Dotty Duster Coat - New Look 6656

Pattern: New Look 6656 (2006)

Pattern Description: Collar-less, unlined, above-knee duster jacket.

Pattern Sizing: Size A (10-12-14-16-18-20-22) I made view A in a size 14 at the shoulders and bust increasing to a 16 at waist and 18 below.

Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing it? Yes, yes it did!

Were the instructions easy to follow? Extremely, it had a very simple construction, with no tricky or difficult steps involved.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? What I appreciated the most was the inclusion of a center back seam for shaping. Also the waist shaping of the side seams match my body type (10" difference between waist and hips) although it might be too much of a difference for a slimmer-hipped woman.

Fabric Used: 2 yards of black, white, and gray polka dot print moleskin from Jo-Ann Fabrics (on sale for $7.49 per yard, orig $29.98), Pellon SK135 Sheer-Knit fusible interfacing, 2 packages Wrights 1/4" double fold bias tape in Black, vintage Wright's Trims non-shrink seam binding in Navy #55, and Gutermann 100% polyester thread in Black #10.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made?: I first made some changes to the paper pattern: I cut View A out in size 14 at the shoulders moving out to a size 18 at hips.

Comparing the pattern pieces, New Look 6656 had a strange drafted protrusion at the upper back that I cut off leaving the back straight above the curved "swayback" shaping. I found the back neckline uncomfortably high on my neck so ended up cutting both necklines and their facings in a size 12.

The sleeves for this design were meant to be cropped or extended with a contrast cuff. Instead, I combined the two pattern pieces and cut my sleeves out at full length.

Construction: 

First thing, first, I discovered when I checked and straightened the fabric grain by pulling a thread that the print was slightly off grain.

 

 Correct => Incorrect

Second, when finally confronted with cutting out this fabric I realized that I had misrepresented the fabric's orientation to myself all these years. I had imagined a coat with vertical lines when in fact the fabric has the dots running horizontally! Which now meant that I should really try to match the seams, right? That resulted in me spending a lot of time lining up, marking, and cutting out all the pieces in a single layer.

I then attempted to match the side seams, though the bust darts made it more complicated. The moleskin was a but stretchy which made matching a little difficult as I had to keep tugging the rows into place. Eventually, I was able to have white rows of dots line up across the seams; however, if you look close, you can see that the two adjacent rows of gray dots weren't matched correctly and different shades of gray were lined up! Luckily, the most important seam, the back seam, came out perfectly.

However, I shouldn't have had that problem though because the fabric was a bit translucent making the matching pretty easy.  I was able to lay a piece atop another piece and see the design on both. Oh, wait... I could see the design/shapes but not differentiate between the very close shades of gray. Okay, I feel better now.

Later on, I also added stay tape to the shoulder seams to combat the possibility of them stretching. It just happened that I received this vintage seam binding in navy (from a giveaway) that I could use for this "vintage" project.

Turning out the squared lapels was very important to this jacket looking great. Therefore, I trimmed the seam allowance to eliminate bulk. Of course, later I remembered I had tips and tutorials saved on the best ways to do this. Ugh!

In fact, right after this jacket was completed I saw this very promising technique on page 73 of the February/March 2017 issue of Threads magazine.

I finished the raw edges on the facing by turning under and stitching. At this point, the fabric had revealed that it frayed extensively and since this coat would not be lined I wanted to finish as nearly as possible the other raw edges that would be subject to regular friction.

Side A or B?

I had the choice of going with my typical finish of simply turning the seam allowance under or I could be daring and try something more decorative like a bound edge or a Hong Kong finish.

Because of the graphic look of the jacket and how precious this project had become over time I chose to use bias tape to bind the exposed seam allowances.

On the back, I bound the seams separately so they could lay open and flat; but I chose to bind the sides and sleeves together as one flat seam. I am so happy with how this turned out.

I'm extremely proud of my sleeve caps. The ease allowed in the pattern was perfect, I was able to achieve a smooth cap but it was not effortless. I first machine basted the sleeves in but my turquoise staystitching (absolutely necessary!) showed that they didn't go in exactly on the seam line. I then unpicked the seam and basted them in by hand and stitched directly over those stitches. Voila!

That success was followed by more bound seams for the underarm and shoulder seams before attempting the most difficult, the binding of the armscye. Luckily, that went well too and I am in love with all of my bound seams and how professional the whole thing looks!

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others?  Yes, I would. The alterations I had to make were needed for my particular body and didn't seem too bad to me. The difference between my waist and hips was perfectly accommodated for in the pattern. Otherwise, the construction is perfect for a beginner. I also love the slight bell shape of the sleeves.

Images: Calvin Klein and @meccok on instagram

J. Jill duster

Conclusion: I have had a few inspiration pics for this type of coat over the years and I have finally made one for myself. The J. Jill pic above is from their 2010 catalog and is the original inspiration for this duster and shows how diligent I was in getting all the details right despite going with a woven versus their knit version.

I think this will be a great addition to my wardrobe, easily able to transform a simple top and bottom into a chic ensemble. I hope to use this pattern many times and definitely want to make an evening coat out of a patterned satin brocade.

Duster History Posts:

The original idea from 2010!!

The first try

The second try

Cosy Knit Cardigan - McCall's 7254

Pattern: McCall's 7254 (2015)

Pattern Description: Unlined close-fitting cardigan with self-lined fronts extending into collar and back peplum.

Pattern Sizing: Sizes Y (XS-M) and Z (L-XL) Because of my measurements I assumed I would need to use a combination, M for the bust and L for waist and hips.



Did it look like the photo/drawing on the pattern envelope once you were done sewing it? Yes, very much. I was extremely pleased with the accuracy of the pattern images.

Were the instructions easy to follow? Yes, this a very straightforward pattern. A beginner could easily produce a well made garment.

What did you particularly like or dislike about the pattern? I was really interested in the fact that this cozy design could also stand in for a casual blazer.

Fabric Used: Navy cotton interlock from Hancock Fabrics liquidation sale ($2.60 per yard, orig. $12.99), Gutermann 100% polyester thread in Navy #272, Pellon EK130 Easy-Knit fusible tricot interfacing, vintage* Wright's Trims non-shrink seam binding in Navy #55.

Pattern Alterations or any design changes you made: I debated on which pattern combination to buy and during a $1 pattern sale I went ahead and bought both size groups. The idea was to use the upper bodice pieces from the size M and blend them with the size L pieces for the peplum.

First, I pencil traced the size M onto the larger size pattern in case I would need to taper from one size to another. Noticeably, the sleeve patterns for the two size groups are completely different in cap height and armscye curves so I could only choose which sleeve works best after I selected the correct bodice. Therefore, I only cut out the pattern pieces in the Large size. Then from the fabric I cut the bodice pieces and stitched them together to see if I would even need to use the smaller size pieces.

Liking the fit, I chose to cut size Large for everything but I did shave a bit from the bodice armscye; cutting halfway between the M and L sizes, because the shoulders seemed a bit wide.

I interfaced the collar facing and loved how the interlock was transformed, it achieved a sleekness and body. The only issue was when I was basting the facings to the collar at the raw edges, unless I slowly smoothed out the unfaced side the edges stretched or contracted and would not match.

All the seams in this pattern are finished with two rows of stitching 1/4" apart, trimmed close, and the seam allowances are pressed to one side using steam and a pressing block. For a non-fraying knit this makes for a great finish to the project.

Before the final trim and pressing.

This cardigan can be fastened to more resemble a jacket but I think I will leave it this way. I am very happy with how it turned out.

Would you sew it again? Would you recommend it to others? Yes! I love the feel of this cardigan, especially the interfaced foldover collar/peplum. I actually find myself petting it. The only way it could be better is if I had block fused the back bodice piece with the same knit interfacing.

Check out that smooth peplum.

Conclusion: I love this cardigan. I will probably make this again but I will shorten the main bodice length by two inches. I would like the back peplum seam to hit right above my derriere instead of getting hung up on it.

There are similar designs to this pattern out there in the indie world like the Mouse House Creation Julia and the Style Arc Fiona cardigans, but I chose this one because I am more familiar with Big 4 pattern instructions and these McCall's patterns only cost me $2!!



Julia and Fiona

Note the strong resemblance to the Fiona.

* Thanks, Allie J!

Working On The Duster Trail...with New Look

The image in my head for the last six years.

In 2010, decided to make a duster coat to enhance my professional wardrobe and wrote about my goal here. I even tried to muslin the coat at the time. If you remember (HAH, I barely remember, it was 6 years ago!), my original pattern choice of Vogue 7714 was much too large for me, even after coming down a few sizes. The photograph of the view I wanted was extremely misleading (though you could see the truth in the others) and the actual wearing ease on that pattern was ridiculous! It was so large that I was able to reuse and cut another pattern out of those same muslin pieces! I needed some more fabric only because the new pattern had two back pieces instead of one. I tried it on and it looked good even though the bust darts were in a very awkward position.

I really liked that pattern, New Look 6656, and every 5 months or so, I would try it on again and still be happy. However, I could never get myself motivated to cut it out of my final fabric, a polka dot moleskin, which I think over time developed mythic status in my stash. In the mean time, I gained weight and inches and that muslin became no longer relevant.

So, just a few weeks ago I cut that old pattern New Look 6656 and another new option, New Look 6270, out of a queen size sheet with the goal of completely finishing the duster THIS year.

The illustrations above (an altered New Look 6656 sketch) are what I wanted the final garment to look like and include the must-have details: an a-line shape, collarless, no closures, bust darts, waist definition, a back seam for sway-back shaping, and a length about 30-32" from base of the neck.

Each of these two patterns more or less had these details but the shaping of some elements were different (like the side and back seams) and that was the reason I needed to make them both up to see which would work better.

In both patterns, the front armholes were identical and the sleeve pieces had the same general shape and cap height.Though both patterns had back seams they had some room added to the upper back that seemed to allow for a slight dowager's hump. If anything, my back would require a straighter line there. Perhaps my posture is more erect than the average woman because both muslins bagged out unattractively in that area when sewn up as designed.

New Look 6270 was shown on the pattern cover in a sheer fabric; therefore, the picture was not a good indicator of its suitability for my fabric, a more substantial moleskin print. Using the printed pattern measurements I cut it first as size 16 all-over, eventually coming back to reducing everything above the waist to a size 14. Even then, the front and back were extremely wide. In fact, the front lapels overlapped by inches when there was no overlap intended in the design.


To see video of this jacket in motion, check here on my Instagram.


As you can see, altering this pattern to fit my goal of a sleek jacket would have been too much of a job. I'm still a fan of the maxi-dress in the pattern so I hope its sizing and ease will be more accurate.


New Look 6656 had a more structured design allowing for facings; however, the illustration made the shoulders seem like they might be too wide. I cut this one in size 14 at the shoulders moving out to a size 18 at hips. Comparing the pattern pieces, New Look 6656 was more nipped in under the bust; however, like 6270 it also allowed for a strange protrusion at the upper back (see at right). I cut that off leaving the back straight above the slight swayback shaping. I found the back neckline uncomfortably high on my neck so also ended up cutting the neckline and facings in a size 12.


To see video of this jacket muslin in motion, check here on my Instagram.


This muslin in motion* fit much better, I found the shoulders fine, the back was not too wide and there was adequate ease for the hips and bum. The sleeves for this design were meant to be cropped or otherwise extended with a contrasting cuff. I added the cuff to the main sleeve pattern piece and cut my sleeve out at full length.

As you can see, the muslin worked out beautifully and matches the shape of the inspiration garment shown below by Calvin Klein.

Calvin Klein colorblock jacket

I can't wait to cut my long-stashed fabric and sew this beauty up. It's been a long time coming!

*I was trying this on during the last week of the Presidential campaign and as my father filmed me we could not miss how much this jacket resembled the similar ones worn by Hillary Clinton. Sigh.