Michelle put her sewing skills to the test with
her version of Vogue 1467, as modelled by her
sister! Keep up with Michelle's sewing journey
at http://www.michellesews.com
T
his month I bring you a tale of yet another
project that strayed from its original plan
but turned out well in the end! This project
was originally going to be a Named Clothing Isla
Trench Coat for my sister. It looks like a lovely
pattern, and I’d seen some great versions on
social media, so I decided to try it out. I ordered
the heavy cotton drill and gorgeous check lining
fabric, which I thought would work nicely against
the wine-coloured outer fabric. I couldn’t wait to
get started...And then I opened up the pattern. I was aware
that the pattern would need to be traced, and
seam allowances added by hand. What I hadn’t
anticipated was the weird nesting of pattern
pieces randomly overlapping each other, and what
I’m pretty sure was at least one pattern piece on
which the line pattern for my size was incorrect
compared to the others to further complicate
matters. It gave me a headache, so I decided to use
a pattern from my stash – Vogue 1467, obviously
heavily modifi ed!Construction was pretty quick and easy. Because
the fabric felt quite sturdy and I didn’t have a
collar or band to worry about there wasn’t much
interfacing to do. I used fusible stay tape around
the neckline and front edges and interfaced
the front facing. Annoyingly, I forgot to draft
a separate lining pattern for the back, so I
constructed the lining without a pleat at centre
back. It’s an open, loose coat though so hopefully
shouldn’t be under too much strain at centre back.The sleeves are probably
the most interesting
part of the coat, and
were easy to sew. I
hand-stitched the lining
sleeve around the top of
the cuff , capturing the
cuff seam allowance
and giving it a clean
fi nish inside. Well,
relatively clean, if you
ignore my dodgy hand stitching!The cotton isn’t waterproof like the kind of treated
cotton you might use for a proper trench coat but
the colour has a subtle richness to it that I love;
it reminded me of the berry-toned lipstick my
sister swears by. The lining was easy to work with,
pressed well, and as a taff eta lining it has a nice
bit of ‘weight’ to it that made it easy to cut and sew
but still feels lovely to wear. I'm happy to report the
fi nished coat got the thumbs up from my sister, I'm
sure you'll agree she looks fabulous in it!The sleeves are probably the
most interesting part of the coat,
and were easy to sewMichelle says
THE MINERVA
CRAFTS
BLOGGER
NETWORK
The Minerva Crafts Blogger
Network is a collection of
amazing sewing and craft
bloggers from across the
world. Every month each
blogger creates a unique
kit from the thousands
of gorgeous fabrics and
notions available at Minerva
Crafts. They wow us with
their makes every month
by blogging a project
made with their kit on the
network. There are new
projects going live daily to
inspire and educate sewists
of all levels and abilities.
Each blogger's unique kits
are available to buy at
http://www.minervacrafts.comThis month 1'm making
The sleeves are probablyWine heavyweight
cotton drill dress
fabric, £8.99 per metre,
http://www.minervacrafts.comMichelle adapted a
version of Vogue 1467http://www.lovesewingmag.co.uk 67LS45 p67 TMIM.indd 67 19/09/2017 14:55