Women's Unlined Coat in Melton

This is a coat I made for my mom’s birthday. The time constraint meant that many of the construction decisions I made were done on the fly. I really had to test my confidence for this one!

The fabric is a lovely (and expensive!) Melton that I still wouldn’t have cut by now if not for the due date. I used Butterick’s B6385, except I did not include the body lining. I also replaced some of the turned edges with bias tape finishes to reduce bulk. The interior seams use a Hong Kong finish.

This is the first project where I ended up doing a lot of hand stitching (bindings, felled seams, topstitching, and buttonholes). I also had to do hand stitching to cover up for mistakes as I constructed the garment ad-hoc. The thickness of the Melton really lets you stitch just about any way you want without it showing on the other side of the fabric.

Overall, I’m really happy with the results, and I think I will try to be more willing to freestyle in the future if it means getting more projects under my belt!