Every time I sew I’m glad my mom taught me so much about it. There isn’t a project I make where I don’t use a technique I remember her showing me. In this case, it was pattern matching while cutting out the fashion fabric:
It’s a good thing the pattern matching looks so professional because the rest of this really isn’t my best work: That fleece was so soft and thick and stretchy it was nearly impossible to sew nicely, and of course it didn’t press into shape like a wool coating. However, I love it and it’s the warmest coat I own. (It ought to be; there’s an extra 4 inches of fleece around me. This coat is BIG, both size- and fashion-wise.)
As planned, I used Simplicity 8797 and graded from a small at the shoulders to a medium at the hips; there’s still a ton of ease and I think a straight size small would have helped reduce some of the bulk. The fleece is from JoAnn and it’s super-soft but, as stated above, extremely difficult to sew–it’s literally an inch thick. My serger did the lion’s share of the work, as the walking foot on the Bernina kept wanting to get caught in the pile.
Thankfully, it was a simple pattern and it went together really quickly. I found some one-inch black snaps and disguised them on the black stripes for a closure and have been wearing it every time I want to be warm and/or make a STATEMENT.
