I don’t know about you, but in winter I never seem to be warm enough. My sisters and I are all alike in this regard; we walk around the house draped in layers of sweaters, blankets, and scarves. So when I think about winter dressing, I think about being cozy. And this new coat pattern, Lisette B6243 for Butterick, is definitely cozy. Just take a look at this.
And this.
And then this. (It was cold when I was in New York recently and stopped by the Butterick offices. So I found a cozy coat to wear!)
For fall I introduced you to a classic winter coat pattern, Lisette B6385 for Butterick. That coat is your essential dressed up, going out coat. I wore mine on my book tour and it looked great with everything I packed: jeans, pencil skirts, dresses, you name it. I got loads of compliments on it everywhere I went.
But when I want to be really comfortable, I prefer a less fitted style so I can snuggle right into it no matter how many layers I’m wearing. (Usually it’s a lot!) And the new Lisette B6423 is that coat.
This coat is a dropped-shoulder, shawl collar coat with a loose-fitting shape. The details include stylish front princess seams that curve into front pockets, as well as a dropped-waist back seam with a kick pleat that I just love. I also included a side panel with an under-arm gusset that allows for additional movement. The sleeve is wide enough to fit your bulky sweaters without being a full-on 1980’s style batwing/dolman. (I just can’t go back there, having lived through it once.)
Want to see the coat in action? It’s featured in this season’s video introduction of all the McCall pattern lines.
https://youtu.be/_DAK4O_tB8o
What fabric to use? Oh, so many choices! Mine is a dense, stable knit that resembles a boiled wool, which would be amazing if you can find it. Otherwise melton wool, wool-cashmere blend (so soft!), or anything with a little texture. Double-face wool would be lovely, and a jaquard or fuzzy wool would be so much fun for this coat! Whenever I’m in New York I drop into Beckenstein Fabrics on 39th Street because, in addition to their amazing selection of men’s shirting fabrics, you can often find really interesting plaid wool coating in the very back of the shop, hidden behind the suiting fabrics. The choices often have a bit of a vintage feeling to them, which is tough to come by these days. I also love New York Elegant Fabrics for their variety of interesting coat fabrics (which I mentioned when I introduced the Lisette B6385 coat pattern).
Here are some other fabric and styling ideas for you:
You could also pick something lighter weight if you live in a warm climate. I think an interesting twill would work for this pattern, and you could even use wool crepe if you really wanted. Whatever you do, pick something fun and luxurious for the lining. I’m still hunting for the perfect lining for the fuzzy turquoise wool I found in Paris last spring and purchased specifically for this coat. (I can’t wait to show you!)
I hope you’ll love sewing this pattern! It’s rated easy by Butterick, and it sews quite quickly. If you make it, be sure to tag it #B6423 on Instagram and upload it to the SewLisette Flickr group. And while you’re sewing it, don’t forget my tutorial for a bagged-in lining, which involves little-to-no hand sewing and will save you lots of time. You can find all the details and steps in Day 5 of the Lisette moto jacket sew-along.
Looks lovely and cozy on you! Love the pockets and the sleeves. Can’t wait to pick this pattern up!
Love the underarm gussets and the pockets. Really gorgeous while looking super-wearable!
This is gorgeous. I’m in Australia and it’s already over 30C here but I’ll definitely be coming back to this next Autumn.
I love this coat. I am short waisted so I generally avoid dropped waists. Do you think that this style will work on someone with a short waist by just using the lengthen/shorten likes, or would a different style be better?
Beth, this is basically a straight coat with a seam at the back for the pleat. It will look great on all body types, and if you want to shorten it at the waist that would be very easy to do.
Hi Liesl! I just got this pattern to make my first coat. It’s so beautiful! I love how the pockets are – reminds me of the Portfolio Tunic, one of my favourite patterns to make and wear.
I have a couple of questions about the coat if that’s alright.
1. What height is the pattern designed for? I’m about 5″3. I’m making a muslin but I’m curious.
2. Yellow wool is tough to find! But I came across a site that sells wool melton. It weighs 24 oz/ square yard. Do you think that’s a good weight to use? Just a bit nervous about ordering since they don’t sell samples.
Thank you!
Jen, in general all the big 4 patterns are designed on a 5’6″ model, to my knowledge. Obviously the models in the photos are taller and the clothes are made to fit them, so you’ll want to evaluate the pattern based on your own body and preferences.
Regarding the fabric, it’s impossible to judge only by weight. You’ll also want to feel for drape. Different drape will give different results, but I’m sure the fabric will be fine for this coat. It’s quite a versatile patterns and will work with a variety of weights and drapes.
Thanks for the info and your input, Liesl 🙂
Maybe I read “dropped shoulder” as “dropped waist.” OOPS. Thank you for your vote of confidence.
I am swooning over this pattern and hope to sew one up very soon as my Christmas sewing is through. I would love to gind a fabric like the one above but in a different color. Any ideas on where to look online? We live in the country so it is difficult to find beautiful fabric.
In addition to the fabric links I gave in the post, you could also try Mood and B&J. Both of them have wonderful selection of coating fabrics!
Love this pattern! Just purchased it…sure wish there was a tutorial or sew along online somewhere.
So very elegant, and practical, too. Well done, Liesl.
Would polar fleece be an appropriate lining?
Polar fleece would probably be ok, but it wouldn’t be slippery to make it easy to get the coat on and off.
I’ve used flannel lined shiny fabric before (sorry…don’t remember what it is called) for a wool coat in the past. What other recommendations do you have for lining?
Liesl, I have purchased a lovely wool blend melton fabric to make this coat with a warm satin lining. Iwould love to work along with a sew-a-long or tutorial for this pattern.
Oh, so much love for this pattern! I finished my coat and wear it too! Very easy to make, really . The instructions are great but to avoid hand sewing at the lining/coat hem I changed a little the order and was able to sew everything by machine. Thank you for this gorgeous pattern Liesl!
Can you write up the changes that you made? That would be helpful to know.
Thanks for the post, Camelia! We have a tutorial for bagging out the lining right here: https://oliverands.com/community/blog/2015/03/lisette-b6169-moto-jacket-sew-along.html (about 3/4 of the way down the post, near the end)
Did you do something similar for yours? That’s what I’m planning to do for my next one, as soon as I locate Thinsulate for the underlining. I need this one to be WARM!
Hi Liesl, yes something like this, only I left the opening in one of the lining sleeves. So I bagged the lining in the way you did on the moto jacket and after that, I reached through the sleeve opening and attached the lower back coat and lining to the upper back.Really easy. I am planning one for the spring 🙂
Beautiful pattern, I have made several Lisette patterns, and am very much looking forward to finishing my coat.
Currently I am having difficulty attaching the shoulder and collar and am wondering if I am missing some little trick (instruction #10 “”back to front at overarm and neck edges…”)
Do you have any advice or location of a tutorial that might be helpful?
Thanks very much!
I have this pattern. I’m struggling with the collar. In my opinion the directions are vague. Is there a trick to attaching the front to the back. I am an experienced sewer but….? If you help I’d be grateful. Thanks