Seamwork Denise Coat
About the Pattern
The Seamwork Denise coat pattern is an A-line coat with princess seams and button closures. The pattern itself is fairly simple, with easy to follow instructions. I think the instructions for this specific coat are written in a way that breaks down coat making in a beginner-friendly way, making it a good first outerwear project. The pattern doesn’t require some of the more complicated steps that you might otherwise find in coat patterns, like welt openings or extensive interfacing, but it is easy to add these steps to the basic pattern if you want to enhance your sewing experience.
This Started with the Fabric
A couple of years ago I inherited my grandmother’s fabric stash, which included a cut of brown houndstooth suiting fabric. The selvage edge of the fabric showed that it was a 55% polyester, 45% wool blend.
This fabric sat in my stash for a while, waiting for the right project. I had earmarked the fabric for a blazer, or a skirt, or a coordinating vest and pants suit set at various times, but nothing seemed like quite the right project. The fabric color and weave were not something that I would have instinctively bought for myself. I wanted to challenge myself to somehow turn this fabric into a garment that I would love.
Contrast houndstooth lining on the inside of the coat!
Sometimes an image from a while ago just pops into the forefront of my mind. One day, I was suddenly reminded of the embellished coat that Ella Emhoff wore at the 2021 Presidential Inauguration ceremony. I remember liking this coat because it gave off a lot of character during the outdoor, pandemic era inauguration ceremony, when most of the attendees were swathed in warm winter layers and face masks.
I took a few ideas from this look - embellishment, statement collar, tailored suiting- to make something of my own. I used the Denise coat as a jumping off point, and added special tailoring details like welt buttonholes. I also wanted to make the collar detachable to maximize my wearing options for the coat - including one embellished collar, and one faux fur collar.
The rhinestones came in a multi pack with different shapes.
This was one of the more complicated sewing projects I have completed because it involved more hand sewing than I was accustomed to. I was also more careful with sewing and cutting the fabric because it was so special to me. The fabric also had more drape than what I was looking for in a coat, so I ended up interfacing all of the front pattern pieces, and adding interfacing to all pieces with hems.
Supplies and Sewing
Supplies:
2.5 yd of vintage poly/wool blend from my grandmother’s stash.
1.5 yd Houndstooth printed silk charmeuse fabric for a fun accent lining
Sew-on rhinestones, purchased online, for the embellished collar.
For the fur collar, I used a leftover piece of faux fur from my stash.
Horsehair braid interfacing for both collars, and regular iron-on interfacing for the rest of the pieces.
I also bought shank buttons, which I think sit flatter on the closed coat than regular buttons.
Sewn by hand for this project:
Attaching rhinestones to the embellished collar
Horsehair interfacing for the under collars
Hand tacked all of the hems, so these would not slide down over time
Added snaps to attach the collar to the coat body
Welt buttonholes. I used this tutorial which made tiny welts.
I remember reading somewhere that it is possible to use the selvage edge of fabric as seam reinforcing, and I tried this to reinforce the shoulder and armhole seams of the body. The process reminded me of using all the pieces of a rotisserie chicken to make soup, which my grandmother would have done. I like to think that she would have approved of using up these scrap pieces of fabric.
I sewed the selvage into the inside of the coat, after sewing the shoulder seams.
Detachable Collars
The faux fur collar
The collar is a modified Papercut Emmi jacket collar, which I shortened the circumference of to fit the neckline of this coat. I sewed the negative side of the snaps on the inside of the coat, so these wouldn’t rub up against my collarbone if I wore the coat without the collar. I also used sew-in horsehair braid to interface the under collar. This was important because the stiff interfacing helped to maintain the shape of the collar after the addition of the rhinestones.
Check out the snaps!
I am pleased with the final project and have worn the coat with the embellished collar a few times for special events. This fall, I think I might just incorporate the coat with the embellished collar into my everyday look. I haven’t worn the fur collar yet because it tends to collect lint when I wear it with a scarf, but I am thinking of making a collection of detachable collars for future coat projects. Hand sewing was not my favorite part of the process but it made me appreciate how satisfying it is to sew other garments entirely by machine.