The Good News:  OK, so I exaggerate a bit....I approached it with a "Yes, I Can Do" attitude, & in a little stroke of brilliance I realized that I could take a dart in the fabric, and place it so that I could disguise it with the Top Stitching - YES!

The pinned dart (although it did get moved & adjusted after this pic)

The Bad News:  I machine basted (with a walking foot) several lines from top to bottom, connecting the fabrics, & it became clear that, even though everything pretended that it was matching up,  puckering was going to happen anyway.   The tweedy tan wool blend on the reverse side was stretching out a little bit more every time I looked at it, no matter how subtle I tried to be.   :(

The Good News:  Steaming and Pressing the sucker into submission appeared to be taming it!

The Bad News:  I started topstitching (with walking foot) along the bias strip lines (I really wanted to be working with the expanding tan fabric on top, but in order to have the guide lines to work with, I really needed to start on the pieced side).   Everything seemed to be going well, until I got to an area where the steaming & pressing just wasn't doing the trick.   YARDS of excess fabric started appearing!!!!   Well, OK, maybe it was inches, or perhaps it was really centimeters (I'll never, ever get centimeters & quarter inches figured out....which one is bigger?), but still.   Way.  Too.   Much.

I went to bed.

The Good News:  In another flash of inspiration, I realized that the excess fabric was all appearing right about where the pocket would be placed!   I checked it today, and sure enough, it looks like I may be able to coax the folds underneath the pocket.   :::whew:::

If you biggify the pic, you may be able to see the dart (near the armhole at the top)
and the thread tracing around the pocket edges.   I think I can save it.....

The Bad News:  I may end up with a one-sided coat, not reversible.   But the semi-good news is that it's actually OK, since I probably would wear the pieced side out 90% of the time anyway.

I guess, when it comes down to it, it isn't really a Jilly Be project if it doesn't involve a couple of unexpected side trips along the journey...

The Good News to end with:  No matter what, I'm committed to enjoying the journey! (side trips & all....)

Hope all of your unexpected side trips are pleasant and fulfilling!

The Koos Coat! - In Process (and A Secret...)

I am THIS stoked about this pattern (Koos Van den Akker's Vogue 1277)!   Seriously, this is the most fun I've had on a sewing project....maybe ever!    This was a pattern I fell in love with the moment I first laid eyes on it.  Reversible, all sorts of room for creative fabric placement, and I loves me a great swing coat, especially one with such a fabulous, updated look:

Now, as far as I'm concerned, no one does the extremes of Is it Ugly or is it Fabulous quite like Koos.  Case in point:

I know that beauty is in the eye of the beholder & all that...
but seriously?  He's done worse (imho, of course), but this is the only one
that's still currently available.

Back to The Coat...

Choosing fabrics was step one.   Challenging?  Oh yeah....  Fun?  You betcha!  I started by shopping my stash, & filled the missing pieces in from here & there, laying them out, moving them around....

And eventually ended up with this:

Which evolved into this:

(The fabric bit sticking out on the right is the sleeve)

Once I had the bias trim laid out on it, I was loving the combination!

The pattern instructions, by the way, are very clearly laid out.  I've heard that Vogue gave instructions that are totally different (and more complicated) than Koos teaches it, but I've had no problems (so far) following anything.

Well, except for the bias strip pattern piece & instructions.   I should have been able to tell at a glance that those were written by someone from Pluto...or someplace...but I wasted time trying to decipher them anyway, before I just did it my way.   I've posted this method before, but I'll show my super easy way of cutting a bias strip here:

Once you have your bias tube sewn up, you simply insert a small self-healing mat inside the tube.   This way, you can lay a clear ruler on the edge of your tube, & cut accurate edges (to the width of your choice), using a rotary cutter.   After you cut a section, simply slide next section of the tube to the top of the mat, replace your ruler, and cut another section.   Accurate widths for the full length of the strip, without having to mess with scissors!   (I promise I'll do a full tutorial on this.....one of these days..... but there are already a lot of tutorials on cutting the fabric & sewing up the tube.   I've just never seen this method of inserting a mat inside the tube for cutting before)

Anyway, back to The Coat....

The instructions call for sewing the fabric pieces together WRONG SIDES TOGETHER.   After trimming your seams, you then lay your bias strips on top of the seams & top stitch each edge of the strips:

I thought this was kinda cool...no worries about getting off kilter
with your SA's on the other side of the fabric,
and everything looks finished, even on the unseen part!

Here are the pieces all sewn together & long edge stitched, connecting both sides of the coat 
(this is the WS of the fabric showing)
Inspector Sir Fur Purr seems to approve.
(Yes, cats are allowed to shed all over my fabric.  That's life with cats.  I got over it long ago)

This shows the reverse side.

After sewing the two sides together along the outer edge (RS together), you turn it through the neck/armhole opening, and baste the opening's raw edges together.   Here's where I'm at now:

The next step is All.   That.   Topstitching!   My only concern is how to get the topstitching done w/o puckering happening....   I'm practicing on scraps, but I still don't feel totally confident that I can keep both sides nice & smooth on the full lengths of All.   Those.   Lines.   

Any tips or hints will be gratefully received!

Oh, yes, I promised to reveal A Secret!   Here it is.   See how simple the main body of the coat is, w/o all of the pieces?    This fabric was actually "Muslin" #2.   I did up the first one (out of an old tablecloth) in a Med = too big.   So I decided to cut a wearable Small from fleece (I loves me my fleece, as many of my readers probably already know), and finalize my sleeve adjustments (they needed to be shortened) & check the overall fit before cutting into "The Good Stuff".

You say you don't want to fiddle with all those pattern pieces, or don't like the fabric matching game?   But you like the lines of the coat?   Well, here's The Secret.  Once you've connected your pattern pieces together, you can cut this out in a thick, double-sided fabric, stitch it up, finish your seams, & you can actually have a wonderful coat in a couple of hours!   Add pockets if you want, or line it, or make it reversible with another solid piece, and it's still an easy project!

Here's my fleece coat....this one is totally unfinished; I do plan on having some embellishing fun with it, & lining it with something else, but this can give you an idea of the possibilities:

My goal is to have the coat done by the end of the month (just a few short days away eek!), but hopefully I'll have most of the day tomorrow to work on it.

Wish me luck with the topstitching!