Today’s post is almost the last winter clothing post. (Oh, wait. I just realized I’m sewing sweatshirts right now. Well…this is one of the last ones I sewed during the winter.) I saved this one for early spring because it’s a great transitional garment…the Sapporo Coat from Papercut Patterns.
This is a pattern I have had my eye on for awhile, so I put it on my Christmas list, and my husband was kind enough to order it for me from Pattern Review. (He’s the best.) Papercut always has really interesting patterns, and this one is no different. Cocoon coats are sort of a funny shape, but I like trying new types of clothing, and the possibility of color-blocking and highlighting the cool seamlines really drew me in. It was an added benefit that I had fabric in my stash that I could use, so I didn’t have to get any new fabric for this.
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I chose gray and black wools from my stash for the outside with a polyester lining. The wool was given to me by friends ages ago, and the lining was purchased for another project, but never got used. It’s originally from Fabric Place Basement in Natick, MA.
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When choosing a pattern size, I nearly always have to grade up a size for the waist and hip. According to my measurements, I should have done that for this pattern as well, but it’s not the easiest pattern to do that with, so I went with my bust size (S/M) and hoped for the best. It helps that this coat is oversized and meant to be worn open. I think it turned out alright.
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The sewing itself was pretty easy and enjoyable. I saw online that many people used different tailoring techniques and interfacing to make this more like a coat, and less like a lightweight jacket, but I decided to mostly trust and follow the instructions as written. The one thing I did change was the sleeves.
The pattern has you line the sleeves with the same fabric as the outside, but I noticed that the seam that joins the sleeves to the body really stood out from the body on many Sapporo coats that I saw online, and I hoped that using lining in the sleeve would soften that area so it didn’t stand up so much. It didn’t actually have the effect I had hoped for, but I did learn how to bag a lining after a few missteps.
In order to line my sleeve, I created a facing for it using the sleeve pattern piece and then a shorter piece for my lining. In step 12, I pinned my lining to my sleeve facing and stitched, thinking I could flip everything right side out. I came out with a tangled mess, so I consulted the Easy Guide to Sewing Linings by Connie Long, and followed her directions. That helped me fix everything. I just have to say…bagging a lining is MAGIC! I can’t even remember how I did it, but now I know where to find the information (and you do, too!)! (By the way–that link is to an eBook, but you can find used copies of this book pretty easily. Mine came from Amazon, I think.)
I really like this strange and interesting coat. I like the hidden pockets and the unique shape. I wasn’t sure if I would like the shorter sleeves, but I do. They work with the silhouette. And I LOVE the color-blocking. Originally I had planned to do a lot of topstitching, but decided against it when I started making the jacket. I still think it would be interesting to add topstitching near the seam lines and edges, but that will have to be an experiment for another time. The top of the collar seems like it wants to roll out, so topstitching would probably help with that.
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It will be interesting to see if this jacket becomes a staple of my wardrobe or more of an occasional piece. I really enjoyed making it and would consider making it again someday. One of my goals is to make more jackets in general, so this is a good start.
Pattern and Branch 