Hello, friends!
It’s been too hot here to think about cold-weather sewing. But now that summer is almost over (boo hoo), I’m starting to get excited about fall sewing and getting out cool-weather clothes. Are you, too? I love, love, love the seasonal wardrobe switch. It’s so fun to open up the storage box or drawer and pull out a skirt or jacket I wasn’t thinking about while it was put away. When I unpack it I start thinking about how I want to wear it and where I’ve worn it before. But maybe that’s just me.
Anyway. Here’s a pattern I’ve been wanting to develop for a while, and who better to do it with than Butterick? This style, Lisette for Butterick B6385, is a classic, fitted, fully-lined coat. This is the coat you’ll turn to again and again for almost any event or purpose. It’s a feminine, elegant style that can obviously be worn for dressy occasions but can also be worn more casually with jeans and sneakers if you’re relaxing for the day.
Here’s what I love about it: princess seams. You know what this means, right? It’s so easy to fit your own body when you have princess seams. And to make it even easier, we’ve already included piece for various cup sizes, so a lot of the fitting work has already been done. I included a Dior dart in this design, just for the fun of it. A Dior dart is a short dart that allows the princess seams to be shifted toward the side seams a bit. I think it’s a nice little detail, and it’s easy to sew.
And here’s another thing I love about this pattern: we included three different collar options and two different pocket choices, so you can customize the coat to your preferences. The pink coat on the envelope cover features the rounded collar, but you can also choose from a pointed collar and a tall funnel-neck-y collar. I’m considering playing with the funnel collar and making it even taller so it’s really dramatic when the collar is worn open. I’ll let you know how it goes when I sew it.
This is a really classic style, so feel free to have fun with your fabric and lining choices when you sew it. I found some beautiful wool coating fabrics when I was at New York Elegant Fabrics last month. Isn’t that pink herringbone in the photo below stunning? And I like the wrong side of the dobby dots as much as the right side. They look like a series of running stitches (which is basically what they are). I think any of these fabrics be fun for the coat. (Alas, I had already purchased an also-lovely cashmere-wool blend for my own coat when I stumbled on these, but it’s not all bad because I found lining that matched it perfectly. Maybe I’ll do something to embellish the fabric a bit, now that I’ve seen these pretty options.)
As always, I’ve assembled fabric and styling ideas for this pattern for you. Take a look at my Lisette for Butterick B6385 coat sewing pattern Pinterest folder for lots of ideas, including some embellishment ideas if you’re so inclined.
I hope you’ll have fun sewing and wearing this style! There may be a sew-along somewhere in the future, too. I’ll keep you posted. You can order the pattern right now from the Oliver + S shop or get it wherever Butterick patterns are sold.
This will be a must have pattern for this fall for me! I cannot wait to buy it and sew one up!
I’m so glad, Sharon! I’m pretty excited about it, too. Can’t wait to see how yours turns out.
I just bought this pattern at the last BMV sale and it is one my fall/winter plans. I have time to get just the right fabric as it still is 90’s here!
It’s in the 90’s here too, Lori. Brutal, right? They say the weather in Madrid is nine months of winter and three months of hell. It’s an exaggeration (New York is worse), but I understand the sentiment. xo
As soon as I saw it, it was a have to have for me. Probably won’t be made til next year in solid black.
I’m glad you like it, Carol! Black is ALWAYS perfect for a winter coat in my world.
I just bought this – stumbled upon it at JoAnn last time I was there! I am SO excited, even though I live in a climate that hardly ever calls for a coat this warm, because I’ve always wanted one that looks like this.
How do you think it would do in something a bit more lightweight than coat-weight wool? Is it crazy to think of sewing it in a twill or something similar?
Glad you like it! I think you want something with a little bulk to it for this style, Enbee, since it’s designed to be a coat rather than a jacket. Having said that, there are certainly plenty of lighter-weight or less-warm bulky fabrics out there, so you’ll almost certainly find something that works well without being too heavy. I hope that helps.
I will definitely be sewing this one up. I’m thinking of view c. I love that collar! Beautiful pattern, as always!
Thanks, Darcy! I like that collar too. It’s nice to have options, isn’t it?
Thank you, thank you! This looks so similar to a beloved J.Crew coat that needs replacing and now I can make my own! Love that rounded collar option. Can’t wait to sew this!
Oh, I’m glad! I hope you’ll show us when it’s done!
That funnel-neck collar is gorgeous! Adding the pattern to my list.
Glad you like it, Masha!
This is exactly coat I was dreaming of! I love princess seams and three colar options. Thank you!
Wonderful, Ivana! Glad you’re happy with it.
I desperately need a new wool winter coat and have been putting it off since they are so expensive. The wool coat I’ve been wearing is at least 15 years old! This pattern is very similar to my coat which needs to be replaced. So perfect! Thank you!
I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this coat since you posted it on pinterest. Love the princess seams and that it’s fully lined!!
Love the pattern – so classic and I need a new coat! Yesterday we stopped and bought a bunch of beautiful wool on our way home from Boston before I saw this beautiful pattern online!!! Love it. Hope I have enough of at least one of the wools for this gorgeous coat. Can you give me some ideas for the lining? What types of fabric would work? what would you use for warmth, comfort or durability? I am not a fan of those cheap lining fabrics you find in the local fabric stores.. But such a fan of all your o+s patterns. Thank you!
Hooray! I was looking for this exact style and could not find a pattern that was just right. Looking forward to sewing this with your excellent instructions!
Hello
I can’t work out which pieces need to be cut for the lining. Please could you help?! Thank you
I just bought this pattern and can’t wait to sew it up! Love it, thank you 🙂
Have you tested adding height to the funnel collar? I am considering this on my version but would like to see pictures.
Love this pattern. Would this work in alpaca and wool mix? It has a pile, so not sure if it has too much texture for this style.
Absolutely! I’m making one with a heavy fabric that’s almost faux fur, so no problem!
Absolutely love this pattern! I have been struggling to replace my 10-year-old rtw coat in a very similar style, so this will definitely be a project for me this year.
I have a question about the sizing – my bust/waist/hip measurements fall across sizes 12 to 16 (large waist) so I’m not sure whether to go for the 6-14 or 14-22. Would you be able to advise, please? How much ease is there in the pattern? (My ego wants to go for the smaller size range… 😉 )
Thank you very much in advance!
I’m glad you like it, Jenny! This coat is meant to be a bit oversized, so I would tend to choose your size based on your hip measurement. Having said that, however, we have a blog post scheduled for tomorrow that might interest you. (Hint: You might want to consider grading between sizes…)
Fantastic, thank you very much!
“A Dior dart is a short dart that allows the princess seams to be shifted toward the side seams a bit.”
I would be so interested to know what the advantage or purpose is of using this type of dart/princess seam arrangement.