Have you been following along with the #CoatMakingParty on Instagram?? It’s hosted by some of my favorite sewing bloggers (some of whom I got to meet in Utah a couple month ago) and there are some amazing coats being sewn up. I (honestly) had no intention of participating, not for lack of interest but due to lack of time in the month of January with work but when I saw that Tiahna was sewing up the Lola Coat, I convinced myself to jump in!
I’ve actually had the Lola coat on my to-sew list since the City Break e-book came over a year ago. I bought the ebook and the fabric that was used in the sample basically immediately and it’s been sitting in my stash ever since. I’ve also made the Molly Top and Dress from the e-book and they were winners so I was excited to try the Lola Coat.
The Pattern
The Lola Coat is a loose fitting waterfall coat perfect for throwing over any outfit. It comes with two lengths – a short version that I made and a longer version that includes pockets. The coat is very loose fitting – I made the size small (it only comes in XS, S, M and L) and it has a lot of ease and room in the arms and bodice.
The pattern is part of the City Break e-book from Sew Over It. It’s included in the e-book and has picture instructions. While the construction of the coat was not difficult, I didn’t think the instructions were the best or the best that Sew Over It has. There are just a few small tricky bits including attaching the waterfall panels to the back panels and attaching the side panels. Given those small tricky pieces, it was hard to interpret the instructions as they were written. Not impossible – just a bit more challenging than it needed to be.
The Coat
I think of this coat more as a waterfall cardigan than a coat. Tiahna added a lining to hers and made hers out of wool, so I think her’s is more legitimately a coat than mine is. I am happy with how it turned out though and I think it will be a nice layering piece. For the photos, I wore it on Sunday over my Pony Tank with a pair of jeans but think it could be dressed up with nicer pants or a dress. Similar to it’s intention as part of the City Break e-book it’s a great traveling piece to have for layering.
I do think this pattern runs very very large. I made the small but probably could have made the XS. Also the sleeves are SO long! I should have hemmed them shorter.
Speaking of hems, I decided to hand sew the hem of the coat. Boy, that was a pain. I am not very good at hand sewing, so you can see it, but not as much as if I had just sewn it with the sewing machine.
The Fabric
I used the same fabric that was used in the sample for the Lola Coat. It’s the Twill Crepe from the Sew Over It website. No complaints on the fabric at all – super easy to sew and use. My favorite feature of the Sew Over It website is that it has it’s fabric in categories of their patterns. So they have a whole section for great fabric choices for the Lola. Takes lots of the guesswork out of sewing one of their patterns in terms of fabric choice!
Are you making a coat for the #CoatMakingParty? I’ve made the Clare Coat, Chloe Coat, Ellsworth Coat, Kelly Anorak and the Lonetree Jacket and think those would be awesome choices!
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