Three views of Burda 105 02 2019 trench coat

Finished at last

I finally finally finally finished my coat. It got a bit frantic towards the end when I came to sew the lining in and realised I’d seriously messed up. I went to pin it around the back vent and realised it was impossible to attach the lining to the coat on the overlap side because the vent facing wasn’t wide enough to reach the lining stitching line. Cue puzzlement as I tried to work out what had happened and how to fix it.

I eventually discovered I’d cut off almost the entire overlap facing by mistake at a much earlier stage in proceedings. I was supposed to just trim it a bit. I can’t even blame Burda because their pattern instructions weren’t wrong, I simply cut on the wrong line. That’s what comes of being lazy and using the same pattern piece for the left and right back instead of making separate ones.

After some swearing I cut a rectangle out of scraps, ripped out the vent stitching, sewed the rectangle on to the edge I should not have cut along and put the vent back together. It’s not perfect but can’t really be seen from the outside. If you squint there’s a tiny ridge where the seam allowance of my repair lies, and that’s all.

Outside view of coat vent
Inside is another matter, but at least it’s neat.
Inside view of coat vent

Luckily everything else has gone pretty smoothly. I’ve been following a sewalong for Ready To Wear Tailoring from Pattern Scissors Cloth for this project and it’s been a huge help. My coat’s a little bit different to the one in the sewalong, not least in having the nearly fatal vent, but thanks to Sheryll’s advice about adjusting the pattern in advance the potentially awkward steps like the collar and lapels were easy to sew. It gave me a new appreciation for Burda patterns too; I noticed that several of her suggested pattern adjustments to allow for turn of cloth were already drafted in. It’s Burda 105 02/2019 although I’ve shortened it from the original length and reduced the ease at the waist.

With perfect timing I’ve finished this just as the UK weather goes insanely hot, so I haven’t worn it even once yet. Normal cool and cloudy service is expected to resume next week though. But in the meantime here it is on the dressform.

Butda 105 02 2019 on dressform

46 thoughts on “Finished at last”

  3. Fantastic looking coat! I’ve done the exact same thing with a coat vent and after some head scratching (and some cursing!) Did the same as you. No one will ever notice!
    Also I think Sheryll’s rtw coat sewalong was one of the best blog series I’ve read. Alot of sewing issues actually relate to the pattern – esp lapels, collars etc, and if you know how to make the changes, then the sewing part should be less trouble and the finish looks better too 😁

  5. So chic, elegant, unique. Your fabric turned out to be just the thing to highlight the structure of the coat. Beautiful.

    1. Thanks! I was worried it was too thick but it has worked out. I think the pattern would be OK in more traditional trench coat fabrics too though. And I saw a version on the Russian Burda site which seemed to be made in wool coating and looked good.

  11. If you didn’t point out the issue with the lining and the vent, no one would have been the wiser. Your coat is gorgeous, and perfect to the eye. Well done on the save.

  14. Another beautiful project. Looking forward to seeing you wear it, and for the return of cooler temps!

  15. As I’m commenting after everyone else, I can’t think of any more superlatives to write – so all of the above plus a few more!

  19. Looks fantastic! When the temperatures are more reasonable for dress up, please post photos wearing it!

  20. Absolutely beautiful coat! And an excellent save on the vent. Sheryl’s blog is chock-full of amazing sewing tips.

  21. It looks amazing and only us sewing nutters can see that tiny vent mishap, congratulations and enjoy the next downpour in style!

  22. It’s so professional! I never would have noticed anything amiss about that vent if you hadn’t pointed it out. I bet you’ll get lots of wear out of this once the weather turns.

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