Vintage Wool Coat

 I think this pattern is from the 60's.  I couldn't find any date on it but judging from the hair style and the style of the coat I am guessing 60's.  I liked the look of this coat and as luck would have it the pattern I had was my size.  Most modern patterns have multiple sizes in one envelope.  Most vintage patterns have only one size included.  This pattern had two length variations, the car coat length and a longer below the knee length.  I made the shorter style.  It is a fully lined swing style coat.  The pattern has only six pattern pieces.  The whole sleeve and back section are one large piece.  The coat front and the front facing are one piece too.   The other four pieces are the pocket, the pocket band, the collar and the hood.  The lining uses the same pattern pieces as the coat front and the coat back.

 I really had fun sewing this coat up.  It had some unique but easy construction methods.  It has a loose but comfortable fit.  The hood is detachable so you can use the coat without the hood if you want.  There is a separating zipper under the collar that hold the hood in place.  The zipper is hidden under the collar and you would only see the zipper when the hood was up.  The hood also has a drawstring.  I  liked the way the front slant pockets were made.  I thought they would be a bit tricky to make but the were quite simple and they turned out great too.

The fabric I used is from JoAnn Fabrics clearance section.  The outer fabric is a nice coat weight wool.  The lining is a polyester satin brown dots.  I had the buttons and the zipper in my stash.  The zipper needed to be shortened from 12" down to 9".  Since it was a zipper with metal teeth it was easy to shorten.  I just used pliers to pull the stops off and pull the teeth out for about an inch of the tape.  Then I pried the stops open enough so I could get the back over the zipper tape and press them back tightly in place. 

I am very happy with this coat I have worn it for the last few days since I finished it.  And I have gotten several compliments on it.  I love being able to use one of my vintage patterns.
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