Sew & Tell | Teresa of dandeliondrift
It’s just a few weeks until it’s officially spring! Although, up here in Chicago we can count on cold days for a few more months. We are really over this dreary weather! This Cascade Duffle that Teresa made is warm, cozy and fun. We love the pop of color, and it's perfect for colder spring days.
Name Teresa Where can we find you online? dandeliondrift
Link to your post about this project dandeliondrift
Which pattern did you use? Cascade Duffle
What type of fabric or other materials did you use? The outer fabric is twill from JoAnn and the lining is bemberg rayon (also from JoAnn). I had little time to shop, so it was nice to find the fabric close to home!
Tell us about your project! I had never even dreamed of sewing myself a coat before the Cascade Duffle (I live in Florida and rarely need a coat). I was pretty nervous that this would be a hard sew, but it actually wasn't that difficult....time consuming, but not difficult!
I made a few changes to the pattern (nothing to change the fit, just cosmetic changes). I liked the look of the patch pockets with the flap closures, but wanted to be able to easily slip my hands into the pockets from the sides. I made welt pockets right on the pocket placement line for the patch pockets (I used this tutorial. The welt pockets are lined in bemberg rayon, and go the distance from the pocket line, all the way over to the middle of the coat. I tacked down the lining at each corner of the welt pocket so that the pocket bags wouldn’t bunch up.
I also looked through some pictures of duffle coats for inspiration and saw a picture of a coat with a great interior zipper pocket. I added that pocket to the facing piece, two inches in from the inside seam. I wasn’t sure where to place this zipper, so I saved that step towards the end until I could try the lining on and find the best placement. The zipper is a nine inch zipper, and the pocket lining for this one is nani iro double gauze. I tacked down the corners of the pocket to ensure it wouldn’t bunch up inside the lining.
The last little change I made was to add a flat piping right along the seam between the lining and the facing.
The Cascade came together really well! My favorite part of sewing it had to be the bagged lining (I had never done one of those before and it came together magically)!
I wore my coat for the first time this past month and it was great! It actually was snowing (I was visiting Tennessee) and it was the perfect size to fit over my sweater and it kept me perfectly warm!
