shelley’s linen prado trench coat

The fabulous Shelley (aka Lightning McStitch) is back at it, sewing even more amazing projects to share with you! Here’s her latest, a Prado Trench Coat in the perfect linen fabric. We love it, and we love the way Shelley attacks each of her projects with such passion, searching for just the right fabric and styling them so well. (I’m also crazy for her shoes in the last photo.) Take it away, Shelley!

There are two ways I get super excited to sew something; Just like Liesl, one is the sudden, drop everything and make it now idea, the queue jumper so to speak. The other project is the one I’ve been thinking about for ages that suddenly becomes possible because of the availability of a pattern or fabric, or even better, both!

A linen Prado Trench Coat was exactly the second kind of project. I’d been wanting to sew a heavyweight linen trench coat for ages but had neither the pattern, nor the fabric. I was wearing this green, ready to wear, unlined linen coat with almost everything I owned. I’m not sure if it’s a fashionable look, but it makes me feel a bit like Tintin and a bit like Jodie Whittaker’s iteration of Dr Who and both of those sound like an outfit for a fun day out.

Then when the Prado Trench Coat was released, I started the hunt for just the right weight linen and at a price point that was bearable. It took a while, but eventually I stumbled on this Italian double woven linen in a local store, and when it came on sale I snapped some up. Then washed it, and washed it again, and washed it again…

I flipped back and forth on the use of interfacing. I was keen to avoid any in order to get the floppy duster coat type look I was after, but as soon as I started cutting the linen and saw how it would fray I decided I’d just follow the pattern’s interfacing recommendations after all.

My pattern adjustments were to add length (15cm) and to leave off the cape front and back. The weight of the linen (330 g/m) gives it plenty of warmth and structure without lining and so it looks finished when it’s all buttoned up and belted. But it’s softening up nicely with more washing and I think I’ll mostly be throwing it on and wearing it open as I dash out the door whenever adventure calls.

I have another idea for the Prado Trench Coat and that one will be a much more considered and technically challenging sew. Hopefully it won’t get pushed down the sewing queue too many times and I’ll get to show you all soon.

You can pick up your own copy of the Prado right here. We can’t wait to see what you do with it, and what Shelley does with it next! Thanks, Shelley!