Sew and Tell | Kate of Kelbourne Woolens
We are so excited to share this lovely version of the Cascade Duffel Coat made by, Kate. She definitely deserves some praise for taking on the challenge! We love her fabric choice and how she mixes it with her cozy woolens. It’s making us look forward to the remaining months of winter.
Name Kate Gagnon Osborn
Where can we find you online? Kelbourne Woolens
Link to your post about this project Kelbourne Woolens
Which pattern did you use? Cascade Duffel Coat
What type of fabric or other materials did you use? For the outer fabric, I used wool yardage I bought from Johnson Woolen Mills on one of our trips to Vermont last winter. For the hood lining and zipper panels, I used a mystery charcoal wool that I think I bought on fabric row in Philly last year. For what original purpose, I have no idea. For the lining, I used Bemberg Ambiance rayon, as recommend by Jen in the sew along. It was my first time working with it, and I am a total convert - it really makes the coat look both professional and exceptionally easy to take on and off; especially when I'm wearing a bunch of layers and/ or wooly sweaters!
Tell us about your project! I am no stranger to Grainline patterns (the Scout Tee + Alder Shirtdress are two of my "T&T" patterns, and I love the Archer). So while a much "bigger" endeavor, I knew my Cascade would be a great jacket once finished. While not difficult - I found it to be about the same skill level as a Archer. The coat *does* take a lot of time. I paced myself and followed the Sew-along and did one step per "session" as not to get too overwhelmed/frustrated/tired and make a stupid mistake.
The biggest roadblock I faced was the toggles. I couldn't find anything I liked ready-made, and somehow never made the commitment to try out leather. In the end, I bought grey cording and wooden toggles, and made my own using the main outer fabric and lining to create little pouches that I stuffed the cording into. I tried about a bajillion different ways to machine sew them on, using the machine, but they never came out exactly as perfect as I envisioned. So I ended up sewing them all on by hand. Time consuming, but well worth it in the end!
As mentioned previously, the only other small change I made was to line the hood with a charcoal wool I had in my stash, instead of the rayon, and use the same wool for the zipper panels. I regret not adding a tiny bit of flair in the form of a pop of color somewhere (maybe the zipper tape?) but anyone who knows me knows... I go all grey all day, so the coat fits my personality and my style to a T.
I actually bought two coats worth of wool at Johnson Woolen Mills, and am anxiously anticipating making a shorter version with the collar out of the other fabric I have!
This post was written by Sarah W.