Revisions, Revisions, Revisions. Patternmaking the Dot Coat

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I work hard during each design challenge to ensure my final design looks as close as possible to the design illustration readers vote for each month. But this month I veered away from the final design. I have three main reasons for these revisions.

The first reason, we have had quite a warm winter where I live in Canada, and I am not too eager to add another long coat to my wardrobe. A couple of months ago I made a fabulous oversized denim jacket that I adore so I am looking for a new challenge.

Reason two, I designed the original coat in 2010, and my tastes have changed. I still like most of the design elements, but the thought of sewing the coat as I designed it in 2010 does excite me like it used to then.

Seeing Double

Reason three for revising the coat is that looking back I designed a yellow coat much like the one in my originally purposed design. The coat above was part of a lookbook I had made while I was at school. I noticed that the collar, sleeves and even the oversized button detail were very similar to the design I was supposed to be making this month.

Design Revisions

I considered making the coat in the original design illustration even though it was very similar to the yellow I had made earlier. I reasoned that it would save me time if I didn’t have to make the pattern from scratch. But then reason prevailed! The whole part of my blog is to learn and advance my skills, so I changed the design while trying to retain the main characteristics of the original design.

Main alterations:

• changed collar style to a grown-on curved collar with neck darts for shaping
• changed the contrast fabric circle inserts to be smaller and to be a gusset in the new kimono coat
• changed to a looser kimono sleeve
• on revised coat only one button is visible and the other closures are hidden (snaps)
• shortened the coat (reason for altering the size of the circles)
• moved pockets to side seam as when I shrank the circles they became too high for a natural pocket placement
• curved the front of the hem as I think it will suit my body type better and echo the curve of the gusset

Are You Happy Now?

Yes, yes, I am. I love the new collar of the toile. It is snug but not too tight, high without flopping over. I love the circle gussets. When the coat is worn on a human and not a mannequin the circles on the sleeves line up perfectly. Can you hear that? It is me patting myself on the back. Hee hee.

A Few More Tweaks

I am still planning a few minor alterations to the pattern. I will keep the sleeves full-length for my final design. It might be warmer this winter, but it is still cold enough, that being the wimp that I am, I do not want ANY skin visible. I need to make it slightly looser at the hip or put in a back vent for ease of movement. My last conundrum is that I cannot decide which fabric in my stash to use. I KNOW that I do not want it to be the same colours as the original design illustration and I have narrowed it down to one of four choices. I am going to start sewing this week, so I had better decide. I think I will jump on Periscope and ask the talented people who watch their opinion too.

I would love to know what you think of the alterations I made to the original design. Let me know what you think in the comments below or on the Duelling Designs Facebook Page.