Coats are something that I've grown to love making.  I'm currently plotting and planning the coats I'm going to make for this season.  

For my wardrobe, I like to balance classic styles with trendy styles because there's room for both.

Take for example, my camel hair tailored coat, made from Simplicity 1756.  When I made this coat almost a year ago, I had envisioned a beautifully tailored, classic coat that I would proudly wear for decades.  Something along the lines of Loro Piana or Max Mara coats.  This coat will NEVER end up in the donation pile.

But I also love this unstructured white blanket coat made from (OOP, but still available on the site) Vogue 8696. This is probably the trendiest outerwear of this season and I made mine a couple of years ago.  I don't want any snow and ice like we had this past winter.  But I love that the mercury dips low enough that I can enjoy these coats that hang in my closet!

Today, I decided to pair my coat with denim.  It's such a great way to under-dress this coat.  I'd been seeing a lot of bloggers and street style on Pinterest, so I put together my own look.

Inspired by Pinterest!

Images via Pinterest

I'm going to get so much wear out of this coat because it's just that versatile.  And unlike a dress or a top, I can wear this everyday... well at least until it warms here!  Which is a great segue into today's discussion, a new addition to my "Love the Clothes I Make" series.  Most of you have been following me long enough to know that I have a pretty good sense of who I am style-wise.  I've gone through transformations in the almost decade I've been blogging.  Which means, over the years I've learned the benefit of sewing things that I'm going to wear all of the time and return to season after season -- hence this coat!  

 Most of you have been following me long enough to know that I have a pretty good sense of who I am style-wise.  I've gone through transformations in the almost decade I've been blogging.  Which means, over the years I've learned the benefit of sewing things that I'm going to wear all of the time and return to season after season -- hence this coat!

So, my question to is:  What do you sew?  Is it for entertainment purposes only?  Are you a "weekend seamstress" that just enjoys sewing a cute piece or two for the satisfaction of just sewing?  Or are you in it to win it -- like those of us that are serious about wardrobe building and always ready to learn a new technique and add more skills to your sewing repertoire?

Every year, I like to make at least one substantial coat.  Last year, it was my beloved cashmere pea coat.  So this year, I decided it would be a classic camel's hair coat.  I wanted a coat that I would love and cherish for years to come... nothing trendy at all for this project.  Just timeless elegance.

I picked Simplicity 1759 for my pattern.  This pattern is great because you can choose either a single or double-breasted style; choose notched or stand collars or just collarless.  It has patch or welt pockets and back belt variations.  And most importantly, a two-piece sleeve.

I picked this beautiful camel-colored 100% camel's hair fabric.  It's described as "a heavy weight camel wool with a long brushed nap. Very soft, slightly spongy."  This is a napped fabric with a raised pile.  Which means it's best to layout your pattern and cut (on a single layer) with the nap running down the garment.  It'll wear better and pill less.  With ALL pieces going in the same direction.  Also, since this fabric is thick, I used a 100/16 needle and a 3 mm stitch length.   And I pressed the fabric on the wrong side using a fluffy terrycloth towel underneath.  This is my first time sewing with camel's hair, so it was all experimental.

I cut the size 14 and graded out to the 16.  I added 3 inches to the length.  And 1 inch to the sleeves.  I made a 1 inch FBA. I followed the instructions for interfacing.  But I padstitched the collar and taped my roll lines on my lapels.  I also interfaced my hems.

I also added a back stay (didn't photograph it, but you can check out previous ones here) and custom made shoulder pads.  

Made these using polyester fleece and a layer of muslin.

My goal is to always sew a set-in sleeve perfectly on the first try.  Here is my tried and true method:

I used two 2" x 12" bias cut strips of hair canvas.  I marked the center of each strip and pinned to the wrong side at the top of the sleeve cap with the raw edges matching.  Beginning at the center where the pin is, I stitched the bias strip to the sleeve cap using 1/2" seam allowance while fully stretching the bias strip... ending at the notch.  Then I repeated on the other side.  Note:  if your machine doesn't have a seam allowance guide on both sides, you can use a piece of tape.  Then your sleeve is ready to be pinned into the garment and sewn.  The bias strips also act as sleeve heads!

I used a silk charmeuse from my stash.  And I bagged my lining.  

I used Gutermann Top Stitching Heavy Duty Thread for top stitching, buttonholes...

And buttons.

Since some of you are often curious as to where I wear things, on Monday I attended a Spring 2014 Fashion Preview at Belk.  I'm with Arlene Goldstein, VP of Trend Merchandising and Fashion Direction.  I'll be blogging more about the fabulous trends to look forward to later!  Notice how leather was trending!  I got to wear one of my new favorites, my Vogue 1251 lambskin leather and wool crepe dress!

In conclusion, the idea that I created a coat that is similar to coats produced by designers such as Max Mara, makes me very happy.  Coat making is really easy, but there are just a lot of time consuming steps.  You have to (with experience) teach yourself how much tailoring and/or shortcuts you want to apply to your constructions techniques.  And most importantly, that timeless beautiful fabric is really what makes a great coat, so choose wisely!